Mind and Health

Japan is a place of cultures and rituals, some that most tourists are not very used to. Tourists here would do well to merge as best as possible with the locals, and do the many of the things that have grown well into the Japanese subculture. Watch a sumo wrestling match, try freshly cut sushi, ride the subway and of course, splurge on shopping treats in this land of great fashion!

Shopping in Japan is a very popular activity for visitors because of the numerous shopping that one can do in the area. And when you talk about shopping, you will invariably talk about one of the most popular shopping spot in the world – Tokyo! This capital city of Japan gives tourists everything and anything that you may need, and it is also very easy for visitors to shop here even without understanding Japanese because of the many districts in Tokyo that specializes in certain products.

Tech geeks would do well to plan a day-long trip into the Akihabara District, or as others would say, Geek-Heaven. This district is chock-full with tons of electronic shops offering various gadgets and tools only a true tech geek can appreciate. Akihabara has also become Tokyo’s very own center for gaming, manga and anime, and you can expect many stores selling modern and classical games, or even obsolete consoles such as the Atari or the Sega Saturn.

The Harajuku district, located around the Harajuku station, is the place to go if you want to see the latest in true Japanese fashion. Go during the weekend, where hundreds of teenagers gather in the area all prepped up in their respective individual tastes. What are they doing you may wonder? They are simply meeting up with their friends and showing off their personalities! They are also very open to being photographed, so travelers will invariably come here as well. To shop, head to Takeshita Dori or Takeshita Street, where you can find numerous fashionable shops and trendy boutiques along with used clothing stores.

If there’s one region in Tokyo that can define shopping in the country, it will have to be the Ginza district. This region is known for high class shopping and other luxury lifestyle activities like dining and entertainment. Almost all of the prestige brands have stores in the Ginza area and some of these have shops that are works of art themselves. The Ginza region does deserve to get the upscale reputation especially since the land value in the area is one of the most expensive in the country. All in all, Tokyo is the place to be to experience true Harajuku fashion!