BAPE recently started a kids clothing line and opened up a new shop called BAPE Kids in the Jingumae area. Miniature versions of all the adults clothing, shoes and accessories with Baby Milo prints. I was excited about getting something for K & A’s baby cousin, but to my disappointment, the smallest size their stuff comes in is 90 – which is equivalent to about 2- 3 year old size. Parents apparently line up before the shop opens on release day of new items. (side note: Have I mentioned before that everyone here is so patient about lining up for things?) Since everything in made in limited quantity, I guess in keeping with BAPE tradition, once an item is gone, it is gone. It’s a fun shop. The kids love the banana pit.

I never really went to a lot of malls before since I didn’t really live near any. But this time around we were on the Island for most our stay so we did lots of mall time. Roosevelt Field Mall is one of the bigger ones on the Island, but sometimes I find malls that are too big are just too much to handle.  The Mall at The Source on Old Country Road has an H&M with a kids section, and a pretty large Old Navy kids section. At H&M, where their regular prices are already quite reasonable, I found children’s clothes on sale for $1 or 100 yen. Old Navy is another place that always has a good sale on kids clothes.

If you don’t mind digging through racks, Century 21 isn’t a mall but a worthy department store to check out for deals. They carry a lot of designer and name brands at a discount, lots of children’s clothes, shoes and accessories. Last time I saw stuff there by Ralph Lauren, Kenneth Cole, Juicy Couture Kids, Laura Ashley, Von Dutch, and also basics like Carter’s, Adidas, Puma, Nike. The branch in Long Island is a lot less hectic than the one in lower Manhattan but you need a car to get there.

There are a lot of nice children’s shops in The Westchester mall in White Plains and it’s pleasant shopping there – never really too crowded even on a weekend. Such pretty girls dresses and unique printed button down shirts for boys at Janie and Jack. Cute things too at Babystyle. You can also find Pottery Barn Kids and Crew Cuts (J.Crew’s children’s line). During sale seasons you can get some really good deals. I found sun hats at Babystyle marked down from about $30 to $3 or 300 yen and the Athlete’s Foot there had some kids winter crocs marked down 40%.

But for kids trainers I think nothing beats Fulton Mall in Brooklyn. It’s not really a mall in the sense that it’s one building with a bunch of stores. It’s really a long street full of shops lined up next to each other. Yuki also once found a tiny tuxedo for Keiji there for about $15 or 1500 yen.

Happy shopping

Does anyone in Tokyo know where I can find a sandwich plate like this Mexican pulled pork sandwich and preferably costing only around 700 yen? This is from a cute little Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn called Pequena. I don’t find many sandwich places around me. I sometimes miss even an average deli where I can just order any sandwich imaginable at the counter. Joy took us to a cute counter service restaurant in Tribeca called Pecan. They have some pretty tasty sandwiches there and it’s spacious enough to take the kids along. Other sandwich places I miss and would recommend to anyone going to NYC downtown area – a tiny Vietnamese shop on Grand Street, I think (I can only remember where it is if I’m walking) that has such awesome Vietnamese sandwiches for only $3! It’s worth looking for. But the Cuban sandwich from Cafe Habana is a good alternative if you can’t find it.

Here’s Kamen Rider Den-o posing in front of Akarenga in Yokohama (I tried to get Keiji in the shot but he insisted only Den-o wanted to be in the picture). It’s a pretty cool shopping space with a very different atmosphere from other malls. There aren’t really any children’s shops in there though. But right outside the akarenga building are some grassy lawns where some families were just lounging and having a little picnic. Since the area is right on the bay there is a nice view of the water and the ships coming into the nearby port. The red brick building and cobblestone streets give that area a bit of a New England feel. It’s a refreshing change from all the Tokyo concrete.

Fabric is sold by the meter. The minimum amount of fabric you can have cut is 50 cm. The cost of Keiji’s Kamen Rider Den-O fabric, as well as the other character-print fabric, is about 1260 yen per meter. It seemed expensive at first, but then I realized that 1260 yen is still less than half the price of the Kamen Rider Den-O pajama set which is 3000 yen at Akachan Honpo. So I just go 50t cm and this was enough to make a pair of pajama pants. I still have some left over to make and a small tote bag. 1 meter could make a whole pajama set. There is also a quilted version of the character fabrics, which start at 1900 yen per meter. And there are soft fleece fabrics with prints of Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. There were only a few selection of these. They’d make nice blankets. Coming here will make you want to sew.

To get to Yuzawaya in Kamata by train, get off at Kamata station on the JR Keihin Tohoku line. Take the West Exit and walk towards Tokyu Plaza. The various buildings are scattered in the area past Tokyu Plaza.

We checked out a few shops inside Marronnier Gate. Arisa’s favorite shop was Hysteric Glamour, which does has a small children’s section. Nice choice! But bad for my wallet. I’ll wait for Grandma.

Also quite noteworthy is the fancy Tokyu Hands in the building (but it’s called Ginza Hands) which has a really lovely section on jewelry beads.

Marronier Gate is close to Yurakcho Station on the JR KeihinTohoku and Yamanote lines.

Dagashiyumeya – fun old-school Japanese style snack shop with all sorts of snacks from various prices, some as little as 10 yen

Toy figures of all kinds – anime character dolls, gundam models, kaiju (monsters) figures, superhero action figures, smurf figurines, itchy and scratchy dolls

Bornelund great assortment of wooden toys

TK Sapkid – Kids printed tees and jeans

Looking out onto the LaLaport outdoor court where there is a large garden, a dog run, tables and chairs, fountains and sculptures.

To get to LaLaPort take either Yurakuchuo line or Yurikamome to Toyosu Station. From there it’s about a 5-minute walk to LaLaPort.

Dad-Way – large selection of toys by Sassy and K’s Kids, as well as useful accessories for traveling with babies.

CouCou – cute things for kids’ rooms, all at 300 yen

Aranzi Aronzo
- All Aranzi Aronzo character products including baby goods
Beanstalk Shop – Designer kids clothes and shoes