Vintage shopping in Tokyo is, without exaggeration, my personal Olympics. I train for it (mentally), I map it out obsessively, and I absolutely expect to win. By “win,” I mean walking away with at least one perfect, slightly unhinged, impossibly good find that makes the entire trip worth it.

I go to Japan almost every year, and I moved to Tokyo when I was 18-years-old. Overall, I’ve spent a combined 2-ish years in the country—long enough to build a Google Maps list that’s honestly a little out of control. At this point, I’m the person my friends text before they even book their flight, and somehow I’ve also become the go-to for Tokyo shopping recs at work. Naturally, I take that role very seriously.

Tokyo has always had a strong vintage scene, but lately it feels like the rest of the world is catching on. As the city cements itself as an “it girl” destination and tourism ramps up post-pandemic, the secret is pretty much out: the vintage here is on another level. Not just in terms of quantity, but quality—condition, curation, and the sheer specificity of what you can find.

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My own taste has definitely evolved alongside that. I used to spend full days thrifting in Shimokitazawa—digging through spots like Flamingo and Chicago back when it still felt a little more under-the-radar and actually cool pre-TikTok. And while I’ll always have love for that era, these days I’m a lot more interested in Tokyo’s secondhand luxury scene. Think: perfectly preserved Chanel bags, early Comme des Garçons, and vintage Louis Vuitton with impeccably-faded patina leather that somehow looks better than anything currently in stores.