Koenji is where Tokyo’s vintage clothing trade keeps its stock. Around seventy secondhand stores line the PAL arcade and the Look street that continues it on the south side of the station, with more scattered through the north side, and they range from one-room shops of hand-picked 1960s workwear to chain stores selling by the kilo. Dealers from Harajuku and Shimokitazawa buy here; the prices show it.
Go in the afternoon, since nearly everything opens at noon, and walk the full length of Look street before buying anything. Try things on; the staff are enthusiasts, not salespeople, and will tell you the year of a jacket by the label. Finish with coffee at one of the old kissaten on the same street.
Tips
- Start in the covered PAL arcade from the south exit, then continue straight into Look street, where the arcade roof ends and the best shops begin
- Kiki2, Sokkyou and the Safari chain are the names to look for; many shops are on second floors, so look up
- Some stores specialize to the point of absurdity, one in 1950s Hawaiian shirts, another in only Levi's 501s; that is the point