Art bookstores and museum shops
[Open noon-6:30pm daily.]
Despite their compact gallery space, the Global Architecture Gallery puts on some excellent exhibitions focusing on contemporary Japanese and international architecture. They also publish books and magazines, and run a very well stocked architecture...
[Open 10:45am-7pm (Fri, Sat -8pm). Closed Mondays.]
Run by the NADiff chain of art bookstores, Gallery 5 serves as the museum shop for the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. In addition to art books they also carry an interesting selection of experimental music as well as arty toys.
[Open 11am-6pm (Fri -7pm). Closed Sun, Mon.]
Established by Toto, the manufacturer of bathroom appliances, Gallery Ma is a small two-story gallery located above a Nogizaka showroom. They specialize in modern architecture and contemporary design, with frequent exhibitions devoted to...
[Open 10am-6pm. Closed Mondays.]
The museum shop of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT) is one of the biggest branches of the NADiff chain of art bookstores. You'll find a wide selection of art books and postcards as well as artsy gift-shop goods such as tote bags,...
[Open noon-8pm daily.]
A well-stocked bookstore specializing in contemporary art, photography, architecture and design. After you're done browsing here you can drop in to three or four small contemporary-art galleries that share the building with the bookstore.
[Open 11am-8pm. Closed Mondays.]
Located next to the Watarium Museum's exhibition space, the museum bookstore has an impressive selection of imported art books, nicely printed art postcards, and various items notable for their design. There's a small cafe space downstairs.
Other bookstores
[Open 10am-9pm daily.]
Taiwan's coolest bookstore and lifestyle shop has created a unique "hub for cultural exchange" in Nihonbashi. In addition to selling books, stationery and miscellaneous goods, the shop incorporates a workshop zone with areas devoted to Japanese...
Ohya Shobo - Bookstore: Jimbocho
[Open 10am-6pm. Closed Sundays.]
This antiquarian bookseller in the heart of the Jimbocho bookstore district is a great place to purchase, or just look at, antique ukiyo-e woodblock prints.
[Open 7am-2am daily.]
Run by the video-rental chain Tsutaya, this very large, impressively well-stocked book and music store serves as the anchor for the upscale Daikanyama T-Site shopping complex. The centerpiece of the shop is a luxuriously appointed lounge-bar area...
[Open 7am-4am daily.]
Booksellers in Japan have a generous tradition of letting their customers stand and read books at length before buying (or not buying), but the Tsutaya chain of book/record stores have gone one better than most. In their new Roppongi store, they...
Furniture and housewares
[Open 11:30am-8pm.]
Run by the well-known US furniture manufacturer, the Herman Miller Store offers ergonomically designed chairs and office furniture, lighting equipment and stationery.
[Open 11am-7:30pm daily.]
This branch of the giant Swedish retailer is convenient to the train station and located nearby the huge Lalaport shopping mall.
[Open 10am-9pm daily.]
This branch of Ikea is located next to the Lalacity shopping mall at Shin-Misato station; there's also a branch of Costco at the other end of the mall. A shuttle bus links Costco, Ikea, the mall and the train station, although it's not that far to...
[Open 10am-9pm (Sat, Sun 9am-) daily.]
The first Tokyo branch of Swedish housewares shop Ikea is convenient to JR Tachikawa station - about a twelve-minute walk, or just five minutes from Takamatsu station on the Tachikawa monorail line. The restaurant is more popular than average for...
[Open 10am-9pm daily.]
One of four Tokyo-area branches of the Swedish retailer, Ikea Yokohama is spread out over two levels and offers the usual selection of housewares. Free shuttle buses run from JR Shin-Yokohama every thirty minutes on weekdays and every twenty...
[Most shops open 10am-6pm; closed Wednesdays.]
Designed by Italian architect Mario Bellini, the Tokyo Design Center was completed in 1991. The most prominent feature is a galleria passageway that cuts upward through the building diagonally, leading to a garden area sitting on a steep hill behind...
Kitchenware and tableware
[Open 6am-3pm. Closed Sundays, Tsukiji market holidays.]
This smaller, Tokyo outpost of the famous Kyoto-based knife shop Aritsugu is popular with chefs, and is one of several choices for professional knives in the Tsukiji Outer Market area.
[Open 10am-8pm daily.]
Clearly someone with excellent taste has curated the cool merchandise for sale at this stylish little design shop. The eclectic wares are all over the place, with area rugs and clothing, desk lamps and audio equipment, cosmetics and plants all...
