Shopping in Japan

Japan is known for its upscale department stores (デパート depāto), the nicest of which feature beautiful interior architectural ornamentation and still employ uniformed women to operate the elevators while informing customers where to find items. There are two kinds of department stores in Japan; the high-end stores, such as Isetan and Takashimaya, originated from traditional kimono shops and have the best clientele, while the mid-range stores were started by railway companies after the World War II for commuters to the city center.

Depāto typically have a food court and groceries in the basement, while the roof often has a garden (which doubles as a beer garden during the summer) and some affordable eateries. While the clothes and cosmetics may not hold much interest for the average traveller, you might look for a coin purse or handkerchief that will get frequent use while you're in Japan, or some nice tableware to use or display at home.

Despite the saying that Japanese cities never sleep, retail hours are surprisingly limited. Opening hours of most shops are typically 10:00-20:00, though most shops are open on weekends and public holidays except New Year, and close on one day a week. Restaurants typically stay open until late at night, though smoking would usually be allowed after 20:00 so those who can't stand cigarette smoke should have your meals before then.

However, you will always find something you could need to buy at any time of day. Japan is crawling with 24/7 convenience stores (コンビニ combini/konbini), such as 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson. They often offer a much wider range of products than convenience stores in the US or Europe, sometimes have a small ATM and are often open all day all week! Most convenience stores also offer services such as takkyubin luggage delivery, a limited range of postal services, payment services for bills (including topping up international phone cards such as Brastel) and some on-line retailers (e.g. Amazon.jp) at the counter. Many are also equipped with multi-function copiers (マルチコピー機, maruchi-kopī-ki) which can handle photocopying, fax, printing of digital files, ticket sales for events, concerts and cinemas, and even TOTO tickets.

Of course, establishments related to nightlife such as karaoke lounges and bars stay open well into the night. Even in small towns it is easy to find an izakaya open until 05:00. Pachinko parlours are obliged to close at 23:00.