4 best stores in Tokyo for vintage anime T-shirts

This speciality shop in Harajuku is a must-visit for anime, manga and gaming fans. The walls and ceilings are plastered with colourful posters, creating a fun, immersive space that instantly transports you into the world of your favourite series. 

The store stocks a wide range of tees representing titles from household names like One Piece and Sailor Moon to cult classics such as Toradora! and To Love Ru. One of the store’s highlights is its massive Dragon Ball T-shirt collection – the largest in Japan, as proudly claimed by the store’s manager, Nishikawa-san. 

Youfukuya store focuses on offering styles that are wearable and can be incorporated into your everyday life. Most of the T-shirts are priced around ¥8,000 and are sourced from international dealers across the US, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Many of the shirts feature bold, oversized prints, rare character combinations, or reimagined artwork that adds a unique twist to the original designs.

Notable finds: Among the shop’s most coveted pieces is the Dragon Ball GT ‘Opening Sequence Boot’ tee, featuring a print from the show’s opening scene. This one goes for an eye-watering ¥121,000. Fans of Hunter x Hunter can find T-shirts of every Phantom Troupe member, including fan faves Faitan and Chrollo.

Located just a three-minute walk from Sangenjaya Station, this vintage clothing store is a hidden gem for fans of everyday fashion and easy, wearable designs. The shop specialises in outdoor, workwear and military-inspired vintage frocks mostly from the 1990s to the early 2000s. Prices are reasonable too, ranging between ¥10,000 and ¥20,000. 

Items are curated for their unique design and timeless quality – especially the anime T-shirts, which are selected for their bold visuals, fashion-forward wearability and high-quality materials.

Notable finds: One standout item is the Yu-Gi-Oh! T-shirt (¥22,000) featuring the unconventional character pairing of Buster Blader and Chaos Soldier. The T-shirt was created for the US market and reflects how anime tees were often targeted at the younger generation.

Another cool find is the Sonic the Hedgehog tee from the early ’90s, made from soft 100-percent cotton with single-stitched hems – a hallmark of vintage US skate-style fashion from the ’80s and ’90s.

Located on the first floor of otaku culture mecca Nakano Broadway, this speciality shop is a treasure trove of rare vintage T-shirts, many of which are sourced from overseas. Here, you’ll come across tees featuring everything from cult-classic movies and anime titles to iconic bands and hip hop legends.

Prices typically range between ¥40,000 and ¥50,000, though some pieces fetch well over a million yen. According to a staff member, the most expensive item sold recently was a long-sleeved Akira T-shirt made in Italy, which went for a whopping ¥1.1 million. 

Some of the store’s most popular items feature titles like Akira, Ghost in the Shell and iconic characters from Studio Ghibli films. Music fans will also find a wide range of band T-shirts, spanning rock legends like Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to hip hop icons such as Snoop Dogg and the Wu-Tang Clan.

Notable finds: Standout pieces include a Ranma 1/2 T-shirt sourced from Southeast Asia, priced at ¥143,000, and a rare Dragon Ball tee going for ¥151,800.

BerBerJin is a well-established American vintage shop in Harajuku which has quickly become a destination for avid vintage shoppers coming through Tokyo. This sister shop of the main BerBerJin focuses on offering pop culture T-shirts and sweatshirts – all rare finds personally sourced by store manager Aoki-san on buying trips through the US. 

Prices range from ¥6,000 to ¥20,000, with a selection that includes anime, band and movie-themed T-shirts. According to Aoki, vintage anime tees have surged in popularity over the past three years, with prices steadily rising. Despite the trend, the store remains committed to fair pricing, often offering pieces below market value. So what’s the next big trend? Aoki predicts that T-shirts inspired by Eames and vintage furniture designs just might be.

Notable finds: Look out for the 1990s original Hunter x Hunter T-shirt priced at ¥107,800, and the vintage Akira T-shirt featuring the rare ‘Fashion Victim’ tag.