1 00:00:00,100 --> 00:00:05,300 [Music plays] 2 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:25,420 Annika: Helloooooo! 3 00:00:25,420 --> 00:00:26,620 Oh, we just walked right into the sun. 4 00:00:26,620 --> 00:00:28,300 Oh, we're so sunlit! 5 00:00:28,300 --> 00:00:29,120 Luci: [singing] Into the Sun! 6 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:29,620 Annika: Ooooo! 7 00:00:29,630 --> 00:00:31,090 There's a car behind us. 8 00:00:31,090 --> 00:00:31,770 Oh no. 9 00:00:31,770 --> 00:00:33,070 Luci: Hey. Annika: Hey. 10 00:00:33,070 --> 00:00:34,460 Luci: We're in Shimokitazawa. 11 00:00:34,460 --> 00:00:35,200 Annika: We're in Shimokitazawa! 12 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:36,540 Luci: It's the coolest suburb in the whole of Tokyo. 13 00:00:36,540 --> 00:00:37,040 Annika: Mmhm! 14 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:38,040 Luci: It's where all the coolest people go. 15 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:39,040 Annika: Uh-huh! It's true. 16 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:40,620 Luci: I'm saying that like I'm being sarcastic, but it actually is. 17 00:00:40,620 --> 00:00:41,620 Annika: It is. 18 00:00:41,620 --> 00:00:44,660 [laughs] Luci: It's all vintage shops, cafes, live-houses... 19 00:00:44,660 --> 00:00:47,240 Annika: Live-houses are places where you see bands - 20 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:48,239 Luci: Places where you - yeah. 21 00:00:48,239 --> 00:00:52,919 Annika: But the - the thing that I'm going to show you all is the vintage stores, coz 22 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:53,820 - [gasps] Luci: They're amazing 23 00:00:53,820 --> 00:00:55,340 Annika: - guys - it's amazing. 24 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:57,550 [Music plays] 25 00:01:02,670 --> 00:01:07,820 Most of the thrift shops in Shimokitazawa, which are more commonly known as USED or RECYCLED 26 00:01:07,820 --> 00:01:12,820 stores, are located on the NORTH and the SOUTH sides of the suburb, if you divide Shimokitazawa 27 00:01:12,820 --> 00:01:14,100 up by its train lines. 28 00:01:14,100 --> 00:01:17,780 I think that there are at least 100 thrift stores in Shimokitazawa. 29 00:01:17,780 --> 00:01:21,951 I spent 2 and a half weeks staying at an AirB&B in this suburb, and I don’t think that I 30 00:01:21,951 --> 00:01:23,970 even found all of the thrift stores. 31 00:01:23,970 --> 00:01:29,090 Luckily, I also travelled to Japan with basically an empty suitcase, because I knew that I wouldn’t 32 00:01:29,090 --> 00:01:33,170 be able to help myself at all of the thrift stores in this glorious suburb. 33 00:01:33,170 --> 00:01:37,830 Luci: So, what Annika's demonstrating here is that if you get lost, you can come and 34 00:01:37,830 --> 00:01:47,890 find this thing, which is the "Shimokitazawa Ichibangai Guide", which is like an interactive 35 00:01:47,890 --> 00:01:50,939 - completely interactive - map of the town. 36 00:01:50,939 --> 00:01:55,421 You can turn it into English, and it has a listing for pretty much every shop, every 37 00:01:55,421 --> 00:02:01,329 pub, every everything - like, it lists all these categories of different things and you 38 00:02:01,329 --> 00:02:08,149 press it and it goes to the map, and it gives you the opening hours and a description - it's 39 00:02:08,149 --> 00:02:13,400 just - this, um, map is in a thing called the "i-park" which is just like a little parking 40 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:18,939 lot, which is just off Sakae-dori street, the south end of Sakae-dori street - 41 00:02:18,939 --> 00:02:20,620 Annika: Good description Luci! 42 00:02:20,620 --> 00:02:23,879 Thank you! [laughs] Luci: Annika was demonstrating like the person 43 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:27,500 on the game show who demonstrates the washing machine that you can win... 44 00:02:27,500 --> 00:02:28,719 Annika: [laughs] thank you Luci for the description. 45 00:02:28,719 --> 00:02:33,090 Now, because the sheer number of thrift stores in Shimokitazawa is pretty overwhelming, I 46 00:02:33,090 --> 00:02:35,939 put together a little guide of all of my favourites stores. 47 00:02:35,939 --> 00:02:40,159 If you only get a day in Shimokitazawa, these are the places you definitely should visit. 48 00:02:40,159 --> 00:02:43,959 My number one recommendation to visit is a place called “The Garage”, located on 49 00:02:43,959 --> 00:02:47,079 the North side of Shimokitazawa train station. 50 00:02:47,079 --> 00:02:51,189 Shimokita garage is a collection of vintage and handmade stores run by small designers, 51 00:02:51,189 --> 00:02:53,540 all located in this one large warehouse space. 