Finally got this 2nd half of my craft and zakka shopping experience at Tokyo up! Do let the maps take some time to load!
ROPPONGI
Uguisu the Little Shoppe
Located in a vintage apartment and hidden within a serene part of Roppongi, Uguisu the Little Shop sells an assortment of goods crafted/designed by Japanese and international artists.
I immediately fell in love with the blue arch door.
The interior of this quaint little shop was as charming as the facade. It's almost like stepping into a secret cottage filled with magical goodness. I, myself, was drawn to the beautiful porcelain lace accessories designed by Kimiko Suzuki.
The website mentions that they only open from Fridays to Sundays, so do take that into consideration when planning a trip down to this little gem! They also have very detailed instructions as to how to get to their shop. We followed their recommended route and it was quite a straight-forward walk. You'll get to see the Tokyo Tower somewhere along the way too. :)
Pull the map down a little to get the Roppongi-Itchome station in view. (It's hidden behind the white box..)
Souvenir from Tokyo
Located within the National Art Center, Tokyo (which is just a short walk from Roppongi Station, Hibiya line), this museum shop stocks interesting souvenirs (snacks included!) from Japan and all over the world.
National Art Center, Tokyo. So many people on a Friday!
While the main shop and gallery are at the basement, another smaller shop space was opened on the first floor just this year (edit: I meant early 2014. Wrote part of this post some days before the New Year of 2015... *sheepish smile*). Do visit both shops as the one at level one focuses more on Japanese goods and the one at the basement is more of an international affair (at least when I was there).
JIYUGAOKA
Thanks to the typhoon warning, I had to do a last-minute reschedule of some places near the tail-end of our trip. What was supposed to be a full 2-day craft shopping itinerary became a single-day rushed trip. I'd recommend giving Jiyugaoka its own well-deserved single day trip and putting Nakameguro + Daikanyama (and possibly Shibuya) on another day.
We started our craft shopping at Jiyugaoka as a few of the shops there open earlier at 10 am (yup, even on a nice Sunday morning). Jiyugaoka reminded me a little of Shimokitazawa. Though not as 'hardcore' old school, it still retains a bit of its nostalgic charm, especially the Jiyugaoka Department store. And with the outdoor "wagon sale" going on and makeshift stalls being set up by the side walks selling pre-loved vintage items, it felt all the more nostalgic.
I met up with a friend (She's the young lady owner of Sakaeya Kimono shop. Do check out her kimono rental offers if you intend to travel to Tokyo for a trip!) the day before for a hiking trip, and she shared that she previously stayed at Jiyugaoka. She said the place was kind of confusing (as in the roads, literally) and in the modern day, it was well-known with the ladies as a fashion paradise.
Confusing, it truly was, so prepare a map! Besides being a fashion paradise, it's also a crafter's haven! There were numerous craft stores and I only managed to scratched the surface! (So sorry for the almost non-existent photos of the craft stores here!)
Check & Stripe
The shop that opens at 10 am and it's a surprise to see that there were already a few customers in the shop that early in the morning! This lovely little fabric boutique has a pretty cottage-like facade while the interior has the distinctive Scandinavian feel to it.
I actually love the fabric selection in this shop. And I still regret that I did not get anything from here!
I am not really into shabby chic, so the floral cottons that most of the craft shops sell are not exactly up my alley. However, Check & Stripe stocks fabrics with chic printed designs as well as single colored linen fabrics. Ah, the agony of not getting any!
If you love Liberty of London fabrics, this is a must-see. They have one whole section of Liberty fabrics!
Besides fabrics, they also sell lots of trimmings, iron-on patches and kits. If you want to get something and yet have no idea what to get, I recommend getting one of the kits.
(Looks like the shop is not stored in Google map, so the name is not showing up. Here's the map in their site.)
Nu: HandWorks
This craft store is located on the 3rd floor of the Fulel With building. And if I remember correctly, there's a small Tokyu Hands lifestyle store right beside it.