[Open 11am-9pm (Sun -8pm) daily.]
Found Muji is a concept brand from the design-savvy retailer, reprenting a collection of simple but elegant products and designs discovered by Muji trend-hunters in various parts of the world. Muji then teams up with the craftsmen or small...
[Open 11am-9pm daily.]
Unlike most prefectural antenna shops, this spacious, attractively appointed store specializes in local handicrafts more than food and drink, and it's well worth visiting just for its pottery selection. You'll also find beautiful glassware, paper...
[Open 11am-7pm daily.]
The Traditional Craft Center in Aoyama offers handy one-stop shopping for a range of Japanese crafts. It's all here and it's all for sale - from pottery, lacquerware and carving knives for your everyday needs to more esoteric washi (paper...
[Open 10am-6pm (Sun 12:30-5:30pm). Open every day.]
Patronized by both professional chefs and home cooks, Kamata uses traditional methods to craft their knives, offering more than 800 different items for sale. It's also a good place to buy whetstones, which make nice gifts for any chefs in your...
[Open 10am-8pm daily.]
Established in 1792 and still going strong, Kiya sells an amazing variety of kitchen knives, including ones crafted specifically for cutting fugu, salmon, soba noodles and vegetables. They carry seven different styles of eel knife alone. They also...
[Open 9am-5pm. Closed weekends.]
Gorgeous soup and salad bowls, bento boxes, trays and other items for the table are sold at this lacquerware specialty shop. In addition to traditional styles they also offer modern interpretations of the classics, including lovely silver-colored...
[Open 6am-3pm. Closed Sundays, Tsukiji market holidays.]
Befitting this shop's location on the outskirts of Tsukiji's wholesale food market, the vast majority of Masamoto's customers are professional chefs. Cleavers, sashimi knives, small fruit knives - they're all here, and the shop also provides...
[Open 11am-8pm (Sat, Sun -6pm) daily.]
In addition to the usual local food and booze, this large prefectural antenna shop offers a good assortment of crafts - tableware, glassware, wooden dolls and other decorative items - all made in Fukushima. The sake refrigerators - showcasing more...
[Open 10am-8pm daily.]
Nagasaki Prefecture runs one of the largest prefectural antenna shops in Tokyo, selling a wide range of regional food items that are otherwise hard to find. There's quite a bit of Nagasaki-made shochu (and a smaller amount of Nagasaki sake) in the...
[Open 11am-9pm daily.]
Dedicated to the crafts and local foods of Niigata Prefecture, Niigata Ichi-Maru-Maru feels like a cross between an upscale design shop and a prefectural antenna shop. The shelves are filled with beautifully crafted glassware and pottery,...
[Open 7am-4pm. Closed Sundays, Tsukiji market holidays.]
Dating back to the 1930s, Sugimoto started as a metalsmith specializing in swords and knives. Today they produce Western knives and Chinese cleavers as well as traditional Japanese knives made with Japanese carbon steel. They also carry a variety...
Crafts
[Open 11am-7pm. Closed Wednesdays.]
Officially known as "2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan," this is a complex of galleries, boutiques and workshops for artisans of both traditional and modern crafts. Lined up under the JR railroad tracks are some two dozen shops selling (and often making...
[Open 10am-7pm. Closed Mondays.]
The main draw at this long-running folk craft store is probably their extensive selection of pottery - dishes, bowls and other tableware in various styles and price ranges - as well as a smaller selection of bamboo and lacquerware for the table. ...
[Open 11am-8pm daily.]
This ambitious design museum/gallery has the unusual mission of showcasing commercial, industrial and product design from all 47 Japanese prefectures. Products cover everything from pottery, lacquerware and kitchen utensils to stationery, fabrics,...
[Open 11am-7pm daily.]
The Traditional Craft Center in Aoyama offers handy one-stop shopping for a range of Japanese crafts. It's all here and it's all for sale - from pottery, lacquerware and carving knives for your everyday needs to more esoteric washi (paper...
[Open 11am-8pm (Sat, Sun -6pm) daily.]
In addition to the usual local food and booze, this large prefectural antenna shop offers a good assortment of crafts - tableware, glassware, wooden dolls and other decorative items - all made in Fukushima. The sake refrigerators - showcasing more...
[Open 11am-9pm daily.]
