Osaka Shopping

Find hip Japanese-made threads at this department store (101 boutiques on 7 floors) purveying pricey to exorbitant up-to-the-minute necessities, from hair accessories to cocktail wear.

If shopping on 9 floors filled with the latest teen-to-20s fashion and accessories doesn’t keep you entertained, head to this store’s video arcade, gaze up at the huge plastic whales that hang from its atrium ceiling, or take a ride on its rooftop Ferris Wheel.

With one half of the building selling various Comme des Garçons lines and seven floors of electronics, why shop anywhere else? Be ready to handle the diverse, bargain-hunting hordes, mega noise (loudspeakers hawking wares, gadgets beeping) and zillion-watt lights.

Chefs and tourists rub elbows in this narrow alley with open-fronted shops selling kitchen souvenirs (from gold-leaf serving platters to plastic sushi key rings) as well as everything you need to prepare Japanese cuisine, like bamboo sushi rollers and wasabi (horseradish) graters.

Mile-long covered arcade lined with departments stores like classy Daimaru, India import boutiques, shopping-break cafes, and tiny shops selling everything from traditional Japanese kimonos and tea to outrageous teeny-bopper baby-doll dresses and gothic jewlery.

Osaka is home to countless miles of subterranean shopping malls, selling everything from Hello Kitty goods to business suits. Getting lost in the maze is part of the experience.