Nu: HandWorks is a relatively small shop but it sells all kinds of supplies and tools for your crafting needs, including their in-house sewing patterns. They also stock a pretty wide variety of fabrics from all over the world.
Pico
Pico the fabric store, and NOT Pico the restaurant! Well, XB made the mistake and stored the address of the restaurant into his Google map app instead. And I was pretty sure something's not right when I was referring to my own map! However, the man was the one leading the way, so meh~.
Anyway, we managed to find it in the end, but along the way (edit: if you walk from the train station, that is), you'll pass by Hobbyra Hobbyre, another craft store.
Pico is one of those stores that sells fabrics bordering on being too shabby chic for me.. So if you like shabby chic or cute designs, this store is the one for you!
I would say, price point wise, the fabrics are very affordable. And while their designs are not exactly my cup of tea, their selection is HUGE. If you need something to sew for children or even for scrapbooking, this would be a good place to source for fabrics.
Hobbyra Hobbyre
Hobbyra Hobbyre is another Liberty of London paradise! And the similarity to Check & Stripe ends here.
While Check & Stripe had a modern Scandinavian feel, Hobbyra Hobbyre gave me a very strong English/French vibe. There were many embroidery kits available and they had a good selection of quilting kits. And though it was only October, they were already selling kits for sewing Christmas ornaments!
Besides fabrics and kits, they sell sewing notions, sewing and knitting tools as well as knitting materials. They also have a section selling Japanese sashiko kits, which I was the most interested in.
Popeye Camera
If the hipster in you are into lomography, stylish camera accessories for your camera or just simply crafting with photos, then pop by Popeye Camera! They also provide photo printing services, including film developing for all your negatives! There are 2 Popeye Camera stores with the main store focusing on the products and photo printing, and the side store mainly serving as a cafe and gallery.
Map for main branch:
Map for the side branch:
Jiyugaoka Depato Basement 1
Entering into the Jiyugaoka Departmental store is like stepping into a really large time capsule. Built some years after the 2nd World War in the 50s, this mall still retains its old school style of shops. It's just next to the train station, so if you are into retro stuff, definitely check it out!
Now, to the craft shopping part. If you venture down to basement 1, you'll be welcomed by a few haberdashery and craft stores. If you are a button lover, Duck Button will not disappoint. Besides selling a large array of buttons sourced from all over, it also sells other sewing notions and handmade items.
If you are more into fabrics or other craft materials, do take a look at the other couple of shops nearby!
... Or you can try and find this giant Kewpie..
Whether it's cute or scary, it's still debatable...
We started our craft shopping at Jiyugaoka as a few of the shops there open earlier at 10 am (yup, even on a nice Sunday morning). Jiyugaoka reminded me a little of Shimokitazawa. Though not as 'hardcore' old school, it still retains a bit of its nostalgic charm, especially the Jiyugaoka Department store. And with the outdoor "wagon sale" going on and makeshift stalls being set up by the side walks selling pre-loved vintage items, it felt all the more nostalgic.
I met up with a friend (She's the young lady owner of Sakaeya Kimono shop. Do check out her kimono rental offers if you intend to travel to Tokyo for a trip!) the day before for a hiking trip, and she shared that she previously stayed at Jiyugaoka. She said the place was kind of confusing (as in the roads, literally) and in the modern day, it was well-known with the ladies as a fashion paradise.
Confusing, it truly was, so prepare a map! Besides being a fashion paradise, it's also a crafter's haven! There were numerous craft stores and I only managed to scratched the surface! (So sorry for the almost non-existent photos of the craft stores here!)
Check & Stripe
The shop that opens at 10 am and it's a surprise to see that there were already a few customers in the shop that early in the morning! This lovely little fabric boutique has a pretty cottage-like facade while the interior has the distinctive Scandinavian feel to it.
I actually love the fabric selection in this shop. And I still regret that I did not get anything from here!
I am not really into shabby chic, so the floral cottons that most of the craft shops sell are not exactly up my alley. However, Check & Stripe stocks fabrics with chic printed designs as well as single colored linen fabrics. Ah, the agony of not getting any!