Dedicated to the crafts and local foods of Niigata Prefecture, Niigata Ichi-Maru-Maru feels like a cross between an upscale design shop and a prefectural antenna shop. The shelves are filled with beautifully crafted glassware and pottery,...
[Open 9:30am-6pm. Closed Sundays.]
A combination retail store, gallery space and educational facility devoted to the Japanese art of paper folding. After being inspired by assorted origami works on the gallery floor you can see how origami paper is dyed and painted in the...
[Open 10am-6pm (Fri -8pm). Closed Tuesdays.]
The name of this shop really doesn't do it justice - more than just a souvenir shop or museum shop, it's actually one of the best design shops in Tokyo. You'll find excellent selections of pottery, glassware, fabrics, paper goods and many other...
Other specialties
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Fumihiko Maki designed this Aoyama landmark, which was completed in 1985. There is an excellent design shop on the second floor.
[Open 11am-9pm (Sun -8pm) daily.]
Stationery enthusiasts will marvel at the breadth of offerings at this gorgeous little shop - everything from vintage fountain pens and artisanal ink to deluxe planners and notebooks from Japan and abroad. There are tasteful knickknacks and...
[Open 11am-8pm daily.]
This ambitious design museum/gallery has the unusual mission of showcasing commercial, industrial and product design from all 47 Japanese prefectures. Products cover everything from pottery, lacquerware and kitchen utensils to stationery, fabrics,...
[Open 10am-8:30pm daily.]
Simply one of the best camera shops in town, this 70-year-old shop sells used and new equipment at very competitive prices, with knowledgeable, unpressured service. Nikons are upstairs, Canons are on the ground floor, and there's a "junk" branch...
[Open 11am-9pm (Sun -8pm) daily.]
All the goods on display here have been past winners of Japan's Good Design Award for noteworthy industrial design, so browsing the shelves is a bit like visiting a design museum. The collection is incredibly diverse but often quite mundane,...
[Open 10am-9pm daily.]
Visiting the Good Design Store is like a trip to a design museum, except everything here is for sale. This specialty design shop carries a diverse array of household goods, stationery supplies, toys and random products, all of them past winners of...
[Open 10am-8:30pm daily.]
(Formerly Tokyu Hands) Here in the well-stocked original branch of the popular craft and hobbyist store you'll find everything from science-lab equipment and art supplies to woodworking tools and lumber. There's a large stationery department, and...
[Open 10am-8:30pm daily.]
(Formerly Tokyu Hands) This popular "do-it-yourself" shop stocks a good selection of curtains, lamps, gardening tools, kitchen utensils, bicycles, cosmetics, costumes, drills and power tools, picture frames, notebooks and clocks.
[Open 9am-6pm daily.]
Although the custom is not as popular as it once was, some restaurants in Japan still show off plastic food models in their display windows to entice passersby. Maizuru is where they buy them. You can purchase realistic-looking plastic...
[Open 11am-8pm daily.]
More than 1800 very tasteful items are stocked at this museum shop from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Everything from stylish lamps to clever wristwatches to stationery and kitchenware. The selection also includes a number of items...
[Open 10am-9pm (B1F 7:30am-9:30pm LO) daily.]
If you were acquainted with the spectacular Muji flagship store located in nearby Yurakucho, this current incarnation may be disappointing. The wide-open spaces and vistas of the former flagship have been replaced by poorly planned narrow aisles...
[Open 11am-9pm daily.]
Somewhat smaller than the flagship store near Yurakucho, this branch of the popular "no-brand" shop is still quite large, selling simply designed housewares and clothing and housing an outlet of the Meal Muji cafe in the basement.
[Open 11am-8pm. Closed Mondays, Thursdays.]
Tokyo's most gorgeous art supply store, designed by architect Kengo Kuma, may tempt you to pick up a paintbrush, just for an excuse to shop here. The wall of pigments took a full week of chromatic coordination to get right, and they stock more than...
[Open 11am-9pm (Sun -8pm) daily.]
One of the many design and lifestyle stores in the Kitte complex, this tiny branch of Spiral Market focuses on housewares and casual gifts, and it seems like a good place to find a tasteful housewarming present or a party gift. The main branch is...
[Open 11:30am-7pm. Closed weekdays.]
Although they started out providing 1/100th-scale cut-out figures to be used in architectural models, Terada has greatly expanded their line-up to cater to scale-model hobbyists, offering kits that feature miniature animals, sports settings,...