10 Best Shopping Experiences in Nagoya

Osu Shopping Street is a bargain hunter’s heaven where you can find great deals on both new and second-hand designer clothes. If you’re looking for kimonos, porcelain or Japanese green tea to take home, Osu is the place to be.

Besides bargains and luxury finds, you’ll enjoy the many dining options in the area. There are pizzerias, traditional Yakitori restaurants and many ethic eateries to choose from, just to name a few. And all shopping and dining done, why not just take a stroll down the street, people-watch and enjoy the lively atmosphere.

Sunshine Sakae shopping centre in the heart of the city boasts many global brands, upscale shops, restaurants and cafés. If you’re shopping for fashion or electronics, you’re in the right spot. At Sunshine Sakae, you'll find stores ranging from casual fashion to electronics stores. There's also a theater, a Mini 4WD racing plaza and a pachinko parlor.

Sunshine Sakae’s most recognizable feature is the giant Ferris wheel called "Sky-Boat" which offers panoramic views of the Sakae area, especially beautiful at night when lit up. If you’re a fan of the idol group SKE48, you’ll know that this mall serves as a hangout for its fans. It also houses a theater and shop dedicated to the group.

Nagoya Station mall and Sakae underground arcade offer the most convenient shopping in the city, especially if you don’t have too much time to spare. In these venues, there are numerous clothes shops as well as outlets selling interesting souvenirs and traditional Japanese items.

When you get hungry or want to rest your feet, you’ll enjoy the many restaurants, sweet shops, bakeries and cafés where to sit down and relax. And, if you're looking for a place to stay, there are a few options for you to choose from conveniently located in the Sakae area.

The vast Mitsukoshi department store, located in Sakae District, offers fun shopping, great quality and a popular food court. Mitsukoshi is an esteemed brand with stores across Japan. It boasts a great selection of fashion (including kimonos and accessories), cosmetics, bedding, home furnishings, jewelry and travel goods.

This Nagoya branch also features a children’s playland, several restaurants, coffee shops and an art gallery. Locals like to visit the food court in the basement that features ready-to-eat meals and snacks. To wet your whistle, check out the rooftop beer garden on the 10th floor.

Oasis 21 is a big, futuristic, concrete-and-glass shopping complex located in Sakae. Famous for its unique ‘Water Spaceship’ design, the water-filled translucent roof helps to reduce the heat in the shopping mall during summer and serves as a glass walkway Aquapark, which is very popular among the locals.

Oasis 21 has plenty of shops, restaurants, and cafés and also hosts many interesting events throughout the year. It’s a lovely place to stroll around of an evening and there is plenty of accommodation options that can be found close to the Oasis 21 park.

If you love fashion and like to follow the latest trends, make your way to the Parco shopping complex. This is where you’ll find the coolest labels and brands and hottest fashion. This large shopping haven is generally known as the gateway of international styles and brands for hip Japanese trendsetters. Here even simple window shopping can be quite an experience. Popular boutiques in Parco include Vivienne Westwood, Anna Sui and Calvin Klein.

Parco consists of 3 buildings (East, South and West) that are all linked by walkways on the 2nd and 7th levels. The West building’s 7th and 8th floors feature food courts and restaurants.

It’s easy to get enthusiastic over a shop like Hands Nagoya, a shop that sells a dizzying array of lifestyle goods. Located in Takashimaya shopping centre, it stocks almost anything you can think of under the sun.

Hands Nagoya specializes in nothing yet is good at everything: Christmas presents, stationary, home improvement and D.I.Y. items (many imported), handy tools, hobbies, toys and games, and these just to name a few. The store is huge and features 6 floors, so you can easily spend several hours here to explore what’s available.

Nagoya is Japan’s centre of pottery and porcelain production, and the biggest porcelain company in the city is Noritake Craft Centre. Established in 1904, Noritake is famous for its high-quality goods, such as its beautifully designed tableware. You can shop for the finest products here, as well as learn more about their history.

Experience the production of bone china and admire some of their vintage items inside this huge complex. Noritake’s collections cover not only bone china and porcelain but also glassware, crystal, vases, candlesticks, baking utensils and much more. The on-site restaurant uses the craft centre’s products. Noritake Garden is located in central Nagoya, about a 5-minute walk from Kamejima Station.

Bic Camera is not just a camera shop, but it does sell an amazing range of those, too. This huge electronic chain store first came to Nagoya in the 2000s and become very popular with their long list of quality products from cameras (of course) to all electronics goods such as computers, video and audio equipment, TVs, home appliances, phones and bikes.

Tech enthusiasts and gadgets geeks will love exploring the latest Japanese releases, and the prices are usually competitive. It’s easy to find Bic Camera connected to the west side of JR Nagoya Station.

The luxurious Mikimoto cultured pearl stores are widely known in Japan. With a history dating back to 1893, Mikimoto is one of the most well-known jewelry brands in the world and operates many shops not only in Japan but also overseas. Kokichi Mikimoto was the first person in the world to successfully create cultured pearls. His pearl necklaces have been worn by such luminaries as Marilyn Monroe.

In Nagoya, the Mikimoto branch occupies a sophisticated 4-floor building with many elegant pearl and jewelry selections, as well as other Mikimoto goods such as baby gifts, ballpoint pens and purses.