If you love Liberty of London fabrics, this is a must-see. They have one whole section of Liberty fabrics!
Besides fabrics, they also sell lots of trimmings, iron-on patches and kits. If you want to get something and yet have no idea what to get, I recommend getting one of the kits.
(Looks like the shop is not stored in Google map, so the name is not showing up. Here's the map in their site.)
Nu: HandWorks
This craft store is located on the 3rd floor of the Fulel With building. And if I remember correctly, there's a small Tokyu Hands lifestyle store right beside it.
Nu: HandWorks is a relatively small shop but it sells all kinds of supplies and tools for your crafting needs, including their in-house sewing patterns. They also stock a pretty wide variety of fabrics from all over the world.
Pico
Pico the fabric store, and NOT Pico the restaurant! Well, XB made the mistake and stored the address of the restaurant into his Google map app instead. And I was pretty sure something's not right when I was referring to my own map! However, the man was the one leading the way, so meh~.
Anyway, we managed to find it in the end, but along the way (edit: if you walk from the train station, that is), you'll pass by Hobbyra Hobbyre, another craft store.
Pico is one of those stores that sells fabrics bordering on being too shabby chic for me.. So if you like shabby chic or cute designs, this store is the one for you!
I would say, price point wise, the fabrics are very affordable. And while their designs are not exactly my cup of tea, their selection is HUGE. If you need something to sew for children or even for scrapbooking, this would be a good place to source for fabrics.
Hobbyra Hobbyre
Hobbyra Hobbyre is another Liberty of London paradise! And the similarity to Check & Stripe ends here.
While Check & Stripe had a modern Scandinavian feel, Hobbyra Hobbyre gave me a very strong English/French vibe. There were many embroidery kits available and they had a good selection of quilting kits. And though it was only October, they were already selling kits for sewing Christmas ornaments!
Besides fabrics and kits, they sell sewing notions, sewing and knitting tools as well as knitting materials. They also have a section selling Japanese sashiko kits, which I was the most interested in.
Popeye Camera
If the hipster in you are into lomography, stylish camera accessories for your camera or just simply crafting with photos, then pop by Popeye Camera! They also provide photo printing services, including film developing for all your negatives! There are 2 Popeye Camera stores with the main store focusing on the products and photo printing, and the side store mainly serving as a cafe and gallery.
Map for main branch:
Map for the side branch:
Jiyugaoka Depato Basement 1
Entering into the Jiyugaoka Departmental store is like stepping into a really large time capsule. Built some years after the 2nd World War in the 50s, this mall still retains its old school style of shops. It's just next to the train station, so if you are into retro stuff, definitely check it out!
Now, to the craft shopping part. If you venture down to basement 1, you'll be welcomed by a few haberdashery and craft stores. If you are a button lover, Duck Button will not disappoint. Besides selling a large array of buttons sourced from all over, it also sells other sewing notions and handmade items.
The flags say "Duck"!
If you are more into fabrics or other craft materials, do take a look at the other couple of shops nearby!
... Or you can try and find this giant Kewpie..
Whether it's cute or scary, it's still debatable...
NAKAMEGURO + DAIKANYAMA
After visiting Jiyugaoka, we took a train back towards the direction of Shibuya, and alighted at Nakameguro. After witnessing the crazy shopping crowd at Jiyugaoka, it was a nice change to be at a more peaceful area of Nakameguro. Perhaps we were there at an off-peak season. Though I had trouble finding the couple of shops that I wanted to visit there (& Stripe has shifted to another place nearer to Yutenji station), we had a lovely stroll along the river while doing some window shopping.
Daikanyama is only a station away from Nakameguro (along the Tokyu Toyoko line), but we decided that we loved the walking adventure and continued our walk to Daikanyama (in fact, we loved the walk so much that after venturing around Daikanyama, we chose to walk back to Shibuya from T-site!). Daikanyama had a slightly different vibe from the other areas in Tokyo. More international, less Japanese? Perhaps it was a Sunday, and many foreigners had just finished a service at this international Church within the area.
