By Kevin Steinberger / Source: RawrDenim

Marvins

In the first installment of our guide to vintage shopping in Tokyo, we presented you our favorite shops in Koenji, probably the best area for vintage menswear in Japan with a wide offer of styles and price points. For the second chapter of our guide, we’re going to cover a place that everyone familiar with Japan has probably heard of: Harajuku.

Harajuku is where you’ll find the most exotic people and stores on the planet, and unless you go with someone that knows the area, you’ll probably walk by killer stores without even realizing it. To prevent that, we’ve gathered our favorite Harajuku vintage shops in this guide. Please keep in mind that we’ve picked only a few stores amongst the huge variety of gems in Harajuku, so do go there and see for yourself!

Transportation

The most common way to come to Harajuku is via the famous Japan Railways (usually called “JR”) Yamanote Line, which is a big circle going through the main neighborhoods that make Tokyo the amazing city that it is. Tip: it’s the green line on the maps. When you get to the Harajuku station, take the Omotesando exit and go down the hill to the big crossing with the Condomania store on your right.

Alternatively, if you come via subway, you can get on the Chiyoda Line, or the Fukutoshin Line, both stopping at Meijijingumae, which is actually more practical than the Yamanote Line’s Harajuku Station because it will let you go out directly at the Harajuku crossing.

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Most denimheads around the world are familiar with Japanese replica brand The Real McCoy’s. It may not be a vintage shop, but still, the brand is so heavily vintage inspired and the store is so mind blowing that we thought it would be a shame not to feature it in this guide.

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Some of you are probably familiar with Marvin’s Vintage from our interview of its founder. Marvin’s Vintage is easily one of the top vintage stores in Tokyo. Founder Kazuhiko Hanzawa opened the shop in 1991 after working for a more mass market vintage chain called Chicago. The store carries high quality vintage work wear, military clothing, jeans up to a century old, and more.

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Read more @ RawrDenim