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I Found the Coolest Fabrics in Tokyo’s Hidden Streets!

kimono upcycling channel by Risa

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✨ Now live in my online shop: a 3 day Nippori & Yanaka itinerary—packed with Google Maps with 32 must visit spots, instant booking links, and insider tips. Grab your digital passport and start wandering!
https://www.theobikyoto.com/product-p...

Join me on a full-day adventure through Nippori, Tokyo — the heart of Japan’s famous Fabric Town! From cozy cafes and hidden temples to an epic fabric shopping spree, I’ll show you my favorite spots, must-visit shops, and all the beautiful textiles I found. Perfect for makers, sewists, and Japan lovers alike!

●Here are the contents of this video:
0:00 – Welcome to My Tokyo Adventure
0:30 – Hidden Gems of Nishi-Nippori & Yanaka
4:12 – Breakfast at a Charming Old Wooden Apartment
8:26 – Discovering the Moon Viewing Temple
10:24 – The Bridge with 2,500 Trains a Day!
13:11 – Welcome to Nippori Fabric Town – Let the Haul Begin!
37:32 – Soba Lunch at a Historic Wooden Inn
39:57 – Tokyo’s Beloved Hidden Bakery
42:12 – Can You Spot Mt. Fuji from Here?
44:19 – A Real Matcha Experience at a Peaceful Café

Who am I? I am Risa, just an enthusiastic vintage upcycle sewist who is concerning that 500 tons of kimono are discarded every year. Let’s give these beautiful fabrics a second life while preserving the rich historic culture and doing something good for the environment! Love you all!!

▸Instagram: theobikyoto
▸TikTok: theobikyoto
▸Youtube: @THEOBIKYOTO
▸Webstore: https://www.theobikyoto.com/

#fabrichaul #triptojapan #nippori #yanaka #yanakaginza

20 Comments

@THEOBIKYOTO Creator 1 year ago (edited) Pinned

✨ Now live in my online shop: a 3 day Nippori & Yanaka itinerary—packed with Google Maps with 32 must visit spots, instant booking links, and insider tips. Grab your digital passport and start wandering!
https://www.theobikyoto.com/product-page/wander-through-old-tokyo-nippori-yanaka-3-day-travel-plan-june-2025

For everyone who found the music a bit too loud—good news! I’ve uploaded a new version with calmer, quieter background music. Hope it’s more enjoyable for you! 😊🎶
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdydPePb4aY

@wyenotwalk9393 1 year ago

Annie here, Rarely am I caught with so much rapt attention to a video as this one which I have just now discovered ! Fabrics ! I have been starved of rolls of enticing fabrics for far too many years ! I live in the Netherlands. Fabric shops seem to be harder for me to find .. than it was in former years. Oh to browse with you ! Buttons ! The vibrant colours of embroidery silks. The bundles. Even for a moment being at the fabric cutting table .. the unrolling of uncut fabric .. spread out ! Oh dear readers .. you absolutely do understand dont you ! I have loved every single little moment of this video. Oh wow ! : )

@mixologism 2 months ago

The trick with shopping trips like this is to start at the shop farthest away and spend your way back so that by the time your arms are full you're almost back at the station 😊

@havenkirk 11 months ago

I recently stayed in Yanaka and happy to report that the candy shops owner’s son was there. I love the ramune candy!

@nikkipackham2234 2 weeks ago

I am so glad I found your channel! The fabrics are so beautiful and stunning! To see the old parts of Tokyo and the temples really appeal to me. The traditional fabrics are a pure art! Thank you for sharing ❤

@EmmaL-n2l 11 months ago

Nagato! That place saved my life! 😆 The cheap accommodation I'd booked into didn't have curtains on the window. A bare rod above the window. They couldn't move me to another room. But at Nagato I found a fabric so thick no light could get through 💪 and my inability to speak Japanese didn't stop me getting what I needed 🙏 Love them.