Heidi
I adore Heidi. I would have regretted if I had really given up on finding this place and gave it a miss. Another place which the Tokyo Craft Guide failed me.
Okay, let me back track a little. I did store and bookmark the address in my google map app. But for some reason, my map refused to work in offline mode at that time. And of all things, XB did not store that address in his own map app. So, all we could do was to rely on the 'abstract' map in the guide.
The exact location is not exactly clear in their map.. What I could interpret was what looked like a big office building... And the building name was totally different from the one given in the guide. I tried to ask this lady manning a sweets shop (!!) within the building, and she hadn't any clue either.
I must thank God that at that moment, XB had a very urgent nature's call and while he's doing his business in the washroom, I managed to find free public wifi from a cafe nearby and got the shop's exact location!
Heidi is on the 2nd floor of Inouchi Building
It's somewhat like Sugartown, but Heidi has its own unique character. It's a one-part gallery and one-part zakka shop. Besides selling quality handcrafted items (by independent Japanese designers) and stationery, Heidi also stocks a variety of craft supplies, including a yummy selection of fabrics from famous Japanese brands like Nani Iro and Echino as well as iron-on patches, laces and trims sourced both locally and globally.
And, and! While I was there, I was lucky enough to find Danish Moomin mini storybooks in the shop! As I've said, I adore this place. ^.^
Curly Collection
Funny thing was, I didn't have the intention of visiting Curly Collection as I am not big into girly kawaii-ness. But while trying to find our way to Cocca, this striking shop of reds and pinks popped up right in front of us, across a traffic junction that we were crossing..
Since we were already there, I thought I might as well take a look. Though not exactly my style, there was some retro-ness in it which was quite endearing. The shop sells a mixture of ready-made goods and handcrafted items, as well as sewing kits and grab-bags, all having the same girly, kawaii and somewhat retro style.
Cocca
Cocca is the boutique line of the popular fabric company Kokka. Located along a small road, this stylish and lovely shop houses fashion wear and interior & lifestyle products made from their own line of textiles as well as actual bolts of fabrics on the 1st floor, and an exhibition area on the 2nd floor.
If you would like to make something for yourself, they also sell kits which feature smaller fabric pieces of their signature textile designs.
T-site
If you are into beautiful architectural and interior design, then T-site is definitely worth a visit if you are in Daikanyama. T-site houses a 3-building bookstore called Tatsuya and an adjoining T-site garden. The bookstore has an intricate lace-like facade made up of the 'T' motifs, while the interior is chic and modern, with a swanky cafe to chill in.
While they have a pretty big section on design books (which I was quite thrilled about), the craft books section was surprisingly small. If you intend to shop for craft books, I suggest taking a trip to Kinokuniya instead.
SHIBUYA
Shibuya is a well-known shopping paradise with 2 large malls (Tokyu Hands and Loft) catered for the crafter in you. But do you know that there's a cozy makers' cafe right at a quiet corner within Shibuya?
Maps for Tokyu Hands and Loft:
FabCafe
If 3D printing or laser cutting & engraving intrigues you, and you love making things, then FabCafe will be right up your alley. Even if you do not have any project in mind, it's still fun to chill in the cafe and look at what others are creating!
'Fabbing' corner!
FabCafe offers mini project kits that you can purchase and create on the spot, letting you have a feel of how the machine works. I was torn between the laser engraved macarons set and the laser cut and engraved personalized stamp. Eventually, permanence won over gastronomy, and I chose to make the stamp.
When I was there, only one of the staff could manage some basic conversational English. With my half-baked Japanese (have not touched the language much since I last had my JLPT 6 years back), we managed to sail through the instructions portion without much problem.
I was given an iPad which I doodled my design on.
The final image was then transferred to their main terminal, where further configuration was set, and the design was finally sent to the laser cutter to be engraved and cut on the rubber material.
Once the rubber material was engraved and cut, the staff proceeded to cut the wooden holder for the stamp.
Too bad they didn't have any glue on hand, so I had to wait till I was back in Singapore before I could assemble the final bit together.
FabCafe has branches in other parts of the world too.