52 00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:57,829 My favourite shops in this garage are: number 1, the Marco Polo Thrift Shop. 53 00:02:57,829 --> 00:03:02,779 This shop features high-quality, flattering, stylish and timeless pieces, for very reasonable 54 00:03:02,779 --> 00:03:03,619 prices. 55 00:03:07,069 --> 00:03:12,559 Another favourite is this store, where most of the items are 648Y – and this price hasn’t 56 00:03:12,559 --> 00:03:15,040 changed since I was last here 5 years ago, either! 57 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,170 And lastly, I know this isn’t secondhand, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s 58 00:03:18,170 --> 00:03:22,150 so cool – on the right-hand side when you enter the garage, there is a whole section 59 00:03:22,150 --> 00:03:25,760 of handmade items, mostly jewellery, by hundreds of designers. 60 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,749 It’s like wandering through Etsy in real life, and it’s a great place to pick up 61 00:03:29,749 --> 00:03:30,749 gifts. 62 00:03:30,749 --> 00:03:33,059 Here’s just a couple of the items that I got from there! 63 00:03:36,639 --> 00:03:41,730 Stick out is a store located on the South Side, and inside it, every item of clothing 64 00:03:41,730 --> 00:03:42,730 is 700Y. 65 00:03:42,730 --> 00:03:46,889 I wasn’t allowed to film inside, but visit this store on a weekday – it is extremely 66 00:03:46,889 --> 00:03:48,540 crowded on the weekends! 67 00:03:48,540 --> 00:03:49,560 Annika: [gasps] This place here! 68 00:03:49,569 --> 00:03:50,569 Okay. 69 00:03:50,569 --> 00:03:51,579 I need to show you guys this place. 70 00:03:51,579 --> 00:03:55,749 This is called "Grand Bazaar Mega Store" and I know lots of you following my youtube channel 71 00:03:55,749 --> 00:04:01,339 really like lolita fashion - it has a whole floor dedicated to secondhand lolita fashion, 72 00:04:01,339 --> 00:04:08,079 um, brands like... where was it... brands like Jane Marple, Milk, Emily Temple Cute, 73 00:04:08,079 --> 00:04:13,290 Angelic Pretty - and it's all secondhand so it's cheaper, um, yeah and it's like the whole 74 00:04:13,290 --> 00:04:15,519 third floor of this place, is dedicated to that. 75 00:04:15,519 --> 00:04:20,030 Luci: And that secondhand thing is a big deal, because lolita fashion is very expensive if 76 00:04:20,030 --> 00:04:20,590 you buy it. 77 00:04:20,590 --> 00:04:21,090 Annika: Yep. 78 00:04:21,090 --> 00:04:23,220 [Music plays] 79 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,120 One of the trendiest thrift stores in Shimokitazawa, New York Joe exchange is a place where you 80 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,009 can bring in secondhand clothing, and you can get store credit for it. 81 00:04:35,009 --> 00:04:37,710 You can also buy pieces without bringing in your old clothes. 82 00:04:37,710 --> 00:04:40,430 I loved this store, and I visited it a couple of times. 83 00:04:40,430 --> 00:04:44,979 Keep an eye on their Instagram page for weekend sales where everything is 50% off – although 84 00:04:44,979 --> 00:04:49,020 beware, it becomes extremely crowded when these sales are on! 85 00:04:49,020 --> 00:04:54,080 “Puchikoshon”, which google translate wants to translate to "Petit Coconut" in English, 86 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:59,030 is a gorgeous vintage store stuffed into a sliver of a building on the South side of 87 00:04:59,030 --> 00:05:00,030 Shimokitazawa. 88 00:05:00,030 --> 00:05:02,199 Definitely worth a visit. 89 00:05:02,199 --> 00:05:08,330 Eco Wear is high on my list of recommendations, because it’s both very cheap and very well-curated. 90 00:05:08,330 --> 00:05:15,300 For $5-$15, they sell high-quality used clothing, and I even saw pretty high-end Japanese brands 91 00:05:15,300 --> 00:05:19,300 being sold for about 5% of what they originally would have cost. 92 00:05:19,300 --> 00:05:22,449 This store is a great place to find retro toys! 93 00:05:22,449 --> 00:05:26,380 Inside is a mix of vintage and new toys, and being right next to the station, it’s well 94 00:05:26,380 --> 00:05:28,240 worth a visit. 95 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:32,069 Grapefruit Moon is a bit more on the expensive side, but it’s still worth a visit: because 96 00:05:32,069 --> 00:05:36,430 even if you don’t buy anything, the interior decoration is just gorgeous – And it’ll 97 00:05:36,430 --> 00:05:40,969 give you a lot of styling inspiration as well, with styles from the 70s being very prominent 98 00:05:40,969 --> 00:05:42,289 when I visited this time! 99 00:05:42,289 --> 00:05:47,360 Undoubtedly one of my favourite stores, because it exactly matches my current style, inside 100 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,800 is a mix of both vintage and new pieces that blend really seamlessly with each other. 