Mens Shopping in Tokyo: A Guide to Finding Style
“Remind yourself. Nobody built like you, you design yourself.”
Hi there Stylish Friends,
I was drinking with some friends the other day, and my friend said ‘Nice sweater! where did you get it?’. to be honest, I completely forgot where to buy it. This got me thinking: Where is the best place for men to shop in Tokyo?
I decided to go through my wardrobe and see where I usually end up buying places and give a review. Realizing that there was way more variety in the shops I go to than I thought. Of course, a lot of the usual suspects like Zara, H&M, GAP etc. had some presence, but I found great alternatives. Department stores like Hankyu and Marui have a great selection for a wide range of products. Also the Japanese brand Uniqlo is an absolute must for people who want to look nice but don’t want to break the bank.
Keep reading if you want to find out the details of where I shop and what I look for.
Depending on the budget
It always comes down to the question: How much do you want to spend? A lot of people ask me where I shop and give me no spending range. Of course I ask them where they usually shop and I can get a good estimate. I tried to get a good range of shops/areas for all budgets, so you can pick your matches yourself.
Uniqlo
They are one of the newest players in fast fashion, mainly focusing on basics. All good wardrobes start off with good basics and Uniqlo has definitely been killing the basic fits.
Some of the things they cover are: Suits, Sportswear, jeans, t-shirts, Turtlenecks, crewnecks, and their famous heat tech. The last one is an absolute must for those who get cold easily.
Above here is a fit I picked up the other day for around 5000 yen (around $50,-), which is an absolute steal. Minus the shoes and watch… The white Alexander McQueen sneakers are replaceable by a pair you can pick up from their store. I like to wear stuff that is simple, but has a little extra, hence why I chose to wear those shoes but any basic white sneaker would look just as cool!
I like crew necks because they look casual but stylish. The dark green pants are joggers and they are very comfortable. Make sure that you know what colors look good on you. skin color, body size, hair color all have influence on this, so experiment a bit. See what feels like you!
Uniqlo has been expanding globally quite fast over the last couple of years, so you can probably find one of their shops near your place now or in the near future.
Nano Universe
Nano Universe is a place where you can buy a fit that can set you up for several occasions. They lean towards the modern man at the early stage of their career, so you can see a lot of clean fits that cost a bit more than fast fashion places, but don’t set you back too much.
I picked up the suit in the image from their Shinjuku store and wear it everywhere. I used to go to the office with it (yeah including a shirt, tie and dress shoes of course), wear the pants casually without the jacket or just mix it up with a basic white t-shirt like in the pic.
The cost of the Jacket + Pants was about 20.000 (around $200,-) and came in Navy and Olive green. I still regret not picking up the Olive green one. I’m still looking for something like it today…
Tornado Market
One of the more eccentric stores on my list. Generally I would not shop here because their base line is quite flashy. you know those host boys with the crazy hair? It’s that sorta shop. BUT! I always pass by whenever I see their shop because the quality and customer service is very nice and There are hidden jewels quite often.
Hidden jewels is what every man should be shopping for. Tokyo being of the fashion capitals of the world, means that they have tons of different shops, styles and brands. Naturally, this means that not everything will be your cup of tea. However, a lot of shops experiment and go out of their usual design pattern to attract new/different customers.
Tornado Market does this very well in my opinion. The jacket in the image above was almost sold out but they had one left in my size at the other side of the country. I really like the dark red and black tones and the shop tenant offered to shop the jacket to Tokyo just for me to try! Of course, I said yes and it came in a couple of days later, tried it on and bought it. the design is different from the usual puffer jackets but without going overboard. I still get a lot of compliments whenever I wear it!
Quality is definitely one of those things you will not compromise on. This jacket (cost around 30.000 or around $300,-) is very high quality and it is quite a timeless design, making it a worthy investment.
Marui Mens Shinjuku
Not a brand perse, but a good place to shop in general is Marui Mens. They have a location located in Shinjuku, around 5 minutes from Shinjuku-sanchome station and it is packet with great places to shop. Brands like Takeo Kikuchi, Black Label, Comme de Garcon, Tornado Market are some of the shops that can be found there. They are a bit more premium than most shopping malls, but most of the shops there are solid investments.
Hankyu Mens & Isetan Department stores
The juicy stuff, the wallet breakers, the shopping bag is a flex level department stores: Hankyu Mens and Isetan. These are the places with the higher brands. An excellent collection of premium casual to bespoke formal wear.
Make sure to give their sale season a chance though. again, cherry picking can get you excellent pieces without going too overboard with style and budget!
Black Label Crestbridge
Burberry’s Japan exclusive brand. You can see a clear influence of the British brand, but it is focused more on the younger man. Want to dress nice, have a little bit of extra flair in your style, and have nice fitting pieces? take a shop at one of their locations. A bit much from time to time, but definitely not a brand you should skip.
In the image I am wearing their Jacket and Cardigan. Their accessory range is also very slick, so ended up getting a belt and business card holder there as well. And yes, business cards are still a thing in Japan.
Suit Shops
An honorable mention is the classic suit shop. In Japan, there are tons of suit shops and they come in all ranges. As you might have heard, having a suit is a must for all levels of career. Since I’m built a bit different than the locals, I did have some issues with finding good places to shop. I noticed sleeve length and shoulder width are common issues in Asia.
What people don’t know is that some shops do often long sleeve versions of their items! Also, getting a tailor made suit not only looks better, but is also more affordable than you might think. When you are way taller/bigger than the locals, you might want to end up getting a suit from a foreign brand, or even wait until you go back home for a visit to get one there.
