A Thursday evening flight back to Auckland means Wednesday is the last opportunity for a full day’s shopping. Nothing else to do but head to the shopping districts of Harajuku, Shibuya and Akihabara.
Buzzing Harajuku is renowned for its colourful street art and fashion scene, with quirky vintage clothing stores and cosplay shops along Takeshita Street, and more traditional, upmarket boutiques lining leafy Omotesando Avenue. Trendy cafes fill the surrounding lanes, while cultural hotspots include the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art, which hosts cutting-edge temporary exhibitions.
Shibuya is a centre for youth fashion and culture, and its streets are the birthplace to many of Japan’s fashion and entertainment trends. Over a dozen major department store branches can be found around the area catering to all types of shoppers.
Akihabara is the showcase of Japanese tech, jam-packed with shops selling all kinds of electronics and IT to the world. More recently, it has also become the cultural home to the diehard fans of gaming, manga and anime.
Looking at the bags being carried in the photo, the day seems to have been very successful.