101 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:56,259 I also found this one reaaaaally good, cheap thrift store called M’s Collection, but 102 00:05:56,259 --> 00:05:59,099 sadly it was only a temporary pop-up store! 103 00:05:59,099 --> 00:06:05,879 Most of the items here, apart from a couple of coats, were 400Y each, which is $4, including 104 00:06:05,879 --> 00:06:10,249 this handpainted cardigan and cute white satchel backpack that I picked up. 105 00:06:10,249 --> 00:06:14,379 The shop space, however, often holds pop-up stores like these, which is the reason I’ve 106 00:06:14,379 --> 00:06:15,599 still included it on my guide. 107 00:06:15,599 --> 00:06:20,210 A little tip for going clothes-shopping in Japan, to save you some embarrassment – you’ll 108 00:06:20,210 --> 00:06:23,569 be expected to take your shoes off before entering any change-rooms. 109 00:06:23,569 --> 00:06:27,770 In some places they also gave me this little baggie when entering the change-room, which 110 00:06:27,770 --> 00:06:30,590 I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was supposed to be used for. 111 00:06:30,590 --> 00:06:34,030 I mean, it's like, too small to hold my clothes... 112 00:06:34,030 --> 00:06:35,699 So I’m coming to you, youtube. 113 00:06:35,699 --> 00:06:37,030 What is this for? 114 00:06:37,030 --> 00:06:40,759 There’s also a couple of other stores which I loved – but they are a bit more on the 115 00:06:40,759 --> 00:06:43,189 pricey side, so I didn’t buy anything from them. 116 00:06:43,189 --> 00:06:46,729 However, I’m putting them on my guide because they’re just SO pretty inside, you HAVE 117 00:06:46,729 --> 00:06:49,400 to visit them and just look around. 118 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:54,439 These include the Flamingo stores, of which there are 3 in Shimokitazawa, and can be recognised 119 00:06:54,439 --> 00:07:02,819 by their distinctive neon signs; the iconic Haight & Ashbury, which has been running in 120 00:07:02,819 --> 00:07:15,199 this one place for almost 25 years now; and this one smaller vintage shop called Rainbow, 121 00:07:15,199 --> 00:07:21,090 which is just opposite Haight & Ashbury, and it had some really gorgeous vintage pieces. 122 00:07:21,090 --> 00:07:25,930 Another really cool thing about Shimokitazawa is that, um, if you like night-time shopping, 123 00:07:25,930 --> 00:07:32,259 like I do, all of the vintage stores are open 'til 9 o'clock on a Monday night, or up to 124 00:07:32,259 --> 00:07:38,460 midnight if it's the weekend - which is awesome, you can go out for some dinner and a drink, 125 00:07:38,460 --> 00:07:40,020 and then go shopping. 126 00:07:40,020 --> 00:07:41,020 Which is really cool! 127 00:07:41,020 --> 00:07:45,309 I'm going to leave you with one last really important tip for shopping vintage in Shimokitazawa 128 00:07:45,309 --> 00:07:46,819 – put your explorers cap on! 129 00:07:46,819 --> 00:07:51,490 Make sure you’re looking in nooks and crannies, down tiny side-streets and also make sure 130 00:07:51,490 --> 00:07:52,570 that you LOOK. UP. 131 00:07:53,490 --> 00:07:57,680 Many of the thrift stores are located above street level, or up teeny tiny little staircases 132 00:07:57,680 --> 00:07:59,120 like this one. 133 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,199 So that's it for part-one of my thrifting in Tokyo series! 134 00:08:05,199 --> 00:08:10,039 The next videos in the series will include a lookbook and a haul of all the things that 135 00:08:10,039 --> 00:08:13,280 I thrifted, AND a guide to thrifting in Harajuku! 136 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,139 If you can't wait to see what I thrifted, I've posted a couple of the items, styled 137 00:08:17,139 --> 00:08:20,490 into outfits, to my instagram page which you can find here. 138 00:08:20,490 --> 00:08:23,229 Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you all next time. 139 00:08:23,229 --> 00:08:24,229 Bye! 140 00:08:24,380 --> 00:08:25,540 Annika: Hey Luci. 141 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:29,640 Annika: Can you move out of the way. 142 00:08:30,660 --> 00:08:31,940 Annika: [laughs] Thanks. 143 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:37,740 Thank you to all of my supporters on Patreon for making these videos possible. 144 00:08:37,740 --> 00:08:39,880 To become my patreon supporter, go to patreon.com/annikavictoria!