Wandering Fel

Showing posts with label Japan Shopping. Show all posts

I just watched a travel show about Harajuku the other day at one of those cable TV channels which my mum subscribes back at home. Got a little jealous sometimes cause I got no telly on my own here in my rented room in Singapore. Oh well, anyway, I don't really have time to watch TV too.

Okay, where was I? Oh right, the show. When the cute host talked about Harajuku, she introduced this fun store named Kiddy Land. If you are a fan of Japanese characters like Hello Kitty, Doraemon, Gudetama, etc, you must give this store a visit.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Kiddy Land, Harajuku

Kiddy Land is a toy paradise for both kids and adults. I don't really refer to the products sold by Kiddy Land as toys though. To me, they seem to be collectibles instead of toys. The atmosphere in this five-storey buildings screams "fun" so I think it's best to visit Kiddy Land later toward the day when you are done with the itinerary for the day.

Studio Ghibli Merchandises at Kiddy Land Harajuku Japan

This paper display of My Neighbour, Totoro, one of the finest creation of Studio Ghibli looks so cute.

Studio Ghibli Totoro Paper Art at Kiddy Land Harajuku

Kiddy Land also has non-Japanese cartoon character toys too such as Powerpuff Girls. Konichiwa, Bubble-san! (I nearly got myself Bubble plush toy seriously).

Bubble Powerpuff Girls Soft Toy at Kiddy Land Harajuku

If you are a collector of pins, Kiddy Land sells all kind of pins from the big ones to the smaller ones. Oh my gawd, it's hard to resist temptation to buy stuff here.

Powerpuff Girls pins at Kiddy Land Harajuku

Doraemon-themed cutlery and cookery can be found in Kiddy Land too. I always want to have a themed-kitchen to be honest with you (not sure in which lifetime).

Doraemon Merchandises at Kiddy Land Harajuku

Oh! Random pins. I love random stuff and hence, I got myself one pack of this. I got the yellow pin with Brown and Sally in sheep shape. Cute!

LINE Friends random pins at Kiddy Land Harajuku Japan

Kiddy Land's opening hours:

Weekdays: 11AM - 9PM

Weekends: 10:30AM - 9PM

How to go to Kiddy Land:

Kiddy Land is situated in the middle of Omotesando. You can reach Kiddy Land by taking subway to Harajuku Station and take Omotesando exit. Alternatively, you can also reach Kiddy Land from Meiji-Jingumae Station (exit 4).

Shibuya is known as the popular shopping and entertainment spot in Tokyo. It is one heck of a busy district, where you can find almost everything from shopping to dining to pachinko and even host clubs. It is no wonder that Shibuya is still bustling even until night time.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: One Night in Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya on a Friday night is filled with office workers who can finally taste the wonderful feeling of weekends. This pork ramen stall looks so popular there is barely a seat available inside.

A lot of store occupying huge building in Shibuya such as Adidas.

If you are talking about shopping in Shibuya, you would surely know about Shibuya 109, a trend setting fashion complex for young women in Japan. It is also the icon of the Shibuya district as it has more than one hundred boutiques in the building.

There are so many boutiques inside we dunno how to start shopping. If you want to shop until you drop, you should probably allocated one day to shop in Shibuya alone. The fashion boutiques open from 10AM to 9PM while the restaurants open slightly later at 11AM.

Fashion boutiques inside Shibuya 109 Tokyo Japan

Passed by a pachinko. What is a pachinko? It seems like an arcade game or pinball machine from outside. However, this is no ordinary arcade as pachinko is considered gambling games in Japan. The object of the games is to capture as many balls as possible. The balls can then be converted into prizes.

Listed as one of the top 10 things to do in Japan, you can't leave Shibuya without crossing in the famous 6-way intersection right outside Shibuya Station. When the lights turn red at this busy junction, they all turn red at the same time in every direction allowing pedestrians to surge into the intersection from all sides. The best place to watch this beautiful chaos is from the second-story window of the Starbucks (or Tsutaya) on the crossing's north side.

Often filmed as the famous waiting spot for couple in Japan, Hachiko Statue is something that I want to see with my own eyes. This is the statue of the loyal dog who waited for his master every day in front of Shibuya Station and continued to do so for years even after his master had passed away.

If you have experienced all the fun above, you may also want to try visiting a host club where the handsome (and beautiful) men will treat you like a queen.

I was an avid manga reader (okay, I should use the word "is" since I still love reading manga until now) when I was young. There is this manga telling a story about the life of teenagers which revolved around her and her friends' daily life spent in Harajuku. The impression given in the manga about Harajuku is that Harajuku is really strong in style-game. It's the center of Japan's fashion styles. So since my travelling buddy and I wanted to do some shopping too that night, we took the subway ride to Meiji-jingumae 'Harajuku" Station.

Harajuku is still lively despite the fact that it is already 8.30PM on a Thursday night. Japanese stays pretty late on the street every day, especially in big city like Tokyo.

10D9N Spring Japan Trip: Night Time Shopping at Harajuku, Tokyo

You can actually reach Harajuku by walking from Omotesando but we were too lazy that night. As you can see from the picture below, a lot of high street fashion brands set up a huge store here in Harajuku. For instance, there is the four storeys high Forever 21.

Right across the street, there is a three storeys high H&M. All of these stores invest pretty big in lighting game. After all, nobody would bother to visit those dim fashion stores I suppose.

If you prefer to shop Japanese fashion, you should make your way to Laforet Harajuku. The shopping centre is located strategically at the junction of Omotesando and Meiji Shrine. Laforet Harajuku is huge and it contains a lot of small boutiques selling Japanese-style clothes and accessories. If you are looking for some kind of lolita, gothic or other eccentric fashion, you may be able to find your things here in Laforet.

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania is one of the brand opening a store at Laforet. If you watched an anime called "Nana" before, you will recognise this brand straight away as this is the fashion and accessories brand which is loved by one of the main character, which is a singer in a rock band. The anime itself is so good, I am thinking of re-watching it someday.

Vivienne Westwood Store in Laforet Harajuku Tokyo

There is another shopping mall which is loved by the Japanese youths and it is called YM Square Harajuku. Oh my goodness, even Charles & Keith has opened a store here in Harajuku. Not bad eh, Charles & Keith? (fyi, Charles & Keith is a Singapore brand shoe store).

Most of the stores in Harajuku open until around 9PM so if you don't know where to go at night in Tokyo, you can make your way to Harajuku and enjoy some shopping time.