Sunday, May 2, 2010

UNIQLO The Westerner's Answer to Affordable & Trendy Clothoes



Hello Friends. Sorry it's been a while. I have a holiday day this week. It's called Golden Week. Basically major businesses and schools shutdown for a week. So, everybody's has time off. On the plus side, with everyone having the same vacation it's easy to get together with friends. On the other hand, ticket prices sky rocket, and major attractions such as Disney Land are over crowded. (Side Note: I'm going to Disney Sea tomorrow for the first time tomorrow. It's peak season so I'll let you know how it was).

Back to Uniqlo, Uniqlo is affordable and fits reasonable well. As a westerner finding the right fit can be difficult . And shopping is can be challenging if you live outside of Tokyo. Fortunately, a Uniqlo store  can typically be found in major train stations and even small towns. For months, I was unaware that there was a Uniqlo in Chiba station and even several stores in nearby towns. Imagine, I was rotating the only 3 long sleeve shirts I packed when the weather transitioned from summer to spring. Please learn from my fashion faux pas and suffering.

Additional Shopping Tips


One of my personal fave's is H&M. The price is right, the clothes fit well, and it's always on trend. H&M is great for work, basics, and partying. As of April 2010 H&M is only found in Tokyo (Harajuku & Shibuya). In Harajuku, you can also find Forever 21, Zahra, high end luxury boutiques, and vintage stores, etc Harajuku has lots of side streets where you can find amazing items and discounts-so please explore.

Also, I tend to forget that Shibuya has great shopping. I often forget that there is a huge H&M there. Shibuya has a large Uniqlo branch and endless shopping.

Ginza


Is the luxury capital of Tokyo. Here you will find all major luxury brands, as well as an amazing Hello Kitty Store.

CHIBA Prefecture


In Chiba prefecture I recommend shopping at Sogo  and Parco department store. The train stop is Chiba. Also at Soga there is great shopping. Also there is a place called Lala Port that has great western shopping. At Makuhair-Hongo there is a fantastic outlet mall.  At Funabashi, you will find IKEA and a Costco is nearby.

Happy Shopping!