I love to wander the meandering backstreets in any Japanese city, town or village in search of local shops. If I come across an old-style shopping street, my eyes are peeled for artisan stores selling homemade wares. My recent visit to Matsumoto City led me to some great local shops selling everything from sandals and tatami (traditional Japanese flooring) to noren (fabric dividers) and one-of-a-kind pottery.
You will find these kinds of hidden gems all across Japan such as the quaint town of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture that has an over 400-year-old history of creating beautiful pottery. Affectionately known as “Grandma’s Harajuku”, Sugamo in the northwest of Tokyo is home to a shopping street lined by over 200 shops selling all kinds of items that are mainly catered to an older audience. No matter your age though, Sugamo’s local charm is worth exploring.
Shops like Daiso and Don Quijote are convenient, reliable and affordable, but I highly recommend journeying into the historically-rich, sometimes a little rundown, but entirely charming shopping streets. In my experience, the friendly people and fascinating stories in those off-the-beaten-path places where you just happened to wander in, are the ones that will stay with you for a lifetime.
