16 stunning flagship stores in Tokyo you need to visit

Japanese lifestyle chain Muji is best known for its clean, functional designs and drool-worthy stationery, and you’ll find all that and more at its global flagship store in Ginza. The Ginza landmark offers the complete Muji lifestyle: two restaurants, a bakery, a bar and two galleries, plus a retail space that stretches five floors, stocked with stationery, clothes, furniture, kitchenware and home accessories. There’s even a fresh food section offering bento boxes, a custom tea-blending station and a juice bar. Want to imagine a life surrounded by all things Muji? Just check out the in-store hotel, which embodies Muji’s sleek, minimal aesthetic.

The massive Uniqlo Ginza commemorated its tenth anniversary with a major renovation to turn the 12-storey flagship store into a new lifestyle and shopping hub. Not to be confused with the nearby Uniqlo Tokyo flagship which opened last year, the Uniqlo Ginza shop is located on the main Ginza shopping street known as Chuo Dori, right across from Ginza Six shopping complex.

One of the design highlights is the Life Wear installations on each and every floor. The brand’s signature clothing items are displayed like a museum exhibit. More excitingly, the 12th floor is home to Uniqlo Coffee, where you can relax over Uniqlo’s exclusive blend of coffee alongside cookies from the famous confectionery shop Ginza West. 

On the tenth floor you’ll find a custom-order salon, where you can get measured for the perfect fitting suit. The sixth floor will provide women's innerwear consultation and you can get fitted for underwear that best supports your body. Just like the Uniqlo Tokyo shop, the first floor will host a Uniqlo Flower shop selling lovely bouquets from just ¥390.

One of casual fashion behemoth Uniqlo’s largest flagship outlets in the world, Uniqlo Tokyo in Ginza shines the spotlight on the brand’s LifeWear line for men, women, children and babies in an appropriately fashion-forward space developed by creative director Kashiwa Sato and Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. Don’t miss the Uniqlo flower market set up outside the shop, where you can get a fresh bundle of flowers for less than ¥500.

Shu Uemura’s store in Omotesando looks like a giant beauty box and is appropriately named the Tokyo Makeup Box. As the brand's first global flagship beauty boutique, the store offers an extensive range of cosmetics and skincare items as well as limited-edition products that are exclusive to the shop.

There’s more than just shopping to do here – other services at the Tokyo Makeup Box include personalised gift wrapping, custom engraving, and professional brush cleaning services.

If you’re going to visit any Comme des Garçons shop while you’re in Tokyo, it has to be the flagship store in Aoyama. Opened back in 1999, the boutique was designed in collaboration with architect Takao Kawasaki, who helped turn this former office space into a sleek structure that’s able to highlight the building and showcase the store’s clothing and merchandise in the best possible light.

The brand’s designer and founder Rei Kawakubo also had significant input on the shop’s interior, which is mainly stark white (as are most Comme des Garçons boutiques), and a perfect backdrop for her dramatic designs.

After years of ducking the spotlight, Chitose Abe embraced the growing acclaim for her brand by opening this Aoyama Sacai flagship store back in 2011. The veteran designer (who worked under Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe before going it alone in 1999) is best known for her innovative knitwear, but her women's and men's lines now incorporate a range of different fabrics, often in unusual combinations. You'll find the entire collection at this minimalist two-floor boutique.

Undercover designer Jun Takahashi commands a fanatically loyal army of punk fashion rebels who adore his edgy designs. Enter his unsettling world at this store and experience the artistic side of his dark fashion empire. Browse through the ladies’ selection on the ground floor, or head to the basement, which houses the men’s collection and Undercover’s side labels including The Shepherd. The store is also home to the many project collaborations Takahashi has taken on, including Undercover’s athletic wear line Nike Gyakusou, and small accessories produced in conjunction with popular label Porter and skate brand Vans.

Kagurazaka’s trendy La Kagu ‘warehouse’ is home to the Akomeya flagship store, offering some of Japan’s most delicious and beautiful goods – especially for your kitchen. Above all, Akomeya is a rice speciality shop and so it offers an almost overwhelming range of grains by weight. Whether you’re looking for heirloom rice from a particular prefecture or the brown variety for everyday eating, the shop attendants can help you find the exact grain to suit your cooking style and health requirements. 

The front of the store also showcases a beautiful selection of ceramics and Japanese kitchenware, all of which are labelled with a short description of the artisan and place of origin. This is heaven for home cooks and foodies, who can sit down for a healthy meal at the on-site Akomeya Kitchen, or grab a freshly-brewed tea to go from the Chaya counter.

The Beams Japan flagship in Shinjuku spreads out over a total of six floors. You'll find a dizzying collection of clothing, crafts and art, plus a gallery hosting an eclectic range of events and exhibitions. There's also a yoshoku (Japanese-style Western food) restaurant in the basement, and a branch of Ebisu's Sarutahiko Coffee on the ground floor. If you're looking for a gift that's truly Japanese, Beams is the place to go – pretty much everything you can buy here is made in Japan.