Japan / Hong Kong Shopping

[dennissyh]

Check out Causeway Bay on the Hong Kong Island, takes a train and exit at the Sogo Department store and you can start your therapy from there. It's pretty easy to walk around. It's a high street area with tons of people and tons of shops, you'll be certain to find something there. there are high fashion retailing as well. Most people speak english, so feel free to venture. Interesting place to be and kinda chaotic.

On the Kowloon side, check out the Granville Road at Tsim Sha Tsui. Tons of shops selling affordable fashion. In Canton Road, check out the Silvercord Building, there's a Muji store and a discounted designer I.T. sales shop. Across the street is all the high fashion designer shops.

Enjoy shopping

 

[highclasstrash]

shopping in japan!

where is the good shopping in japan? restaurants, clubs, attractions and sorts?

i have no set schedule so i can go pretty much anywhere within the 7 days (november).


i'm not interested in the upper class shopping areas, i've got a small budget and my style is of a less classier state. i want vintage shops, local designers, crazy stuff i can't get in canada, nifty boutiques.

as for eating, i love food and there is no budget when it comes too good food that i can only get while being in japan. any good restaurants or things i should try out? i'll try anything!

 

[Melisande]

Ooooh boy, there is so much to say! For now:

As for vintage/local crazy stuff, my favorite areas are Shimokitazawa--very bohemian area w/ underground theatres and jazz clubs--and Harajuku as well as what we call Ura-Hara, or the back streets of Harajuku. Kichijoji is a little out of the way but also great for artsy types like me.

As for food you will have to get up early (read, 4am) one morning to hit the fish market at Tsukiji. The freshest sushi in Tokyo, straight out of the ocean. For a more upscale sushi place I love Kyubei in Ginza and other places, very expensive but amazing. In Ginza you can also have tempura at Tenkuni or Hageten. Soba noodles at Sarashina in the Azabu Jyuban area or Jindaiji for a little out of the way but delightfully quaint local soba-haven.

Some chain stores you can look into for cheap and fun shopping are 100 yen stores for Japanese household items and trinkets, and Uniqlo for clothing. Muji is always nice, good quality for the price. The Oriental Bazaar in Omotesando is a place you can heaps of pretty Japanese souvenirs and old kimonos, and Kiddy Land down the street is a multi-story toy wonderland. You must go to Asakusa to see the old part of Tokyo and a vast market of Japanese goods and souvenirs. Shinjuku and Shibuya will give you all the big city buzz you need, with lots of department stores and highrise bldgs.

Meiji Jingu Shrine and Shinjuku Gyoen Park are nice to check out quiet Japanese gardens.

Day trips to Kamakura (the beach, temples shrines) or Nikko (hiking, amazing shrines and temples designated national treasures, as well as monkeys hanging out on the streets) or Hakone (hiking, mountains and hot springs).

As for clubs, some big ones are Ageha, Womb, and Yellow for edgy stuff and the hip DJs. There's a whole townful at Roppongi but it's a little too glitzy and sleazy for my taste. What kind of music/crowd/atmosphere do you like?

Let me know if you have any more questions, what area you will be staying in, what your taste/hobbies are, etc...

 

[Tabasamu]

Konnichiwa.Another thing is to learn the signs for 'ladies' and 'gents'. I found myself standing in the public gents room once in. From then I learnt...had to! Check the signs out, the one that appears to have a box in it is for boxer shorts according to me...that's how I learnt.

 

[purexelegance]

oh yeah and the bathrooms for women have the kind that you have to stand up and do your business...

those things suck.

and it's hard for out of towners.

so if you wnat to be adventurous, it's okay but otherwise stick with the regular ones.



it says youshiki on the outside. but in kanji

 

[Melisande]

Well...not exactly...you don't stand up, you squat!

Thank goodness.

 

[purexelegance]

haha yeah.

definitely you squat.

yeah i dunno it feels like you're half sitting/standing.

it's a weird position.

 

[boomslang20117]

hong kong

hi, i'm heading to hong kong during christmas. anything that i should look out for? thanks.

 

[Buckwheat]

Those mean and crazy shoppers in town as mentioned in the Balenciaga shop in Hong Kong thread probably!!??

I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. Anything particular?

 

[boomslang20117]

yes, besides that. what's the address for Balenciaga. anyway anything about joyce, i.t., dior and apc.

 

[Buckwheat]

sorry boom I actually not living in HK right now. But there are a lot of tFSers here could give you more insights.

I was in HK past June and I noticed that at APC their price is higher than US. (sale and non-sale items) I guess because it's under I.T.? Even on sale they only have 30% off. You can get 50% off here in the US. (on the website also)

I.T. has a lot of cool Japanese brands so do check it out. Last time I saw they have Whereabouts, N. Hollywood and more. Plus they have Ann Dem., Raf Simons and more. But I guess they carry different brands at different locations. I like the one at Causeway Bay and TST. I also like the store Shine at Causeway Bay too. It's near all those I.T. shops. Stop by there when you have the time.

Man I wish I can go again during Christmas. You will hit the sales when you are there too!

 

[purexelegance]

hmm and watch out for people who ask you to buy stuff for them...

it's a little creepy.

it's happened to me in several cities like milan.

 

[highclasstrash]

ok i've left things till the last minute and now i' really need too start figuring my trip out...

i'm going too tokyo, staying at the new otani nov 19-27

should i get one of those 7 day passes? how late do the busses run? is the new otani pretty central? i heard biking is deadly, taxis are pricey, and the trains are confusing...true or false?

i'm so excited!

