Nippori

Hello everyone!

Tokyo is chalk full of exciting places to visit and see. However, one of the less famous, but equally worth mentioning places that is worth going to is the Fabric Haven of Nippori (日暮里). Nippori has 繊維街 (Sen-i-gai), Tokyo’s Fabric Town. I had been told about it by my mom, who went to Tokyo a second time and visited it, bringing me back some beautiful fabrics and souvenirs. Since I’d been sewing as a hobby for about 5 years now, it was a must see spot on my list when I first got to Tokyo again. Since going, I’ve been back many times and enjoy every one of my visits.

(South Entrance to Nippori Station)

To give one a basic idea, Senigai is a lot like the Garment District of New York City, but on a smaller scale. However that does not mean that it doesn’t compare in products. Senigai is located right out on the East Side of Nippori Station (日暮里駅)  (located conveniently on the Yamanote/山手線 and Keihin Tohoku/京浜東北線 Lines) and very quickly, you can find yourself emersed in a beautiful and colorful area. (Check out the sign below!) Filled with a variety of different products from different suppliers, you can go through out all of the stores always finding something new.  

(Momoji Bridge, ももじばし, the south entrance of Nippori Station, east side)

(Sign to Nippori)

The most popular of these stores is Tomato, with four different locations, each catering to different needs. I personally always hit up Tomato first as it’s perhaps the easiest place to find what I need and then I branch out to the other stores.

(Another sign to Fabric Town)

A wonderful thing about Nippori that I’ve found is all of the shops catering to trims, buttons, and necessary tools needed for sewing. My latest project, a Shingeki no Kyojin (進撃野巨人) or Attack on Titan uniform, required belts and lots of them. Normally, that would mean digging around for super long already made belts in large numbers or making said belts yourself. Imagine my elation when I found 11 meters plus some of continuous belt/strap material within Tomato. This kind of product, I am also pretty sure is what Reika Arakawa, one of the world’s top cosplayers, used when making her Levi Ackerman cosplay from the same series (as I noticed it when I saw her Levi in person). And who could blame her? It’s absolutely perfect for that kind of project!

(Leather Straps)

I also could not believe the number of shops that supplied real leather at a decent price too. Perhaps due to the demand in the states, real leather is extremely expensive and often people shy away from buying it due to that (and the fact that if you mess up with actual leather, then you have just wasted your purchase). The one piece I've bought so far was amazing and I personally love digging through the various kinds of leather that are outside of the stores for customers to browse through.

(Real Leather Pieces Outside Stores)

There are also shops with bazillions of buttons and trims too. Some of these were classic in designs but others seemed very fresh and trendy. They also had rows upon rows of different lace products too, something not as easy to find back in the States. Many of these, I also thought, were sure to include material for the costume designer or (probably more likely) the cosplayer! With tassles, sparkling embroidery designs, and flowing materials, Nippori is a cosplayer’s dream. I will note that yes, like any place, you will find some of these more costume-y elements to be on the lower end of the quality spectrum, but most of these reflected in price too. Just like everywhere else, if you want quality, you have to be willing to pay for it. But hey, at least they have it!

(Trim)

A final note on Nippori. It is located in Japan. So naturally at your disposal, you have hundreds of beautiful fabric choices used to make Kimono (着物) and Yukata (浴衣). How freakin’ cool is that? They also have a good number of kits for different projects ranging from full scale Yukata to bags and little key chains you can make. There are also a good number of character products available for purchase too. You can find many iron on patches, fabrics, and kits for Anpanman, Doraemon, Disney Characters, Hello Kitty, Pokemon, and even the occasional American Superhero such as Batman or Spiderman. 

(Outside Various Shops)

Speaking of American products, many of the fabric stores had American Cotton sections, which I found very amusing (I say that in the best way), as I had tended to take that for granted in the states. In addition to American Cotton though, fabrics from all over the world are available in Nippori. From Italy, England, Russia, Germany, Africa nations, practically any country you could think of has a product currently being sold in Nippori.

(Sign for last year's Fashion Design Contest)

So how does it compare to New York City’s Garment District? I found that I liked both as they both have their strong points. New York has a vast amount of stores, but many of the fabric stores have a basic set of fabrics that many of them all sell and then they branch out to find their own unique suppliers. In Senigai, they all have unique suppliers, so even though it is smaller it’s more contained. However this does mean you have to go to several different stores to get what you might need/want. In regards to Trimmings, I loved both. Both have unique products and for me, since I was so used to NYC’s offerings, Nippori offered me a new set of supplies that brought me new inspiration (and I’m sure it would be the same way if it were the other way around).

(Fabric Town)

In conclusion though, whether you sew or not, whether you cosplay or not, whether you have a project you’re working on or not, if you’re in Tokyo, Nippori is a place to visit just to see all of the vast amount of supplies that you never knew could exist all in the same place. I enjoy it and continue to make the train ride out there whenever I am in need of fabrics, trims, buttons, and any other supplies I need for whatever I’m working on at the time. So if you go, be sure to share your pictures and experiences below!

Till next time,