Hi, I would really appreciate some recommendations for which department store for clothes and sneaker shopping is best for a teenage girl and boy. We are staying in Shinjuku. Somebody recommended Alpen for shoes. There seem to be so many places to look at but we are only here for a small amount of time.
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25 helpful votes Uniqlo is a good choice for clothes. ABC Mart is a big chain of shoe stores in Japan.
However, note that Japanese people are generally smaller than foreigners. An American size L shirt generally corresponds to a Japanese size XL and the Japanese version may have shorter sleeves. It can be difficult to get larger shoe sizes in Japan.
The age doesn't matter. Japanese teenagers are quite skinny.
If you need different sizes, GU and Uniqlo will be the places to go to.
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25 helpful votes GU and Uniqlo are owned by the same company. GU generally has lower prices and lower quality than Uniqlo. But if the teens are growing fast, quality might not be a concern.
How big are they? UNIQLO runs small, as compared to sizes in the "west," ie USA. GU is even smaller. I wear a Small in the US, but Large here. Really deflates your confidence. If your teens need a moral booster, Japan is not a place to come to buy clothes -- if you are on the larger size.
There's a BIG Uniqlo store on the 12th floor of Shinjuku Takashimaya.
ABC Mart for shoes. Alpen has some, but not a wide variety like ABC Mart. (There's one near the Central Exit of Shinjuku station.)
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426 helpful votes Teenagers who want stylish and trendy clothes won't find them at Uniqulo or GU. I highly recommend 109 in Shibuya:
I went 109 with a high school girl from the East Coast and even the free size bottoms were too tight for her.
Contributor
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426 helpful votes Yep, you need to be pretty skinny if you want trendy outfits in Japan.
Here's a "teen" size chart.
https://www.nissen.co.jp/sho_item/sizeguide/teens/index.html
GU clothing is definitely for teens. That's probably why they're smaller than the "normal" UNIQLO sizes!
https://www.gu-global.com/jp/ja/feature/contents/teen/kids
109 is a fun place to visit for a look-see. You'll enjoy it more if you wear earplugs! lol
my kids loved checking out the Bape stores in Tokyo
I still lament over The Most Beautiful Pair of Shoes Ever in 109 Shibuya.... Sadly the shape did not fit my foot - my heel would keep slipping out when walking.
Still dream about the shoes....
So yes, long story short 109 department store gets another up vote ;)