 

[Fade to Black]

yes, besides that. what's the address for Balenciaga. anyway anything about joyce, i.t., dior and apc.

Balenciaga is in the Entertainment Building...it's right through the alley way between the Pedder Street exit for Central MTR station and the building for Shanghai Tang/Red Chamber Cigar Divan, I believe.

For Joyce, you get all the big brands such as Libertine, Dior Homme, John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, Undercover, Number (N)ine, Jil Sander etc. etc. but I'd stay away from the Dior Homme over there if I were you. I got a pair of jeans 30% off during the sale and the price i paid was barely lower than U.S. retail. Also Dior Homme is discounted 30% at the maximum, no more. I'd say go for Undercover while you're in Hong Kong...it's still very expensive but cheaper than what it costs in America.

The best I.T. is the one in Sino Plaza. It's basically along the freeway, can't miss it.

 

[Avantster]

Awesome thread! I'm going to Japan and HK in a month so this thread was perfect. Thanks Melisande and purexelegance for Kyoto information and tips.

I've been looking at the Men's Non-No Online Map to find shops... There are so many it's insane. Wish I could read Japanese, lol...

 

[mishahoi]

ok i've left things till the last minute and now i' really need too start figuring my trip out...

i'm going too tokyo, staying at the new otani nov 19-27

should i get one of those 7 day passes? how late do the busses run? is the new otani pretty central? i heard biking is deadly, taxis are pricey, and the trains are confusing...true or false?

i'm so excited!

some busses, like the keio busses, run until late at night, but thats usually for people who live along the line. i would put midnight as a good aim for getting on a train before they stop running, but some (including mine) go far past that until about 1am...

taxis are 660yen for the first 2km, 30% surcharge after 11pm..
biking isnt deadly, but it isnt necessarily that much faster, esp in the crowded areas. the trains have an english system now with colors and codes so it shouldnt be too hard~

 

[unmetro]

Awesome thread! I'm going to Japan and HK in a month so this thread was perfect. Thanks Melisande and purexelegance for Kyoto information and tips.

I've been looking at the Men's Non-No Online Map to find shops... There are so many it's insane. Wish I could read Japanese, lol...

tats pretty kewl....here's another site....
http://superfuture.com/city/home/

 

[boomslang20117]

Balenciaga is in the Entertainment Building...it's right through the alley way between the Pedder Street exit for Central MTR station and the building for Shanghai Tang/Red Chamber Cigar Divan, I believe.

For Joyce, you get all the big brands such as Libertine, Dior Homme, John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto, Junya Watanabe, Undercover, Number (N)ine, Jil Sander etc. etc. but I'd stay away from the Dior Homme over there if I were you. I got a pair of jeans 30% off during the sale and the price i paid was barely lower than U.S. retail. Also Dior Homme is discounted 30% at the maximum, no more. I'd say go for Undercover while you're in Hong Kong...it's still very expensive but cheaper than what it costs in America.

The best I.T. is the one in Sino Plaza. It's basically along the freeway, can't miss it.

Sad to hear that Dior Homme is costing so much in Hong Kong. But do they carry lots of stuff from Dior Homme? Or just maybe those wearable pieces?

 

[Fade to Black]

Sad to hear that Dior Homme is costing so much in Hong Kong. But do they carry lots of stuff from Dior Homme? Or just maybe those wearable pieces?

Well for past 2 seasons they haven't carried anything exciting...mostly the commercial/wearable pieces. A lot of tank tops and t-shirts, as expected since the youth/culture magazine market makes those the most desirable pieces so they want to attract young customers. Their suiting selection from Dior is disappointing, none of those really experimental/image defining jackets such as the shiny horsehair, fireworks, lurex, etc. Just some boring pinstripes, plain grey suits, plain black blazer. Expect to pay a LOT more than you would in the States or Europe (Basic black blazer from S/S 05, - not even a full suit, just the jacket - costs about $20,000 HKD).

Although the Joyce in Tsim Sha Tsui did carry the bronze glitter rock star jeans this season...probably obscenely expensive, but I wonder who would buy those anyway. Oh well it's Hong Kong I'm sure some wealthy middle aged man is gonna snatch those up to wear to the next party in Lan Kwai Fong.

 

[Melisande]

ok i've left things till the last minute and now i' really need too start figuring my trip out...

i'm going too tokyo, staying at the new otani nov 19-27

should i get one of those 7 day passes? how late do the busses run? is the new otani pretty central? i heard biking is deadly, taxis are pricey, and the trains are confusing...true or false?

i'm so excited!

Hi Highclasstrash! Hey, the New Otani is pretty central, (very nice hotel) you can get there by the JR Chuo Line (Yotsuya Station) or the subway, Marunouchi Line (Akasaka Mitsuke Stn.). I'm afraid it's comparatively true what you heard about biking, taxix and trains...but don't worry, Mishahoi is right. Just make sure you have a subway and JR map with you all the time and you're fine. I would also buy a "Passnet" (available at the subway stations) so you can enter and exit the subway without worrying about distances and prices and buying tickets. (I doubt you'll be using buses very often in that area; not to mention buses are the most confusing of all, and hardly on time; if you do use them make sure to ask the driver if he's going to your destintion: "_______ ikimasuka?" )

Have fun!