In my last visit the Japan we stumbled upon a craft shop that went up and up with a dizzying variety of goods, we got hungery before we had explored in all and I never even saw it's full extent. This time I sought out the store - Okadaya.
I went to the largest location in Shinjuku. Two buildings, one is 5 floors and a basement of fabric, the other is seven floors, some full and some half. I couldn't take pictures inside, and it's hard to describe! Each floor has a theme (buttons, ribbon and trim etc...) and the selection is extensive! There's furthermore lots of bright, lacy, sparkly, flashy stuff that is decidedly not fitting with Japan's everyday fashion.
The store clientel was actually mainly quite young. Outside of the knitting circle taking place on the yarn floor there were many young ladies, some with boyfreind in tow. But my arrival on the craft books floor brought clarity to the situation. A cosplay magazine and pattern monthly sat front and center. These people are building wonderful sparkly outfits to wear once a month to Harajuku. I'm so in love. This also explained the wig and hair stuff floor (2nd, in case you can't read japanese).
I indulged in a little bit of nice yarn. The selection of yarn was kinda weak on the natural fibers side, and their selection of Noro yarns was actually smaller then I've seen here in the U.S.!
A few days later we went to Nippori Fabric Town. Yes, we. I dragged poor Jet, PSP in hand along for the trip. Once again, no pics inside the shops. But the strip is replete with stores, large and small, with loads of fabric and notions. The largest is called TOMATO, and is also 5 floors of goodness.
I started at the sale side, 100en a meter, and grabbed some stuff, including scrap packs. In the main shop each floor has bolt ends for cheap, well relatively. The fabric is rather pricey! starts at 5$ a meter and goes up fast! many of the chiramen fabrics for kimono and 25$, and that's the cheapest kimonos. Craft supplies are pricy here!
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