Now that it’s the holiday season, we asked the staff of 8mart to share their favorite online Japanese stores. Here are their picks!
Online Store Recommendation from 8mart Staff!
Staff F: Over 1,500 stores offering more than 8,400 brands.
It can be pretty overwhelming when browsing Japan’s largest fashion e-commerce site ZOZOTOWN because of the sheer amount of brands available! Not only do they sell clothes but they have well over 20 categories from interior to beauty. Literally, anything and everything you want is on here and it really is your one-stop shop!
Here are some Japanese brands I like:
- United Arrows.
- Urban Research Doors.
- Classical Elf
- Greenparks
- BEAMS
- AZUL BY MOUSSY
From time to time ZOZOTOWN also has cool collaborations with different brands and characters. The latest one is with Sanrio and Tokyo Revengers: https://zozo.jp/brand/zozomesse/
Staff F: For my makeup and skincare lovers out there, this one is for you! The site https://www.cosme.com/static/feature/dir/91003/ has many famous ‘’Puchipura’’ (Affordable) brands. Here are a few of my favorites!
Japanese Brands:
- Canmake
- Visee
- excel
- GRACY
Korean Brands:
- ROM&ND
- ETUDE
Staff F: Known as the “Exciting book store”, Village Vanguard definitely lives up to its own slogan.Aside from books they have a variety of products including books, CDs and DVDs, toys, clothes, and accessories. With new products added weekly, you will never know what you’ll find at this fun variety store! It's a treasure trove for cute, silly, and out-of-this-world items!
The convenient thing about this site is that if you hover over a product you’re interested in the price will pop up in a cute little word bubble. Another convenient feature is that if an item is close to selling out, on the top left-hand corner it’ll tell you how much more stock is left.
Staff F: Yodobashi may not be the first place you think of when you’re looking for non-electronic items, but Yodobashi has it all!
My recommendations are the clear card sleeves, they’re sturdy, high quality, typically come in packs of 50 or more, and are relatively inexpensive!
Staff G: Although Yodobashi has the word “Camera” in its name, it is not a specialty camera store. It operates the very famous e-commerce site Yodobashi.com, which is the second largest e-commerce site in Japan after Amazon.co.jp. Yodobashi claims to source directly from manufacturers and sells under the Yodobashi name, so you will not receive inferior products from 3rd party sellers on the marketplace. Also, Yodobashi offers free-domestic shipping and next-day delivery for almost all items.
Staff F: The powerhouse no-brand brand MUJI has expanded globally over the years and it’s easy to see why. High quality, simple design, and a good price point! This is one of my favorite places to buy stationery. I’ve also been a loyal customer of their ballpoint pens.