Japan Series 1 - 5 Must Visit Shopping Malls When You Are in Tokyo

Writing this post has certainly gave me lots of memory flashbacks, especially Tokyo, the place I had my first honeymoon when my hubby and I first got married.

Although I have been to Japan a few times, nothing beats the feeling I had the first time I was there 13 years ago. After a long 7 hours flight, at 5.45am, 2 very sleepy newly wed hurried down the airport baggage department escalator to grab their luggage and worriedly hunt down their Japan group tour leader who was nowhere to be found in the crispy cold coach parking area of the Narita airport.

It was our very first trip to a cold country, naturally both of us did not put on our jackets and was shivering after we manage to locate our tour leader and the rest of the group members. Although it was so very cold at 6 degree celsius, the air was fresh and when the first warm ray of sunshine shone upon the face of the two cold and obviously hungry souls, the feeling we had at that very moment was indescribable. I could still feel it till today...:D

Ok, enough of my memory flashbacks. Below is a list of big shopping malls which I personally like to visit whenever I am in Tokyo (I am really a shopaholic). Nope, some of the malls weren't around yet when I was there 13 years old. In case you are wondering...

1. Tokyo Solamachi

Are your stomach growling at you after a long day at the mall? No worries, take a look at this gourmet guide from the mall which has a HUGE varieties of food - I am sure your hunger will transform into bloated stomach before you leave the mall. Below is just a glimpse of what's inside the guide.

Now you know why I love Tokyo so so much...

After a fulfilling meal at the restaurants, I reckon you must be itching to shop again. In case you have questions regarding their facilities and you can't read Japanese like me, be sure to print out this FAQ guide and bring it with you when you are there. It's gonna be a life-saver for you especially when you are out of cash and urgently need access to a ATM.

 

If you are in the mood for fashion shopping but has limited budget, then shopping here may burn a hole in your wallet. The clothing here are rather expensive. For me, I usually come here for food and would usually shop for souvenir/gadgets which cannot be purchased in Singapore.

2. Futakotamagawa Rise

 

This is another huge retail mall for shopaholics like me to indulge in this shopping paradise. :) Besides shopping at this giant mall, there are 4 other buildings and in total if my memory still serve me well, they have a total of more than 180 shops. Take a look at the list of shops there and below is a  list of the other 4 Plaza and Malls.

Futako Tamagawa Rise Dogwood Plaza

Futako Tamagawa Rise Oak Mall

Futako Tamagawa Rise Birds Mall

 


Futako Tamagawa Rise Plaza Mall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Tokyo Station

Although this is not really a shopping mall per se, since it is really a railway station in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo. But with more than 100 retail shops within its facility, I really can't bear to strike this place out from my list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Care for duty free shopping here? Then you should definitely take a look this guide here. And in case you are looking forward to traveling around via the Tokyo Station, there's a site that has all the travel information you may need.

While the place may not look grand and glamourous like those big mega malls, it has almost everything you will need as a traveler.

Check out Gran Gourmet which has 3 restaurant zones that serve mouth-watering food.

Gran Gourmet is broken into 3 zones which are Kurobei Yokocho, Kitchen Street and Kitamachi Dining.

Be sure to bring enough cash where you are out and about in Tokyo as you never will know when you will see something that you really like but has not cash for it and the worst thing is that the shop does not accept VISA. (>~0~<)

4. Takashimaya times square, Shinjuku

Whenever I hear people say Time Squares has it all, I totally agree. When I was there the first time many many years ago, I was already impressed by how far advanced they were when compared to Singapore back then. Yeah, I know, Japan is forever at the forefront when it comes to things like fashion, technology and food. Oh, I am hungry again... :)

In case you are going to be there for the first time, be in awe of their 16 floors worth of retail store and restaurant outlets. For a full listing of the latest shops, be sure to check out here. If you are the shopping type like me, then most likely you may have to arrange other activities for your significant others while you shop to your heart's content.

Be sure to check out the service guide when you are there.

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Night view

5. KITTE Marunouchi

When you are here for the first time, "wow" could be the very first word coming out of your mouth. 7 floors of spacious retail and restaurant outlets awaits at every turn. I always plan out where to shop whenever I am in a new mall so that I do not waste unnecessary leg energy on floors that do not have any fashion outlets. Check out the list here if you want to do your homework first before shopping around.

This post is only the first of many in the Japan series in which I will be writing about. If you wish to know more about some of the best food to eat in Tokyo, do not miss out my next post on this series.