The whole thing of clothes is insane. You can spend a dollar on a jacket in a thrift store. And you can spend a thousand dollars on a jacket in a shop. And if you saw those two jackets walking down the street, you probably wouldn’t know which was which. – Helen Mirren
Spring is here! For me, the sunshine and sprouting of green things breathe a sense of renewal into my routine. Typically, I don’t buy a lot of clothing; some items I own are 10+ years old! But this time of year, I find myself wanting to refresh my wardrobe. I don’t love shopping for clothing, and find I really have to be in the mood to sift through racks and try stuff on. But when the mood strikes me, I love wandering thrift stores looking for good finds on the cheap. Even though we’ve been in Japan a year, it can be hard to find clothing here, and I’ve bought only a few items so far. To refresh my wardrobe on the cheap, I decided to try my hand at thrift shopping. The city of Machida offered the perfect place to start my journey.
Thrift shopping in Japan
It’s no secret – shopping for clothing in Japan can be a challenge. As expected, American sizes are bigger than their Japanese counterparts. I’ve found I often have better luck with shirts and shoes in the men’s department. My long torso means women’s shirts are just a bit shorter than I’d like. And let’s not even talk about pants.
While wandering through Machida recently, I popped into several local stores looking for deals. I discovered that, while some stores appear to be legitimate thrift shops, others clearly are not. Although labeled as “thrift stores” or “used clothing stores” on Google, the clothes (and their prices!) don’t follow suit. There are often multiple sizes of the same style, and prices can easily be 8,000¥ or above. When I mentioned this to Husband, he brought up a good point. For the Japanese market, stores may use the phrase “thrift store” or “used clothing” to draw in a certain type of shopper. It isn’t necessarily that the clothes are used, but many people look for that vintage vibe when shopping. These stores could be aimed at giving them the vintage vibe in new clothing.
Although this was a quick shopping trip, I was able to find a few places to revisit in the future. Based on my initial visits, I’ve broken stores down into categories – best shops for ex-pat shoppers, budget, boutique, and basically new. Hopefully, this list will help you plan your next thrift store adventure!
Best for ex-pat shoppers
This category of thrift stores often carry a selection of western brand names. A look through their stock left me confident that I could find something that fit easily. There’s a large selection of items and the prices are typical of used clothing. These stores also offer a buyback program (think Plato’s Closet in the States), meaning I can buy and sell things. Two for one win!
First on the list is Book Off Super Bazaar. Book Off, one variety in a chain of a group of stores, can be deceiving. Occasionally, a store will just sell books, but sometimes shoppers can also find clothing and houseware items. The Book Off Super Bazaar in Machida is one of the best thrift stores out there. With 5 floors of selection, you’re guaranteed to find something. The clothing is well organized, sorted by type and sometimes brand. Each floor offers something different. The first floor is high dollar items like watches, jewelry, and designer handbags. There are a few floors of women’s clothing, as well as kids and men’s.
As a bonus, Book Off has reasonable prices and places for you to try on clothing. The Book Off website, which can be translated from the Japanese in Google Chrome, lists types of items generally for sale. You can also get a sense of items a specific store is looking to buy. I highly recommend making Book Off Super Bazaar one of your first stops for thrift shopping in Machida.
Another store that’s great for ex-pat shoppers is TreFac Style. A walk around the store revealed lots of brand name items that were well organized by gender and clothing style. Most items I sifted through were fairly expensive and priced almost as if it was new. However, if you’ve got the time to dig you can find gems under 1500¥. At the time, the store had a lot of sale sections, and it seems TreFac Style offers something for every budget.
Similarly to Book Off, TreFac Style has a few dressing rooms to try before you buy. Although chock full of clothing, the store in Machida is pleasantly organized with room to browse.
Budget
Who doesn’t love finding a good deal? At these stores, the price is right! However, a quick look inside each of these made it clear it may be harder to find something that fits. Like many thrift shops in the States, plan to visit often. This way you’ll be the first to know when new things arrive, giving you the best chance to find that perfect fit at a budget price.
