In Osaka, Japan. It's sale season and need advice!

[jakeypotato]

Dear all,

I'm currently in Osaka, Japan right now and I need new shoes primarily and clothing. I was hoping to buy some boots for under $200. Does anyone know of affordable Japanese brands that I should look into while I'm here in Japan that would be more expensive if I were to buy in the USA? Even better if you knew some stores here in Osaka, that would be nice. I'm still a college student so I can't quite afford $500 shoes or $200 shirts.

I would also be open to hearing what basics I should buy in general while here. At the moment, I like brands like RRL and Beams.

Thanks!

 

[TummyBoy]

Dear all,

I'm currently in Osaka, Japan right now and I need new shoes primarily and clothing. I was hoping to buy some boots for under $200. Does anyone know of affordable Japanese brands that I should look into while I'm here in Japan that would be more expensive if I were to buy in the USA? Even better if you knew some stores here in Osaka, that would be nice. I'm still a college student so I can't quite afford $500 shoes or $200 shirts.

I would also be open to hearing what basics I should buy in general while here. At the moment, I like brands like RRL and Beams.

Thanks!

I've lived in Osaka for about eight years. Unfortunately I wear a size 12.5 US so shopping for shoes in Japan is nothing more than a gigantic waste of time so my knowledge is kind of insufficient. I go tailor made or import from America.

With that said, you may be lowballing it if you want a quality pair of boots for $200, even during sale time. The Japanese sales aren't that fantastic. I can say this though: Katsura, a shop in Shinsaibashi, has quality tailor-made boots and when I last went they were not that expensive. Even then you're likely to pay $350+, though. Check when their sale starts online. I've also heard good things about Hiroshi Tsubouchi boots, but again, you're going to be paying more than 200 for them. Union Imperial is the same situation. To be honest if you really want to go cheaper you'd be better off buying American, like Allen Edmonds.

What I would do if I were you is go into a department store--Kintetsu, Daimaru, Hankyu--and look around. On the men's floor they should have a lot of options for you. In your time here I would recommend that instead of going straight for the boots, check out some shirts and suits if you can afford them. Ring Jacket is very famous (and very expensive), and I'm definitely going to check out Kamakura shirts when the sale at Grand Front Osaka begins.

 

[jakeypotato]

Wanted to first say, a huge thanks for such a great reply.

I wanted to get some beater boots to last me a year before investing in some Alden Indy Boots. (Still a college student) Would you know of any such boot or place to buy? It seems like the department stores you mentioned (Kintetsu, Daimaru, Hankyu) would be the best bet. Which one usually offers the best sales?

And I will definitely check out the sale at Grand Front Osaka. That runs from 7/1-7/10? What are decently affordable stores that you recommend to check out? And I will definitely go to Kamakura shirts.

Thanks again.

 

[TummyBoy]

Wanted to first say, a huge thanks for such a great reply.

I wanted to get some beater boots to last me a year before investing in some Alden Indy Boots. (Still a college student) Would you know of any such boot or place to buy? It seems like the department stores you mentioned (Kintetsu, Daimaru, Hankyu) would be the best bet. Which one usually offers the best sales?

And I will definitely check out the sale at Grand Front Osaka. That runs from 7/1-7/10? What are decently affordable stores that you recommend to check out? And I will definitely go to Kamakura shirts.

Thanks again.

Yeah, shopping in Japan typically begins with a department store. For a shop to get into one it has to have a good reputation and enough money to pay the pretty steep running costs. This is where you'll find most of the higher brands, although for foreign stuff expect a 20-30% markup compared to America.

Grand Front Osaka is having their sale starting tomorrow, 7/3. It ends on 7/12. Every department store is different, but the majority should be starting their sales tomorrow. The smaller ones often have a "pre-sale," where they start their sales a bit earlier than the bigger ones. Mio Tennoji is already having a sale, but it only has one men's floor. I occasionally go there to get some shopping done as it's a lot cheaper than stuff you'd find in big department stores. Come to think of it, you may be able to work with a 20,000 yen budget, especially now.

I'm not really knowledgeable about Japanese shoe brands mainly because I just can't buy shoes here. I think most department stores should have something close enough to what you're looking for.