There are tons of both Don Quiojte and Daiso all over, including in Shibuya, across from Tokyo Dome City, and in Ikebukuro and Shinjuku. There is also a tiny Daiso Annex on Takeshita St. in Harajuku.
Seria
Among all of these, by far, the best is Seria. Elegant, always spotless, and upscale, Seria offers high quality goods at amazing prices. Most, but not all items are 100¥. There is a huge Seria in Shinjuku, and on in the OIOI (“Marui”) department store in Ikebukuro just 2 blocks west of the West Gate Park Exit at Ikebukuro Station. There is also one in the OIOI bldg. in Ueno. Don’t miss Seria, it’s well worth it.
Looking north in Ueno. The OIOI bldg. is just on the left, Ueno Station to the right.
Daiso
A step down from Seria, but still very good is DAISO. You can find a wide variety of items in DAISO, although their kitchen section isn’t quite as good as Seria‘s. There’s a bunch all over Japan (see links below). There’s a small one in Takeshita St. in Harajuku shown below. Most DAISO‘s are worth a stop. They also have an online store.
Don Quijote is perhaps Japan’s craziest 100¥ shop chain. While most of them feature a nice selection of products, and some good food deals, the stores are madhouses – tightly packed aisles of products, shelves stuffed to the ceilings with every imaginable kind of good, signs + sales everywhere. Don’t get us wrong – Don Quijotes are great. But be ready for craziness. Don Quijote also just recently opened an online store that ships overseas. They also have a good snack selection as well as candy and low-cost bottled coffee.
The Ginza Don Quijote – between the border of Ginza and Shiodome. The Ginza one is open 24 hours – perfect for a midnight snack run or late-night coffee.
Can☆Do is another chain of 100¥ stores in Japan. A little more like Seria, many are clean with a nice selection of quality products. Some of the Can☆Do‘s are more food-oriented and like grocery stores. There are 1000s of them all over Japan and are worth a stop.
A Can☆Do in north Itabashi. Most Can☆Do‘s also have a nice grocery section.
Lawson 100¥ Shops
Conbini chain Lawson also has a few 100¥ shops around Tokyo. They also have some grocery and food items for 100¥ or around 100¥. These are great shops worth a visit and a source of cheap food in Tokyo.
Other Shops
There are other small 100¥ chains around Japan such as simply 100 Stores and others.
Well that’s it for Japan’s 100¥ shops. Enjoy your shopping!
Harajuku is most famous for its shopping street – Takeshita Street. Omotesando Blvd. is runs parallel just to the south and is much bigger with more upscale shops + eateries.
Just to the north is Yoyogi and just to the south is Shibuya. Harajuku Station is on the JR Yamanote Line on the west side of Tokyo. A brand new larger JR station was completed in late 2019 to replace the historic aging older wooden station, which is now much too small for the tourist load. The new station is just south of the old one in the same block.
To get here, take any JR line that changes with the JR Yamanote Line, and get off at Harajuku Station. As a footnote, there is 1 other Metro station – Omoto-sando Station, all the way on the east side of Omotesando. You can traverse Omotesando Blvd. in a flash by shuttling between these 2 stations if you take the Chiyoda Line.
Old Harajuku JR Station in late autumn. The new station is on the left. Turn left from this vantage point at the next corner to enter Omotesando Blvd.Takeshita Street is to the right in this photo, out of frame.
Old Harajuku JR Station exit. The new station is to the right. Takeshita Street is straight ahead. This exit is shown in the photo above under the clock. Far too small for today’s tourist traffic load, the brand new station just to the southwest replaces it.
After you exit Harajuku Station, you can either turn left, and be at the entrance to Takeshita Street, or you can head right (south) and end up at a large intersection. If you head east from the intersection, you’ll be heading down Omotesando Blvd – which is the main shopping and restaurant street in the area.
Takeshita Street is shorter and takes less time, but is also much more crowded since it is smaller and more popular. Takeshita Street is mainly known for its several Crepé shops – including the famous Marion Crepés which was founded in 1976. There is also another Marion Crepés in the backstreets of Akihabara. There are also lots of clothing stores, restaurants, other food places, oddity shops, a DAISO 100¥ shop, and a small Bic Camera annex.
