The best area to shop for clothes in Tokyo
How Koenji takes vintage shopping to the next level. Plus, a store that offers an amazing selection of vintage Levi's, Polo, and more!
I’m back at the SNL HQ—debriefing, unpacking, and revisiting moments that made my recent trip to Japan so memorable. While getting to experience beautiful vibes crafted by its people, architecture, design, and the city’s hidden secrets, I was there mainly for research. My main mission was to really hone in on the vintage shopping that the city has to offer—and there’s a lot.
Read the Japan Shopping Guide with a new addition on Where to shop for vintage in Tokyo — a list highlighting where to shop for the best vintage, and a map that you can sync to your phone for a full city guide on where to shop, eat, drink, hangout and everything in between.
The city offers some amazing vintage shopping. It’s something you can just stumble on as you venture off around the neighborhoods of Tokyo. These stores are usually nestled in a quiet street that’s right next to a cafe or gallery that just sets up the mood for some proper money spending.
There is an area that takes vintage shopping to a next level though. The district of Koenji is a small neighborhood that offers some of the best vintage shopping in Tokyo. It’s quieter, the people within the neighborhood are considerably more stylish, and the variety of stores offer a unique selection of garments that don’t overlap with one another—you’ll be able to find steals while discovering extremely rare items that come at a price.
I spent my last day of the trip exploring this area. It’s located just west of Shinjuku, with a direct train available to the Koenji that takes about 20 minutes from Shinjuku Station. I had a few recommendations already, but what I mostly did was walk around and talk to locals to see where they shop themselves.
Below are some of my favorite stores I found in this area. My suggestion is to get lost in the neighborhood and just go into every store you see. You’ll be surprised at what you can find.
SAFARI
Probably on the best vintage stores I visited during my entire trip. Safari is a network of shops that are located within a two block radius, focusing on specific genres of vintage clothing.
Safari 1st is your place for everything rare. A crazy selection of deadstock footwear from the 40s and 50s can be found right as you enter, college crewnecks and military garments are offlowing, while dozens of vintage Levi’s from the 20s and 30s are hanging on the rack.
I won’t lie, some of the stuff may feel overpriced, and while it might be, that doesn’t change the fact that there is still an abundance of really good clothes that’s priced fairly that you will not find elsewhere.
Starting at this location is going to set you up for the rest of the Safari experience—a map to all of their locations can be found just outside of the Safari 1 location.
Safari 2 RRL is just down the street from 1st, and it’s filled with Polo. I don’t even want to say much about this store. It’s simply insane. Just go there and experience it for yourself. You will not be dissapointed.
Safari 4th shop doubles as an art gallery that displays rare chairs and other items, while also offering a highly curated selection of vintage Burberry, rare brooks brothers, and trench coats.
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CASE
A good rule of thumb; if you find a store on Google maps that doesn’t have any photos of the inside, you’ve probably hit the jackpot. This select shop isn’t large but it makes up for it by giving you an all-banger selection of clothes, books, and accessories. Great variety of vintage designer brands like Comme Des Garcons, Junya and more—I found that the vintage Prada selection was really good.
MR.CHUBBY
Great spot for multi-brand vintage. Great selection of Polo Sport, Nike and other sports related garments. Great prices also, which is important to note. I ended up spending like an hour here just going through everything on the rack. If you’re looking for something specific then you should talk to one of the employees, they will be happy to let you know if they have any specific garment in the back.
COYS CLOTHING STORE
Located just down the street from Mr.Chubby is Coys. Another great multi-brand store that has a smaller, but a very enjoyable selection of garments. Good prices as well, and the guy who runs the store is really nice.
WASTER
A great little vintage store that feels like you’re inside someone’s living room. Cool movie and game memorabilia can be found in various corners of the shop, while unique jerseys, vintage button ups and other great garments are are scattered across the space. Really fun store, definitely recommend giving this one a go!
Those are just some of the great places that are waiting for you in Koenji. Read the Vintage Shopping in Tokyo guide for the full Koenji store list + other areas in Tokyo.
Great spot, Uptown Records is also worth a look if anyone’s in the area. Retail workers in Japan are all so chill
SNL HQ aka Top floor aka Penthouse aka Space command