First in our Budget category is Micmo Shop (AKA 300えん). I’ve heard this is a chain store, but the only one I’ve found so far has been in Machida. The name is a bit misleading, as all items are 320¥ (presumably because of the 8% consumption tax in Japan). The store space, although fairly small, offers selections of men’s, women’s, kids, and accessories. There is one fitting room. It was fairly busy the last time I visited, with 6 or 8 people moving around the store. Space is premium in Japan and it can be hard to navigate the store when it’s busy. Discounted items are usually easy to find. Of course, it’s worth noting that Micmo doesn’t accept returns or exchanges.
Our next budget stop in Machida is Super Rich すーぱーりっち. Located not far from 300えん, the store signage is all in Kanji. Like other stores, their stock includes men’s, women’s, and some kids items, and many are priced under 1500¥. Super RIch has 2 changing rooms to try on items. The store is small and can be hard to shop if it’s crowded. I highly suggest heading to the back of the store to check out their selection of 80s jackets. I feel a dance party coming on…
Boutique
For these stores, the clothing was in very good used condition, but the prices were quite high. I love finding that perfect outfit piece on a budget, so these shops would likely not be my first stop. While these stores might help me find what my closet is missing, they aren’t helping me tighten my purse strings.
Cannonball is our first Boutique clothing store. Small and hidden on the second floor, I found it purely by accident. It appears to only stock men’s clothing, but that didn’t stop me from taking a look around. Here, the prices were a bit higher than other places, which is why I labeled it a “boutique” store. Most clothing ranges from 4,000 to 6,000¥. Although I didn’t notice a space to try stuff on, my interest was piqued by the large selection of Patagonia clothing. In addition, there is a small section of shoes and accessories for sale.
Next up in the Boutique category – Desert Snow. Located on the second floor, the shop offers a selection of men’s and women’s clothing. There is a decent section of brand name items on sale at a good price, and shoppers can find well-known names like Columbia for 3,000¥ or less. Although not new clothing, there’s enough similarity among the selection that many shoppers can find something in their size. Handbags, shoes, and some new items are also for sale. A small chain, you can also find Desert Snow in Shimokitazawa and Koriyama.
Basically new
Although these stores came up in my search as thrift shops, once inside it seemed that more than 80% of the clothing was new. One of the perks of thrift shopping is already-broken-in clothing at a decent price. Although these stores offer a good selection, they didn’t meet either of those criteria.
First up in the Basically New category is Damage Done. With the tagline “American Authentic Outfitters”, it’s no surprise this store stocks higher-end brands like North Face and Carhartt. Although the shop carries only men’s clothing, there is a vintage feel to the clothing selection. Carrying mostly new items, many pieces had a twin in the same size. Shoppers will be hard pressed to find anything less than 6,000¥ for sale. Even plain white T-shirts are priced at 2,000¥ each. On the plus side, there are two fitting rooms available. Located near the north exit of the Machida train station on the Odakyu line puts the shop at a nice location to pop in and look around. However, if thrift shopping is on your mind, I don’t know that you’ll leave with anything.
Raw drip is our next basically new shop and our final store in the round-up. Primarily, the store stocks men’s clothing. As a basically new “thrift” store, there are many items available in multiple sizes. Two fitting rooms allow shoppers to try on before purchasing. Again, if thrift shopping is on your mind, the 8,000¥ (and up) price tags may deter you from making a purchase. During my visit, there were a few items on sale, but the selection was minimal. As another local chain, Raw drip also has locations in Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Yokohama.
This list is just a tiny slice of all the good things going on in Machida. The used clothing scene in Machida and surrounding areas is huge. So big, in fact, it would take days to visit them all. From small, mom-and-pop stores to large, multi-storied chain stores, Japanese thrift stores have a little something for everyone.
What used clothing shops in Machida have you found and loved? What’s been your best thrift store find so far? Is there a gem piece you’re still searching for?
