I went to Japan in mid-May to visit our suppliers and order the new collections of fabrics and embroidery...

Of course, I took the opportunity to go shopping and feast my eyes!

I love seeing Japanese trends, getting inspired by their very efficient storage solutions, discovering new things... and buying a few souvenirs that I will sew in the months following my trip and that will remind me of the places I visited.

This week on the blog and on YouTube, I’m sharing my favorite spots in Japan.

And for those who can’t travel so far, don’t worry—all the wonders are available in our two shops and on the website here.

Plus, we ship all across Europe, so no need to miss out! 

In Tokyo

Tokyo has many neighborhoods specialized in selling particular products. Fabric and haberdashery are no exception! You will find what you’re looking for in the Fabric Town in Nippori! It’s a well-known area among sewists, and you’ll often see designers, fashion creators, and clothing manufacturers there looking for inspiration.

In Fabric Town, the most famous and largest store is Tomato. There are actually several Tomato buildings specialized in certain types of fabrics, including one for patchwork.

The largest Tomato store (Honkan) has 5 floors. On the ground floor, you’ll find bins of coupons, cotton, linen, broderie anglaise, cotton with traditional Japanese patterns, some oilcloth… On the first and second floors, you’ll find knits, lycra, stretch lace, novelty fabrics (rhinestones, sequins, neon, faux fur…). Higher up, you’ll find patchwork coupons, traditional Japanese fabrics including indigo-dyed fabrics, haberdashery (sewing, embroidery, bag-making supplies…)

This year, I fell for several fabrics including a pretty fabric with seigaiha (wave) and cat patterns in blue tones. Plus, I was wearing my beloved blue skirt, which was perfect for buying this new fabric 😂

I also treated myself to two Japanese coupons and a beautiful embroidered fabric with little cats wearing glasses.

I don’t have projects planned for each yet, but I’m sure I’ll find beautiful patterns in our pattern library of nearly 3000 models 😂.

In Tokyo but also in other Japanese cities, you’ll find two store chains I really like: Yuzawaya and Okadaya.

These two chains offer fabric, haberdashery, and also supplies for various crafts: knitting, jewelry, embroidery…

They have a nice selection of cottons with Japanese brands like Nani Iro, Kokka… as well as quilted fabrics, faux leather, coated cottons…

This year, I didn’t buy anything from these two stores, but I like to get inspired there 😊 and see the new fabric trends.

In Kyoto

Kyoto is a city of traditions with its many temples, tea houses, and charming shops. It’s THE city to buy a yukata or a second-hand kimono… or fabric to create one from scratch! When I travel to Kyoto, I always stop by Nomura Tailor, located on the lively Teramachi dori street in the Gion district.

Cotton, linen, liberty prints, lace, embroidered cotton… but also chirimen and jacquard.

On the ground floor, in the storefront, you’ll find large bins filled with coupons from 30cm to 2m.

Upstairs, you’ll find liberty prints and more luxurious fabrics like silk. I love digging through the liberty prints because in Japan, there are special editions where Hello Kitty, Snoopy, and others are hidden among the flowers depending on collaborations. These are exclusive fabrics reserved for the Japanese market because they are licensed.

There are also special editions in other types of textiles (for example, for Pokemon). That’s how I fell for the Billiken collection to make my George dress by Atelier Bernie to visit our suppliers this year. Imagine my surprise and that of our supplier when they saw I was wearing exactly the same fabric as their display! What a coincidence!
By the way, if you want to sew a pretty George dress by Atelier Bernie, the full article is here.

To go to Nomura, I wore my pretty dress made from Japanese fabric adorned with geishas from our shop. We only have a few meters left of this pattern, just saying 😂

In Hiroshima

This year, I made a great discovery in Hiroshima with the Maki store chain, which is more present in southern Japan.

I didn’t know this chain before and was pleasantly surprised by all the wonders I found there: fabric, haberdashery, embroidery, some yarns, but also lots of other crafts with paper, resin, beads, dried flowers… In short, an Aladdin’s cave for all creative souls!

Plus, on the top floor, they have a workshop where artisans can come to create and sell their products.

That’s how I fell for some pretty little resin pins made by a local artisan.

I brought back in my suitcase: two quilted fabrics, some denim, and a coupon of cotton poplin.

Can’t wait to cut them! 

So there you have it, you know everything now and have my selection of fabric-focused stores in Japan… even though I know I’ll find plenty more wonders on future trips…

For those who aren’t traveling so far, you can find all our Japanese fabric treasures here and embroidery including sashiko here

Yes, we did all the selection work upfront and honestly, we have no reason to be ashamed of our assortment because we offer as much Japanese fabric as medium-sized Japanese haberdasheries, and for sashiko, we offer much more than what you’ll find in haberdasheries in the Land of the Rising Sun; crazy, right?

For those who want to see the pretty fabrics I brought back in my suitcase, feel free to visit our YouTube channel, the video is online.

So, all that’s left is to get sewing!