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Village Vanguard Shibuya: See Japan’s Subcultures All In One Place!
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If you want to buy Japanese pop and subculture goods, then go to Village Vanguard! This is a shop filled with books, CDs, and a variety of goods based off of games and anime. Events are also held almost every day!
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1988年東京生まれ・在住。 慶應義塾大学文学部東洋史学科卒業後、2012年朝日新聞社に入社。 新聞記者として新潟、青森、京都を転々とし、2016年11月からフリーで活動を始める。 旅、演劇、本などが主な守備範囲のフリーライター、フリーランサー。
Different Subculture Goods at an Exciting Bookstore
Do you know of a shop called Village Vanguard? The concept behind this shop is “a bookstore that you can enjoy yourself in” and they sell books along with CDs and general goods. It's quickly becoming a popular spot with tourists to Japan.
The brand has 389 shops (as of the end of May 2017) throughout Japan. This time, with the cooperation of Village Vanguard Shibuya, we searched for general goods that would make perfect souvenirs from Japan.
Explore a Shop Filled with General Goods
The second floor basement of the Shibuya shop is where the event space is located. It appears that events such as talk shows and autograph signings by idols, music bands, comic artists, and intellectuals are held almost every day.
The latest information is posted on their Twitter (@vvshibuyaudgw) (Japanese) and there might even be an event being held when you visit.
Both the interiors of the first and second floor basements are overflowing with products. There are corners lined with visual kei band CDs and merchandise.
A corner with general goods in retro Japanese designs.
A corner with idol photobooks and calendars.
Striking T-shirts.
And even a corner where massive candies are sold. The shop also has Studio Ghibli-related items and an abundance of products of characters from games, anime, and comics.
You can enjoy the shop just by walking around the various areas inside!
General Goods That Are Popular with Tourists!
The Kanji-Based Logogo Series
A popular product among tourists is the Logogo series. It is a logo producing unit formed by comic artist Mr. Masakazu Amahisa and designer Mr. Shin Yoshimaru. It is a top-selling line of products with a kanji character motif.
This “mu” (none) sticker is 350 yen plus tax.
Logo Hats of Popular Game Consoles
We also found a hat embroidered with the logo of a brand that is super popular all over the world: PlayStation (4980 yen plus tax). This is sure to make game lovers happy.
There is also a duty-free counter on the first floor basement.
Going to Village Vanguard Shibuya
Village Vanguard Shibuya, which was newly opened on July 14th, 2017, is directly accessible from the underground passage in Shibuya Station and is located in front of exit 3. There is an entrance above ground located in the building right next to the fashion building 109.
The shop consists of the first and second floor basements of this building. The entrance of the first floor basement is an illustration specially drawn by popular comic artist Inio Asano for the shop.
If you’ll be purchasing subculture goods as souvenirs from Japan, then definitely please try visiting Village Vanguard Shibuya!
1988年東京生まれ・在住。 慶應義塾大学文学部東洋史学科卒業後、2012年朝日新聞社に入社。 新聞記者として新潟、青森、京都を転々とし、2016年11月からフリーで活動を始める。 旅、演劇、本などが主な守備範囲のフリーライター、フリーランサー。
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