@fatoomgierdien110 1 year ago

Thank You To Allll for the Beautiful Comments. I learn Sooo Much from You. 🎉❤. Cape Town with Love❤

@anniemadden3005 10 months ago

I am a craft lover and I am currently living in Tokyo in Higashi Ikebukuro. I am very keen to go and explore Nippori and Yanaka now. I briefly went to Yanaka not long after I moved here, but you have shown me so many interesting shrines and places to visit. I have been curious about a second hand yukata, but I didn't know where to go. Now I know! I travel through Nippori all the time, but I haven't ventured into the streets. I will be going later this week now that the weather is better for walking outside. Summer was horrendous! Thank you very much for your informative and interesting tour through these suburbs.

@Ladybug-uf7uh 1 year ago (edited)

What a feast! I live in North Carolina, USA. Fabric shops have disappeared for the most part here in the US. A big fabric chain just closed (Joann's) in our country. There is a sense of quiet desperation amongst sewers here - online shops are coming to the forefront. But I am a tactile person and need to touch and see what a fabric is about. Your video is like eating a good meal. You've provided great information; everything you visited is enthralling! Yes, the music is a little loud. But please, keep on rolling! What a great shop that last one was! William Morris! and they shipped every thing for you!

@camsmyth101 11 months ago (edited)

I find your commentary on your videos very relaxing and informative.

@beverlyjeursen6311 1 year ago

I’m really enjoying your video but the choice of music is driving me crazy. I can’t mute it as then I won’t hear your conversation. Please play more peaceful background music and Japanese music would add a beautiful touch

@mightymitzi 1 year ago

Thank you for beautiful video! 💖This is just what my dear Japanese Mum, (from Hiroshima) and I were planning to do when we visited Japan again from Australia, visit temples, fabric shops, walking everywhere, eating traditional foods. But she sadly passed away almost 10 years now. She was amazing at sewing anything, and designed her own clothes and made clothes for family. An amazing artist too, and great at cooking Japanese food. It was hard to think of going to Japan without her, I think I would cry the whole time. But maybe it's time. 💞💗 I'm also an artist and your video has helped revive me to start again. 💖

@christineKxe 1 year ago

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this little tour! A lot has been happening around me and just watching this video helped me relax a little. The fabric tour was amazing of course, but the little stops along the way were great, definitely adding this location to my list to places to visit! Thank you for taking me along~

@cliberatore86 1 year ago

“Saving it as a future joy” I love that! I too get obsessed with new creative activities and love to dive right in. That’s a beautiful sentiment expressed so wonderfully. ❤

@gerifarrell2585 1 month ago

Recently found your channel and so enjoy your point of view on recycling and life! I also love that you incorporate so much in these travelogues: history, food, philosophy, gardens and of course, the beautiful fabrics and crafts.

@skor14god 2 months ago

I am going to Japn for the first time in September and Nippori fabric street is at the top of my list of must sees. The bringing a rolling suitcase tip will be super helpful. Thank you for the walk through and highlights.

@lynvoyager5976 1 year ago

Small shops are also disappearing in Australia which is so sad. I really hope there comes a time in the future where small shops are back in full force because they usually have items which bigger stores don't stock for whatever reason. Such a lovely video. Thank you.

@lenamccubbin1068 1 month ago

This is such a pleasant tour. Thank you!

@J.D.1971 2 months ago

I’ve just discovered your channel, and I think the combination of sharing Japanese culture and showcasing craftsmanship is fantastic!
I sew myself and have been watching Japanese vlogs for years; for me, your channel strikes the perfect balance.
I find it really interesting that you mentioned the heavy use of sugar in Japanese cuisine. I’ve noticed this for a long time while watching "my" vloggers cook, and I always wonder how you all manage to stay so slim. Is there a growing problem with diabetes in Japan, or are you just so accustomed to the high sugar intake that it doesn't cause issues?

@Jul-j5s 1 year ago

That was the best video I have ever seen on YouTube. So professionally produced, interesting content with nice variety of subjects. It was just like watching a great tv documentary. I’m off to Japan January’26. Thankyou.