Best vintage stores in Tokyo

Best for: Designer labels
Visit if... You’re looking to buy and sell high-quality used clothing

Ragtag has been pretty busy since its first branch popped up on Harajuku’s Takeshita-dori in 1985: the chain now has 15 branches across Japan, all specialising in second-hand designer clothing for men and women. Its Harajuku branch, which opened in August 2012, occupies a plum spot in narrow Cat Street and spans three floors. The ground floor is reserved for fancier formals – Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, Vivienne Westwood, Diesel, Marc Jacobs, Martin Margiela and even Chanel often make an appearance, while the second floor is where you'll see casual and street wear, with brands such as A Bathing Ape, Hysteric Glamour and Journal Standard to choose from.

Best for: Indie brands, jewellery and quality vintage pieces
Visit if... Toro’s a little out of your price range

The younger sister of Shibuya boutique Toro (it opened in 2006), Otoe does a nice line in quality vintage clothing at affordable prices, while also stocking remade items and accessories created by young designers. Boasting the same commitment to on-trend pieces as its sibling, it stocks good quality vintage menswear and womenswear, as well as select items from indie brands.

Best for: Outlandish costumes
Visit if... You want to stand out from the crowd, or you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of Lady Gaga

Basement boutique Dog has wooed some unusual customers with its blend of outlandish vintage and reworked clothing – not least Lady Gaga, who’s been known to visit incognito on her trips to Tokyo. Indeed, those with a taste for the theatrical will appreciate its remakes, which include replicas of costumes from Gaga’s own shows (and a few Madonna numbers). If you’re looking for something a little more wearable, its range of indie designer remakes are also worth browsing.

Best for: Unusual European designs
Visit if... You like Toga but want vintage

Intrepid fashion hounds in search of unusual designs won’t be disappointed by this used clothing shop, opened in 2007 and run by designer Yasuko Furuta’s Toga brand. The choice of location – it's effectively squatting in the ground-floor parking space next to Toga’s Harajuku shop – is thoroughly in keeping with the eccentric nature of the selections within. Toga XTC focuses on second-hand European clothes, shoes and accessories, with a fine eye for unusual designs and textiles – the kind of thing that's likely to appeal to dedicated Toga fans, in other words.

Best for: Distinctive vintage eyewear
Visit if... You’d like to know how you look in a pair of specs from the 1800s

Not your typical eyewear shop, Solakzade’s Harajuku boutique is home to a distinctive range of unused vintage and antique frames sourced from Japan and around the globe. The shop has a particularly broad selection of styles in its 10,000-frame trove, including a few shades that date back all the way to the 1800s.

Best for: Classic Western pieces, antique dresses and old lace
Visit if... You have money to burn on chic European/American style

A giant scarlet shoe marks the entrance and sets the tone for this chic store specialising in American and European clothing from the 19th and 20th centuries. Haight & Ashbury has been plying its trade for more than 20 years now – and it’s in good hands too, as the owners also run Shibuya vintage store Boy and ultra-hip boutique Fake Tokyo. The shop is divided into menswear and womenswear (with a slight skew to the ladies) and there’s a vintage section where you’ll find old lacy numbers, embroidered antique dresses and summery floral accessories.

Best for: Cheap vintage buys
Visit if... You’re looking for affordable vintage or American-style clothing

The Shimokitazawa branch of Flamingo – sibling to its Harajuku and Kichijoji namesakes – opened in 2005 and stocks a mix of new clothing and American vintage duds, starting at the ’40s and ending at the ’80s. Thanks to its US-based buyer, new stock comes in quickly, and there’s a good selection of both men and women’s clothing – as well as a few added extras such as retro-look tableware.

Best for: Modern second-hand clothing
Visit if... You like your thrift stores thrifty; you want to offload some of your unwanted clothing

Exchange by name, exchange by nature: this spacious store sells imported, non-branded used clothing, while also buying in items from customers, or even allowing them to swap threads they no longer want for pieces from the store. They have to meet a certain criteria, mind, so showing up with a sack of baggy old T-shirts probably isn’t going to get you much more than a raised eyebrow.

Best for: Anime fans
Visit if... You want some eye-catching items to add to your wardrobe

If you like to buy your style in stylish surrounds, this used clothing shop in Koenji's Kitakore Building won’t disappoint. The one-of-a-kind decor has a new theme for every season, with scraps of manga pages plastering the walls and stuffed toys dangling from the ceiling. Stock centres mostly on unique, brightly coloured menswear, while many of the remade items draw inspiration from anime.

Best for: Fashion-forward vintage buys
Visit if... You’re looking for old, but not old-fashioned

Sokkyou is carefully stocked with on-trend pieces for both men and women, mostly of American origin, so you can be sure your buys are fashion-forward. Vintage pieces range from the 1920s to the 1990s (and every date in between), though there are a few finds from as early as the 1800s.

Best for: All things ’80s, anything neon
Visit if... You’re old enough to be nostalgic about the ’80s without being embarrassed by them

Spank!, quite possibly the only ‘’80s pop disco’-themed used clothing shop in Koenji (or at least in the area’s Pal Mall arcade), stocks womenswear and a variety of toys and trinkets – most of which are bought in from the States. About 80 percent of the goods on offer are used, while the remaining 20 percent is made up of the store’s own handmade accessories, printed tights and a selection of items from own brand Monascas Banana.

Best for: Antique interiors and top-quality vintage clothing
Visit if... You want to beat the fashion insiders to the best buys

Vintage store J’antiques offers a good range of items from throughout the 20th century – the bulk of which is menswear and womenswear. That said, you'll also find vintage fabrics and buttons, as well as interior items including antique accessories, furniture and tableware, dating from as late as the 1950s and as early as the 1800s. It’s rumoured that the quality of the stock draws big names from the fashion industry in search of inspiration – and you can’t go wrong with an endorsement like that.

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