I probably didn’t need any more fabric. Scratch that… I definitely didn’t need any more fabric. But when you find yourself in Tokyo as a quilter or sewing enthusiast, visiting Nippori Textile Town, what’s a girl to do? Let’s face it: if it isn’t on your itinerary, you should probably check your status as a quilter! Luckily for this trip, I was flying solo—with the kids and hubby safely ensconced at home in New Zealand. With a morning free, between bicycle tours of the city, trips to Mt. Fuji, and a couple of cooking classes, I set out to find it.
If you ever find yourself in Tokyo and wish to explore the fabric district, you’ll find that getting there is actually pretty easy. Get on the Yamanote Line and get off at YR07 Nippori or JK32 on the Keihin-Tohoku Line, and then find the South Gate exit. Turn right as you exit the station and follow your nose.
Or, if you really want to play it safe, you could plug this address (34-8, Higashinippori 5-Chōme) into your Apple Maps and follow the directions.
The street itself is a little unassuming initially, probably because I (guided by Google opening hours) arrived at 10 a.m. only to find that half the stores did not open until 11 a.m. Not to worry, this just gave me more time to browse the stores that were open. A collection of shops brimming with fabrics in every shape and form from quilting and dressmaking fabrics to leather and laminate fabrics—if it’s sewing-related, it’s there somewhere. You’ve just got to find it.
One of the shops I found early on was Doumoto-Shouten, which has a gorgeous range of French General, Moda, and Best of Morris, and I came away with a few pretty fabrics from the latter. The store owner also gave me a handy little map of Nippori Fabric Town, which included a list of 43 (yes, 43!) fabric stores in the area.
One of the other quilting blogs by Blossom Heart Quilts, I had read mentioned a collection of storefronts called Tomato. And there’s a reason this one is so popular—it really does cover all the bases. A five-story building that houses different fabrics on every floor on the left side of the street is the one for quilters and clothing sewers.
Each floor has a different seamstress covered. If you need thread, haberdashery, rotary cutters, or other such supplies, look to the left before you enter the building, and THAT Tomato store is where you will find it. My last stop was ‘Tomato,’ a fabric shop that spans five floors, which I had read about on this (link) blog post by Blossom Heart Quilts.
Each floor is dedicated to a different sewing style, and since I'm a quilter, I wanted to start on the top (5th) floor, which is dedicated to quilting.
- 5th floor: Quilting. Make sure you pay for it on the fifth floor. Each floor has a separate payment desk for fabrics purchased on that floor—so essentially you treat each floor like a separate store.
- 4th floor: Novelty prints and licensed fabrics. The Super Mario fabrics caught my eye on this floor, but there's also a good range of Hawaiian prints and other fun novelty fabrics to keep the kiddos entertained.
- 3rd floor: Luxury dressmaking. If you are a seamstress looking for wedding dress, prom dress, or ball gown fabrics, this is the floor for you.
- 2nd floor: Common dress fabrics like knits, ribbing, and sweatshirting, fleece, and some fluffy stuff, which I am not quite sure what it would be used for but did remind me of Sully from Monsters Inc. So maybe if you plan to make a costume, it might come in handy, or some fluffy cushions for the kids?
- 1st floor: Clearance fabrics. Honestly, I could have spent hours here sorting through the many, many options, if I didn’t have a cooking class to get to and a LOT of fabric to drop off back at my hotel room before I ventured off to it.
My last stop in Fabric Town was a store called Mihama, where I picked up some beautiful Japanese fabrics. These fabrics were pre-cut in 2-meter lengths, so they will probably make excellent backing fabrics for a future project if I don’t come up with another hair-brained quilty scheme in the meantime.
A couple of days later, I set out in the other direction to find a store called Yuzawaya. This store was not in the fabric district but was equally as easy to find. I googled the address, set out again by train, walked out of the station, and pretty much walked into the walls of the store. My mission here was to find Liberty Fabrics. It might surprise you to know that before this trip, I had no Liberty Fabrics in my stash. The reason for this is pretty simple: although Liberty Fabrics are not impossible to find in New Zealand, they can be somewhat more difficult to source. After finding the Yuzawaya store, I can assure you that this gap in my stash has been rectified with several beautiful prints, from what I can only describe as a very expansive range. Folks, if you want Liberty Fabrics, this store is definitely the place to find them.
So there you have it, the adventures of this quilter in Tokyo (well, pertaining to fabric anyway). I’ll freely admit that I have no solid plans for any of the fabrics I bought in Japan, but I know they will come in handy for my future quilting and sewing endeavors. If you ever find yourself on holiday in Tokyo, then as a quilter or sewer, fabric shopping should definitely be on your to-do list and hopefully, this blog post has given you some handy tips for your own fabric-shopping adventures if you ever find yourself in Tokyo!
And so, with a heart full of inspiration, a suitcase full of fabric, and surprisingly less damage to my wallet than anticipated, I bid adieu to Nippori Textile Town. The fabrics were wonderfully affordable, allowing me to indulge without guilt. Who knows? Maybe my next foundation paper pieced patterns will be inspired by the vibrant streets and charming culture of Tokyo.
Comments ()