Nippori Fashion DistrictFabric Town
I love to shop in the stores of New York City's Garment Center like Daytona Trims, Steinlauf and Stoller, M & J Buttons and House of Spandex. So I was thrilled when I learned from the wonderful blog askingfortrouble.org that Tokyo, also has a fashion center.
It is called "Fabric Town." Yes, it is full of shops that sell fabric, trim, patterns, sewing tools, buttons and even bundles of fat quarters neatly arranged by color. Now you see why I want to move to Tokyo. They not only have Akihabara, Electric town, but they have a fabric town, too.
Fabric Town is located in Nippori. They have big banners flying in the air in front of the fabric shops that say "Fabric Town." I followed the super-easy-to-follow directions in askingfortrouble.org's "Tokyo Shopping Guide." Although there are many fabric stores to discover in Fabrictown, the shopping guide recommended one fabric store in particular called Tomato. Tomato is a HUGE, five floor fabric shop. They have everything. They have a whole floor of fat quarters neatly arranged by color, a section just for handbag handles, a 100 yen fabric bin, tons of Hello Kitty fabric, gorgeous Japanese prints and fabric with cute bunnies participating in various activities. There were some floors that I didn't even bother to go on; it was too much for me in too little time.
I bought 3 pieces of fabric at Tomato. I got a gorgeous floral print Kokka fabric. (I saw many hip, young, stylish Japanese girls wearing flowing, flowery prints with lace details.) I also got the cutest black, ivory and grey kitty kat fabric from CocoLand by Kisa and I got a navy blue, pink and gold floral fabric with a cute, fat bunny all over it. I don't know who made the bunny fabric because it's written in Japanese.
Tomato was very crowded with all types of stylish Japanese people, both men and women going gaga for fabric, just like me. It was tricky pulling out and carrying rolls of fabric to the cutting table but I managed it somehow. Luckily, I was able to get the right amount of fabric cut at the cutting table because I learned how to count to four in Japanese by listening to "Planet Rock." Thanks Afrika Bambata!After Tomato I just wandered in and out of fabric, trim and button stores on the same block as Tomato. Shell buttons. Golden silk tassel trim. Glass beads. Patterns for drapey, linen dresses that I couldn't read the directions for.
Across the street from Tomato I bought some more bunny fat quarters and some fabric with cute Geishas on it to make up for the Geishas that I didn't see in Gion.
For more on our Around the World adventures visit: http://www.aroundtheworldinseventyfivedays.blogspot.com/
