This tiny sliver of a shop in the upscale shopping neighborhood of Aoyama sells beautiful, delicate pieces such as skirts made from paper-thin, floral-print fabric. There is also a selection of menswear.

Traditional kimonos with a modern twist are found at this series of five stores. Even if you don’t plan to pick up a formal, or just an everyday, kimono, it is a fascinating place to look around, if only to be amazed at the range on offer. It is always a surprise to see that the kimono survives in a city where there is so much emphasis on the new and modern.

Founded as a kimono store in 1673, Mitsukoshi is today one of the most elegant department stores in the country, if not the world. Spanning over 10,000 square feet, the space sells designs ranging from Western fashion by Chanel and Dior to traditional Japanese kimonos and outfits. In the handcrafts section, shoppers can see an artisan hand-painting dishes and bowls. The basement food court is not to be missed—the juice bar and chocolate-covered chestnuts are special treats.

Though her recycled chic has been featured at the Kennedy Center and MoMA, Nuno’s Reiko Sudo is mainly big in Japan, where her original, hand-printed fabrics are instantly recognizable. Within the Axis Building, in Tokyo’s Roppongi district, textile and design fans will find a kaleidoscopic array of original textiles, many with 3D embellishments. Tables hold colorful scarves, designed by Sudo and her colleagues, in cotton, rayon, and silk, as well as origami inspired tote bags while bolts of printed cotton and toile line the shelves. The store will make pillow covers, other household items, and even clothes in any of the materials.

Connoisseurs of Japanese design have long trekked to the newly hip Daikanyama neighborhood to load up on Okura’s shirts, jackets, sweaters, pants and skirts, all of them indigo-dyed according to ancient Japanese techniques. To enter the charming, stone house you even pass through an indigo-dyed curtain. Upstairs is the women’s clothing including some barefoot-chic beach tunics, and accessories from socks to washcloths. These deep hued items are definitely Japanese yet more wearable than many traditional souvenirs, which makes this a great gift shop.

At one end of Aoyama’s Omotosando Avenue, Japanese youths doll up daily to parade along Takeshita Street while here at the other end, timeless Japanese style reigns among the minimalist chic boutiques of national design treasures like Issey Miyake (1/F & B1/F Vingt-Sept Building, 3-18-11 Minami-Aoyama), Comme des Garçons (5-2-1 Minami-Aoyama) and Yohji Yamamoto (5-3-6 Minami-Aoyama) as well as less exported names.

Tourist friendly (except that it incongruously closes on Thursdays), this three-story emporium offers an ideal one-stop souvenir shop. Dolls, teapots, kimonos, yukata, woodblock prints from the ukiyo-e masters, antiques and books on Japan can be purchased here and even shipped home by the English-speaking sales staff. The basement may be the most interesting, with vintage kimonos, chic tees emblazoned with graphically attractive Japanese kanji alphabet characters and folksy local toys.

This consignment store began its life on Harajuku’s pedestrian-only Cat Steet, before branching into more conveniently located digs in Shibuya and Ginza. This Japanese resale institution specializes in perennially cutting-edge local designers, like Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto but also carries top European labels including Louis Vuitton, Prada, Marni and Lanvin in good-as-new condition. In fact, all designer items are graded from A to D, and this being Japan, even a D will look pretty desirable to resale regulars.

This well-known mall cleverly combines consumerism with art. Dotting the compound are stunning sculptures, including the centerpiece, a metal spider by Louise Bourgeois that resembles a creature in a B-grade sci-fi movie. Nestled in its bronze body are shiny white marble eggs. There are twenty sculptures in all, half by Japanese artists, the others by artists from all over the world. In addition, the complex houses the Mori Art Museum, the Grand Hyatt hotel and, of course, scores of big-ticket designer-brand stores and restaurants. It's a great one-stop shop.