Following my last trip to Japan, I wanted to share with you my tips for finding fabric in Japan in Tokyo but also in Kyoto. If you are lucky enough to visit these two attractive cities, you will find a wide choice of traditional Japanese fabrics, especially indigo ones which I love and use regularly. If you are looking for colorful floral fabrics or Liberty, you can also find them there.
Fabric in Japan: Nippori, the fabric district in Tokyo
Located north of the Japanese capital, the fabric town, “Nippori Sen-i Gai / Fabric Town” so named by the Japanese, is a street approximately 1 km long. You can access it by the Yamanote metro line and stop at Nippori station, take the east exit and follow the numerous signs indicating “fabric town”, in 5 minutes you will arrive at the start of this avenue of fabrics.
It is full of fabric stores but also shops selling kimonos, yukatas or tomesode…. they are second-hand. you can leave with a kimono for around 1000 yen. You have to search a little, some may be stained but you can get good deals… if you are looking for buttons, leather or haberdashery accessories, ribbons, zippers, specialized shops line this street.
Fabric Shops in Tokyo
Tomato.トマト本館
Among the many stores you find on this street, the largest and best known remains Tomato. It includes five stores, each with their own specialty.
“Arch” is the one that offers all fabrics at 100 yen per meter, or “select” which includes organic fabrics, wool or linen.
“Honkan” is the main store, it extends over 5 floors, a paradise for seamstresses because it contains all kinds of fabrics, traditional Japanese cotton, jerseys, liberty, lycra, lace. The fabrics offered are mostly made in Japan or Korea but they also offer European fabrics. For payment, you can pay by credit card but remember that you must pay on each floor for the fabrics you buy.
On the first floor, many fancy fabrics are offered with sequins and fluorescents as desired.
On the ground floor, I discovered attractive fabrics from the Kokka brand, floral and colorful, they will be perfect for making bags for summer and the beach.
Tsukiyasu.ツキヤス
A small selection of other interesting shops to discover. Right across from the main Tomato store you will find a fabric store calledTsukiyasu.
Noren, Japanese door panel
In this store, many fabric samples are at the entrance.
You will find colorful cottons to please yourself and bring back samples of many fabrics. There are also coatings with traditional floral Japanese fabrics.
But above all I found Norens 暖簾, split fabric curtains that are traditionally hung on the front door of shops, restaurants or homes.
I chose this pattern with cranes that I wanted to use to frame the fabric and look like a painting.
Mihama.
ミハマクロス1号店
One last nice address to find fabric samples packaged in 2 meter in general.
It’s Mihama, a store located just before the large Tomato building. I took the opportunity to buy a few samples of traditional Japanese indigo but you can also find more colorful and floral fabrics to mix and match.
Traditional Japanese fabric coupon
Here is a map with the location plan of the different stores that I spoke to you about above
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1FnF9Lgw3TI99EU2ucHJFGksPziSwVls&usp=sharing
Buying fabric in Kyoto
If you are lucky enough to discover the city of Kyoto, you will also be able to find beautiful Japanese fabric shops. They are not grouped in the same place as in Tokyo but they are found in the central and tourist district of Nishiki market.
Nomura Tailor House Shijo Shop ノムラテーラー四条店
You will find two boutiques of this brand in the same district, the first Nomura tailor store on two floors with haberdashery which is the main store located on Naramonocho at 362, avenue which joins the river.
The second Nomura tailor is located two blocks from the first inside the Nishiki market.
The choice is a little less varied than in the Tokyo boutiques and the prices are slightly higher but you will find a wide choice of fabrics printed with children’s designs for example.
In the second store below, you can find an impressive choice of coupons for patchwork, among other things.
All that remains is to go there and treat yourself by discovering all these gems !!!
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