Kagaya is a specialty shop all about smoking, just a 5-minute walk away from Shinjuku Station’s East Exit. Founded in 1962, the shop doesn’t just offer a great selection of cigarettes, cigars, and all sorts of tools and accessories for them, but also items that are closely connected to enhancing a smoker’s experience, such as whisky and fragrance. Ever since the store’s first day of business, Kagaya operates under the concept of “always offering fresh and interesting products.”

Of course, Kagaya isn’t missing the vape trend and deals in all things surrounding e-cigarettes and vaporizers. Try a variety of liquids right at the shop to discover a new, favorite flavor! If you have vaping friends or family members, Kagaya is also a great shop for unique souvenirs.

For now, we stay in the realm of smoking and visit Pipe Museum, a 5-minute walk away from Shinjuku Station’s West Exit. Contrary to the name, this spot is actually the shop that boasts the largest selection of smoking supplies in the entirety of Tokyo. Over 1,000 kinds of smoking-related goods sit on the big shelves, from vaporizers to water pipes and more. Among them, liquids for vaporizers and e-cigarettes take up a prominent space, with a special focus in Japanese-style liquids. The helpful staff is ready to explain any questions you might have about any of the products, so take your time, browse, and find something that suits your tastes!

In addition, you’ll find the long-established Psychedelic Garden apparel store in the very same shop. It focuses on all designs weird, unique, and intriguing from brands and countries from all over the world, so make sure to stop by.

Sakazen is a well-known clothing store that deals in plus sizes of both men’s and women’s clothing. The Shinjuku store, just a 10-minute walk away from Shinjuku Station’s East Exit, boasts the largest selection of all Sakazen stores. On the 3rd and 4th floor, look forward to a great selection of international brands such as Burberry or Emporio Armani.

Of course, casual apparel is plentifully available, in sizes up to 9L for men’s clothes and up to 5XL for women’s clothing. Multilingual staff being able to communicate in English and Chinese will further help you navigate the selection and shop comfortably and stress-free.

Retro Girl Labo is located on the 6th floor of Shinjuku’s Lumine Est department store. What makes this shop so special is the amazing selection of unisex apparel, ranging from casual to fancy, from both Japanese and international brands.

Depending on the selection, you’ll be able to strike deals such as jeans from 1,990 yen, bags from 990 yen, and even shoes from 990 yen (tax excluded)! On top of that, Retro Girl Labo knows the ins and outs of Tokyo’s fashion world and will always be stocked with the latest trends and must-haves – fashionistas, this is a must-visit spot for you!

Move is a modern wristwatch specialty shop located in Seibu Shinjuku PePe. With brands such as Citizen, Casio’s G-Shock, or Issey Miyake, Both Japanese and international brands are plentifully represented. Of course, no shop could call itself a wristwatch specialty shop without a nice variety of Swiss makers, so look forward to these unique products as well.

Move doesn’t only sell, however, it also offers a repair service at its location. Even if your watch itself is fine but you want to exchange the strap or the clasp, this service is the place to go! And should your watch that you bought at Move have a problem, certified watch technicians will take professional care of your wristwatch.

A 5-minute walk away from Shinjuku Station’s East Exit is Shinjuku Bicqlo, a fusion store between Bic Camera and Uniqlo. On its 8th floor, you’ll find one of Japan’s most famous outdoor specialty stores, Ishii Yamasen. It operates under the theme of “safely wearing” and offers backpacks, climbing wear and equipment, travel goods, and more on a space of about 1,818 square meters.

Ishii Yamasen also offers a rental service for mountain climbing equipment – this is especially handy if you plan to climb Mount Fuji but either do not have the proper equipment or do not want to bring it along. Knowledgeable staff will help you try on rental equipment and apparel to determine your size and see what fits best, and they will make sure to explain every tool and every piece thoroughly. On top of that, look forward to various information, tips, and tricks regarding climbing.

※The rental station is for trying on only. If you want to rent any items, please do so via the official Ishii Yamasen homepage.

Built like a traditional Japanese warehouse, Ginzo is a famous store located just 3 minutes away from Shinjuku Station’s East Exit. Ginzo’s signboard alone is a classic Shinjuku landmark, and the shop deals in a large variety of both new and second-hand items – over 7,000 in total! The shop is especially interesting to tourists, as everything can be bought tax-free!

Among the large selection of items are luxury watches like Rolex and Patek Philippe, as well as a big selection of goods by Chanel, Hermes, or LV. Of course, English- and Chinese-speaking staff are ready to answer any question you might have about specific items! To make payment especially easy, not only credit cards such as VISA are accepted, but also the Chinese UnionPay and AliPay. If you’re looking for a great souvenir for either yourself or friends and families, Ginzo is a must-visit!

For everyone with skin problems or those who are generally curious about skin care, a must-visit spot is the cosmetics specialty store ECS. You can find it in the north building of Odakyu Ace, a department store just 2 minutes away from Shinjuku Station’s West Exit. The shop has an especially large selection of the Japanese cosmetics brand Albion.

ECS isn’t just about selling cosmetics, however. The staff also offers counseling and advice regarding all things skin care, while a make-up service is ready to fancy you up! Members of ECS even get to make use of beauty treatments at the beauty parlor. As ECS is open until 10:00 p.m., it’s even possible to drop by after work or a long day of sightseeing.

Shopping can’t be done without cash, and if you find yourself lacking Japanese yen, be sure to head over to Sakura Exchange’s shop called Shinjuku Exchange@Yasukuni-Dori.

The spot handles 11 different kinds of currency: dollar, euro, pound, sterling, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, Korean won, Hong Kong dollar, New Taiwan dollar, baht, and rupiah. The staff is able to communicate in English, Chinese, and Korean, providing support and answering questions. Free Wi-Fi is also available, so Shinjuku Exchange@Yasukuni-Dori is also a secret tip if you are in need of a connection to get around Shinjuku!

After an extensive shopping spree, it’s time to relax. Shinjuku is famous for its glitzy entertainment district called Kabukicho, so that’s where we are headed next! In June 2016, an innovative live music venue has opened its doors to bring a new wind to Shinjuku’s nightlife: Live House Shinjuku Samurai.

Various Japanese and international acts take the stage and excite the crowds at Samurai, but you can also look forward to a variety of other events, such as stage plays and talks.

One of the characteristics of Samurai is its great selection of Japanese whisky. We highly recommend trying some of the country’s most famous malt products, such as Taketsuru or Kakubin while listening to live music or enjoying a play on stage. Multilingual staff, menus, and leaflets are also available, and sometimes, visitors from abroad even get to participate in certain performances! Don’t be shy!

If you’re a fan of bowling and enjoy a bit of physical activity after a long day of Shinjuku shopping, we highly recommend stopping by Copabowl in Kabukicho. Copabowl is open until the early hours of morning, thus making for a great group activity even after relaxing in a bar or going clubbing! If you don’t want to hop by spontaneously, why not make use of the group reservation via internet that includes food and drinks?

Kabukicho is a famous area and thus visited by people from all over the world – thus, signs, explanations, and menus in English, Chinese, and Korean are also available at Copabowl. Next to bowling, the leisure facility also offers table tennis and darts, so look forward to an evening full of fun and activity! Events are also being held on a daily base, in the glitzy, busy spirit of the Kabukicho area.

Shopping in Shinjuku is fun, but the sheer amount of shops and department stores can quickly be overwhelming. We hope that our selection of different shops and activities will work as a proper foundation for your perfect Shinjuku shopping spree!