Shop to Your Heart’s Content at Any — or All — of These Shoutengai
Filipinos love bargain-hunting no matter where they go. In Japan, the best place a shopper can visit is a shoutengai or shopping street that sells almost everything, from food to clothes to novelty items at very friendly prices. Ready to go on a shopping spree? Here are the best shoutengai to visit when in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.
Togoshi Ginza (Tokyo)
©︎一般社団法人 戸越銀座エリアマネジメント
Togoshi Ginza is Tokyo’s longest shopping street to date with its length at 1.3 kilometers. It is surprisingly not located in the luxury shopping district Ginza found in Chuo Ward (even though it has Ginza in its name); Rather, it can be found in Shinagawa Ward.
Togoshi Ginza isn’t just using the name “Ginza” to attract locals and tourists. After the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, the Ginza district had trouble dealing with discarded bricks from buildings. So, these were donated to the Togoshi area and were used to help improve the roads for pedestrians and create a better drainage system to prevent floods. A plaque is currently erected in Togoshi Ginza shoutengai to signify the meaning behind its name.
Aside from offering great shopping finds at affordable prices, Togoshi Ginza also has a shrine, a park, and even an onsen where shoppers can visit and relax after a long shopping day.
Togoshi Ginza also has a mascot called Togoshi Ginjiro or “Gin-chan” whom you will see all over the place. You can buy Gin-chan goods while in this shopping area too.
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Address: 1-3-chome Togoshi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Prefecture 142-0041, Japan Website: https://www.togoshiginza.jp/en |
Shinsaibashi-suji (Osaka)
Namba City in Osaka is known for housing many bargain shops and high-street and luxury establishments. Here you’ll find popular shopping streets like Dōtonbori, Sōemon-chō and Mido-suji. Sandwiched between these is Shinsaibashi-suji, Osaka’s main shopping area.
Whether you’re looking for makeup, clothes, souvenirs, supplies for your home, or gadgets, this shoutengai has the shop for you. There are also restaurants, game arcades, and shops that sell anime, manga, and J-entertainment merchandise along this street.
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Address: 1-chome and 2-chome, Shinsaibashi-suji Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture 542-0085, Japan |
Nishiki Market (Kyoto)
If food-tripping in Kyoto is more up your alley, Nishiki Market a.k.a. Kyoto’s Kitchen is the place to be. This five-block shoutengai specializes in—you guessed it—food, which includes seasonal Kyoto delicacies and even kitchenware.
Many shops often give free samples or sell sample-sized food items. A lot of the shops at Nishiki Market have also been owned by families for generations, which comes as no surprise because this shoutengai has been around since the 1300s. (Fun fact: The oldest shop here is about 400 years old.)
Jakuchu Ito, a Japanese painter from the Edo Period (1603 to 1868), whose art continues to grow in popularity not just in Japan but also in Europe and the United States, has works that can be seen in Nishiki Market, especially in the shutters of several shops. Jakuchu was born into a family whose main income came from being a vegetable distributor in Nishiki Market. He took over for a time when his father passed away but turned it over to his brother after he started to pursue his art. His contributions to maintaining the market even when shop owners had trouble continuing their businesses made him a beloved figure here. A monument dedicated to him stands at the west entrance of the market.
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Address: Nishikikoji-dori, Nakagyo-ku (between Teramachi and Takakura), Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture 604-8054, Japan Website: https://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/ (Japanese only) |
Have fun shopping at these shoutengai and watch out for the cultural markers we mentioned to add an educational yet entertaining twist to your visit.
