Travel vicariously around Japan through Tokyo's antenna shops, regional trading outposts that have become an important form of marketing for local brands and produce.  There are more than 50 of these stores which we list in this Tokyo antenna shop directory.

To some, an antenna shop may sound like it should be staffed by a lovable rogue, Dereck Trotter type, flogging TV parts at too-good-to-be-true discounts. Here in Japan however, the situation is something quite different. The antenna shop has become a standard weapon in the regional branding arsenal, which has always been strong in Japan.  Most prefectures at the very least have etched some kind of consumable into the minds of the general public. "Oh, you’re going to Hiroshima? Make sure you try the (insert signature dish here)." . Compare this to back home (for this expat), where there are still ‘prefectures’ that many people didn’t even know were a prefecture, let alone be able to point them out on a map … or indeed name the local food.  

Whilst Japan's regional branding is comparatively strong then, attempts to make it stronger sometimes backfire. In the rush to have a lovable character become the face of the nation, Japan became saturated with yurukyara, most of which people couldn’t recall, or couldn’t figure out what they had to do with their local region. The cull that followed was as inevitable as it wasn’t heartbreaking.  Some have survived though and are going strong (think, Kumamoto's 'Kumamon').  We perhaps need some 'Missing Yurukyara' ads for 'Funashi', however.

The antenna shop (アンテナショップ) shows no signs of growing tired or going missing, with numbers on the increase in Tokyo and other major urban centers in Japan. What started off as marketing feelers put out to establish how, and what, to brand, have now become that very branding method. On top of which, Japan’s antenna shops might be considered a legitimate consumer resource. In these often pint-sized stores the astute consumer can get their hands on regional goods typically unavailable in the local supermarket. In Tokyo the largest concentration of antenna shops are to be found near Yurakucho Station, within easy striking distance for returning Shinkansen travellers who may have forgot to pick up the requisite omiyage. Beyond the snacks, preserves, cheeses and key chains, antenna shops in Japan are also information centers, dispensing details about tours, accommodation, and even jobs for the returning city dweller.   

For the traveller to, or foreign resident in, Japan, antenna shops are a chance to sample some of the country and flesh out the regional repertoire.  To travel Japan vicariously, if you will.

If you can handle the Japanese, and you have an interest in the numbers, The Japan Center For Regional Development is a great resource for finding out more about these antenna shops across Japan, and how they've been increasing over the years.

We use the same resource to bring you a directory of Tokyo antenna shops.  Over 50 of them.  We've included links to homepages but you will find that many of them are in Japanese only.  In some cases, these antenna shops in Tokyo have the feel of a local community center rather than a shop.  In others, the 'antenna' seems to have been added on to a restaurant or cafe.  Most of Tokyo's antenna shops seem to be congregated in the Yurakucho, Ginza and Nihombashi areas.

All of these antenna stores are in Tokyo.  The 'headers' indicate the regions represented.  We start north and head south, and yes, we haven't missed the oddity of having antenna shops for Tokyo ... in Tokyo.  Still, it is a big place.

For details about the antenna shops and general vibe of Yurakucho's see our earlier post ...

 Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan: Antenna shops, travel, and multitasking

Hokkaido

Aomori

Iwate

Miyagi

Akita

Yamagata

Fukushima

Ibaraki 

Tochigi

Gunma

Tokyo

Tokyo and Nagano

Kanagawa 

Niigata

Toyama

Ishikawa

Fukui

Yamanashi

Nagano

Mie

Shiga

Kyoto

Hyōgo

Nara

Wakayama 

Tottori / Okayama

Shimane

Hiroshima

Yamaguchi

Kagawa

Kōchi

Nagasaki

Kumamoto

Ōita

Miyazaki

Kagoshima

Okinawa

What are experiences of Tokyo's antenna shops?  Got any recommendations or any antenna shops you think are missing from this directory?  Let us know in the comments.

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Source: Japan Center For Regional Development