Shimokitazawa has more secondhand clothing stores per square meter than anywhere in Japan, somewhere above a hundred within five minutes of the station, from warehouse-sized American imports to shops that stock only 1970s Japanese workwear or only band T-shirts. Prices are lower than in Harajuku for the same racks, because this is where the Harajuku buyers come to shop.
Start at the north exit for the lanes toward Ichibangai, then cross under the tracks to the south side, where the stores get smaller and stranger. Afternoons are best, since most owners open at noon, and the shops stay busy until the theater crowd arrives in the early evening. Bring cash for the smallest places.
Tips
- Chicago, Flamingo and New York Joe Exchange are the big warehouse-style stores; the small ones on the lanes behind them have the better finds
- New York Joe buys as well as sells, so you can trade a jacket for store credit
- Sizes run small; check the sleeve length rather than the label