Nishi-Ogikubo - Fabric shopping around Tokyo.

Sweet Flap, Quilts by Naoko Sunagawa, Nishi-Ogikubo

I'm often asked about my favorite places to go fabric shopping around Tokyo. For years I was cagey with this info because I didn't want to give away my favorite spots, but now I tell everyone who will listen because I want beautiful fabric shops to stay in business.

My favorite day trip from Tokyo, whether I'm staying in Shinjuku or Ueno, is to Kichijoji and Nishi-Ogikubo. Kichijoji is a bigger area which I'll cover in the next post, but for now I want to focus on quaint little Nishi-Ogikubo. I think I've mentioned the area before, but there are new stores and new blog readers, so this covers both!

About Nishi-Ogikubo
On the JR Chuo line, Nishi-Ogikubo station is about 20 minutes from Shinjuku station and one station before Kichijoji. I usually stop there after visiting Kichijoji on my way back to the city. The Nishi-Ogikubo area is a quaint area with smaller streets and antique shops. For a fabric shopper, it's a fantastic place to visit as their are four independently owned patchwork and fabric shops within a short walking distance of the Nishi-Ogikubo train station, each unique.

SIDENOTE: Getting Around Tokyo
Steering your way around Japan, can be tricky but knowing how the addresses work will help. Most stores will include a map on their website, print these out or save them to take with you when you travel. As you exit a train station or enter a new district,  most towns will have a large town map board. I suggest taking a photo with your phone or digital camera each time you go to a new area. That will put it right near the front of your photos and easy to find. If you are feeling lost you can look at the map or show it to a stranger and plea for help.  Fortunately, I haven't had to plea yet except the time I was stranded on a broken train with a giant ice coffee on my birthday.

Most addresses in the wider Tokyo area include a general region, then have a number triplet 3-2-13. The first number indicates the chome or district with the region. This is either written as the first number in a triplet or you will see it written as 3-chome. An town might be divided into multiple districts. All of the addresses that start with 3- in that town will be clustered near each other. The second number indicates the block. Unlike American or Australian streets, the address numbers do not run consecutively down the length of the street. The second number is literally the entire block of houses or buildings clustered together between streets. These blocks some times are in order, so the 3-2 block is next to 3-3 block, but not always. Often you will find small placards on telephone poles or the corner buildings indicating the block number. This is why taking a look at a town map is handy. They usually help you find the block you need more easily. The final number indicates the exact house or building within the block. So 3-2-13 is building 13, in the number 2 block of the number 3 district. It can be confusing to people who haven't used this sort of numbering system before, but with practice it will make sense.  With that you're ready to venture to four Nishi-Ogikubo fabric stores!

Please note shops in Japan often relocate or change their hours. Before heading off to any of the shops mentioned or relying on my cobbled map above, please check each shop's website for exact address details and use the maps they provide!


Sweet Flap
Website: http://naopk.exblog.jp/

The newest fabric shop to the Nishi-Ogikubo area is Sweet Flap which is just about the cutest little patchwork shop that I've ever visited. There I met Naoko Sunagawa who owns the shop. She studied under Suzuko Koseki and her projects regularly appear in Patchwork Tsushin.

Her well-curated selection of fabrics include Suzuko Koseki fabrics, typography, US-designed prints like Cotton & Steel and basics. As the name of the store implies, she has a sweet creative style; but the store stocks both sweet and bold. It is a very small store but the selection is terrific. You also get to see all of the her work which features layered appliqué, wool, buttons and more.

I've been to quite a few, but this is new shop is currently my favorite patchwork shop in the Tokyo area. Very small, but packed with punch. I highly recommend visiting.

Early's Print
Website: http://www.earlysprint.com/
As the store was very crowded when I went this trip, I didn't get any photos of Early's Print which is quiet close to Sweet Flap - on the same road on the opposite side of the street. Again, it's a small shop which stocks both US and Japanese prints including a lot of taupe, darker grey and black traditional weaves that would make good backgrounds. Another good collection of fabric to pick from. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

PindotWebsite: http://www.pindot.net/
Closer to the station, you will find Pindot. This store is a bit tricky to see at first. You want look for a small round sign then head up a steep set of stairs to go inside. Again, this shop is small enough that you can almost touch all four walls with your arm extended, but they've squeezed a whole lot of good in those four walls. Pinbot stocks feedsacks, wool pieces and vintage fabrics like this a vintage American gem that I found. Another shop worth visiting, because you never know what surprise is waiting there for you.

Country Quilt Market
Website: http://www.cqmjp.com/
The largest of the four fabric stores that I visited in Nishi-Ogikubo is Country Quilt Market. This store is the head office of for a small chain of stores, often found inside other department stores. CQM primarily specializes in American prints, but also carries some Japanese ranges as well. It might not be a treat for the US traveller as prizes are slightly higher than US shops, but an Australian traveller might enjoy the chance to see some prints in person that they may not otherwise and with a strong AUD, the prices are still cheaper than what we pay locally. The bolts are arranged by color and there's a selection of precut pieces available for making scrappy quilts that the Japanese do so well.

Get out and visit
It can be intimidating for travelers to leave the comfort of tourist hotspots like Shinjuku and Shibuya, but it is so rewarding when you do. As you make your way to these fabric stores, stop in the antique stores and little shops that are sprinkled through the area. During my trip, I saw two pop-up knitting shops and noticed vintage linens in the antique shops. All of the stores were a treat. If you're ready for a small adventure, I recommend giving Kichijoji (my next post later this week) and Nishi-Ogikubo a try!