Nestled along the main business street in Akihabara is the Anime and Manga haven known as Animate. Several locations of this successful establishment reside in Japan, however, the Akihabara store boasts a 8 floors of specialty products. Everything from Japanese comics to Japanese animation, and related items such as Anime soundtracks and character goods, await your arrival. Expect to spend a few hours sifting through all of the eye-catching artwork if you're a hardcore fan, otherwise, it's still an interesting place to browse through and pick up something a little more unique than chopsticks. Overall, whether or not you're into cosplaying and anime, you'll definitely appreciate the zest for it in this superstore.
This store, located in the Ginza district, is truly a heaven for shopaholics. Wako was established in 1881 and was originally a watch and jewelry shop. Now considered the oldest and most prestigious design store in the city, Wako has exclusive watches, jewelry, handbags, porcelain and dishware. The store also has a wide clothing collection for men and women. You can find the store's branches in Hiroo, Minato and Haneda Airport as well. Situated within an old-fashioned building with a clock tower, the store is something else to behold at night, with fancy lights drawing attention to it.
World Porters is a huge complex housing shops, restaurants, a multiplex movie theater with eight screens and seating for 1,600, conference and meeting rooms, and exhibition halls. There are over 170 shops, many of which are import stores specializing in overseas fashions, and the prices are quite reasonable for Japan. The great variety of cuisine available among the over thirty restaurants gives you plenty to choose from when the shopping tires you out. If you want to catch movie while you are here, the eight-screen multiplex variety puts on road shows, recent Japanese blockbusters, cinema classics and reruns.
Hamaya is a fine tobacco shop located in the downtown shopping area of Izezaki-cho. Hamaya has a fine selection of cigars, all kept in a humidor. Hamaya offers some of the world's finest hand-rolled cigars, from Havana and elsewhere. Hamaya carries a fair assortment of pipes, including some expensive hand-carved Meerschaums, as well as more reasonably priced wood and briar pipes. The shop has a limited selection of pipe tobaccos. However, Hamaya stocks a full range of Japan Tobacco cigarette brands. It also carries a lot of paraphernalia for tobacco lovers, including lighters, flints, pipe cleaners, lighter fluid, and cigarette rolling papers.
Tiffany's is a world famous jewelry shop located on the third floor of Landmark Plaza in Minato Mirai 21. The name Tiffany's is synonymous with high quality, superb craftsmanship, and elegance. It is also THE place to go for obscenely priced diamonds. However, Tiffany's also offers some diverse items that are both appealing and affordable. There are also beautiful bracelets in a wide price range. .
This branch of Takashimaya is the largest department store in Japan. Much brighter and more modern than the Nihonbashi branch, it feels more like a huge, classy shopping mall. Inside are three restaurant floors, a Sega amusement center, an Imax theater and the famous Tokyu Hands hardware store. With an annex building housing the Kinokuniya Bookstore as well as all the Japanese gift items you could ever need, it is not surprising that Takashimaya has become a favorite with foreigners and locals alike.