There are also a few hidden gems if you’re willing to venture down a few side streets for an off-the-beaten-path adventure. We’ll cover a few of those later.
It’s usually pretty packed – especially on nights + weekends. You’ll have to jostle with lots of other people. Just after the entrance on the right is a small alley with lots of T-shirt shops (see Totally Drew‘s video below). Just past that not too far down on the right is the very good NOA Coffee – well worth a stop. Marion Crepés is about 1/2 way down on the left. Oddly, NOA Coffee is run by the NOAH Company which also runs sound + dance studios and boxing gyms all over Tokyo.
About 1/2 way down Takeshita Street on the right, you’ll find a small side street that heads up a hill. Head up this street to the end – past several shops and boutiques, and then head left as the street curves around. Wander down a bit futher and at the end you’ll find the Depla Pol Chocolatier. This fabulous place has all kinds of goodies and waffles to boot. It’s only open from 10:00 AM to 8PM but well worth it. Its located at approximately 35°40’15.61″ N 139°42’14.89″ E. But because it’s off the beaten path, there is almost never a line and you can usually get right in.
Just south of JR Harajuku Station. The new station bldg. is on the left. The tall NTT HQ bldg. (also known as the “bubble building”) is in the center off in the distance in Shinjuku to the north.To the right is Omotesando Blvd.
Coin Lockers
Just down on the right past the entrance to Takeshita St is a small luggage storage locker shop. If you need to store your luggage for the day, you can drop your stuff here, and retrieve them on your way out. Rates range from 400¥-800¥ and you can store items for up to 4 days. The shop has 24/7 video surveillance of all lockers so your stuff is secure. Oddly, this shop is run by the NOAH Company, which also runs the NOA Coffee shop just down the street.
If you head down Omotesando Blvd, past the first major intersection, at around 35°40’04.35″ N 139°42’24.64″ E on the right across from the Ralph Lauren Flagship Store, you’ll see a side street. If you turn right here and head up the street, just on your right you’ll come to the best pancake shop in Harajuku: Flippers. This place is so good there is usually a line. The pancake craze has hit Tokyo and this is one of the best pancake shops in the city. Be prepared to wait and pay a few dollars to pig out on pancakes + fruit. But be careful – you can eat yourself sick in this place if you overdo it.
There are all kinds of additional shops down side streets. It’s well worth it to wander down some of these streets to see what’s there. There is even a TinTin store tucked back on the south side of Omotesando Blvd. If you arrive early enough, you can easily walk all of Harajuku + Omotesando in a day. Try to avoid weekends and nights because that is when the area is packed with crowds of tourists.
If you walk all the way down Omotesando Blvd. about .7 miles, you’ll come to Rt. 413. If you head left (north) here, you’ll find all kinds of interesting stuff. There’s a great upscale noodle restaurant called Miyota. There’s also an Olympic bicycle shop which has some really nice bikes at reasonable prices. There’s an elegant upscale furniture store called Modern Works, and a few small drink spots: Beer Brain in a small wood shack on a trailer, and Stockholm – a small café with a tiny rooftop porch. All worth checking out
Back behind the new Harajuku Station to the west is Meiji Jingu Shrine. This is one of the most famous and popular shrines in all of Tokyo. It’s surrounded by a huge park with spectacular gardens. Well worth a look. To reach the entrance, just exit the station, then head over the small bridge behind it and to the right.
Just to the southwest of Meiji Jingu Shrine is Yoyogi Park – also well worth a visit – and it’s free. There ‘s a small pond inside, lots of walking paths, and large grass areas to sit in. It’s a popular spot for picnics among locals in spring and fall. To reach it, head south (left) from the entrance to Meiji Jingu Shrine just for a few steps, then turn right under the pedestrian overpass. It’s just a few yards down on the right.
In fact, you can walk the entire road encircling both parks in under an hour or two. Both are well worth a look.
A Few More Notables
There are a few other interesting spots to check out: Watari-um Museum, Nezu Museum, and The Awesome Store. See links below for more.
Well, that’s it for Harajuku/Omotesando. Enjoy your trip – both are easy to access, and compact enough to see everything in a day. It’s one of Tokyo’s most intersting spots and well worth a look.
Additional Photos
Backstreet in Harajuku leading to Omotesando Blvd.
