Top 5 Outlet Parks near Tokyo
For tourists who first came to Japan, besides of going shopping in a major area like Shibuya, Harajuku, Omotesando, Shinjuku,… you can save your money by going to Outlet Parks instead. Outlet Parks usually sell items at a bargain, and you will get a better deal in here than you’d get at a department store. Not only for shopping, you can find movie theaters, restaurants, game center, etc.. as well. There are 5 major large outlet parks scattered around the suburbs of Tokyo: Mitsui Outlet Park in Makuhari, Laketown Outlet (Aeon Lake Town) in Koshigaya, Shisui Premium Outlet near Narita Airport, Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, and Gotemba Premium Outlets.
Let’s take a look at these malls’ details and go shopping right now, it is worth checking out:
(Mikuhari, Chiba)
Mitsui Outlet Park is a chain of malls in Japan which locates around Tokyo such as Tama Minami-Osawa, Iruma (in Saitama), Makuhari, Kisarazu (in Chiba), Yokohama Bayside (in Kanagawa). While all of them are quite large, the Mikuhari Outlet Park is known as a popular spot among foreigner tourists. With the total of around 140 stores and around 93 of them have duty-free service, make sure to bring your passport with you while going shopping as well!
You can find wide varieties of international brands (Coach, Bally, Michael Kors) and Japanese brands (Nice Claup, Beams), and sports brands (Adidas, Puma, Under Armour, Nike) here, and of course a large number of restaurants for you to keep up the energy.
Several famous brands sell their products at factory prices here, so there’s many a bargain to be struck especially with sample products and clothes from the last season!
Adress: 〒261-0021 千葉県千葉市美浜区ひび野2丁目６−１( 1 hour access by train from Tokyo)
Open Hours: 10:00 a.m.– 8:00 p.m.
Closed: Irregularly
Aeon Laketown Outlet Park (Koshigaya, Saitama)
Owned by the Aeon group, LakeTown Outlet in Saitama Prefecture is known as the largest eco-friendly shopping center in Japan. Located by the lakeside, this outlet mall area is around 224,000 square meters, and divided in two distinctive shopping and amusement zones, Kaze and Mori. There are only 2 floors, however you can find almost every famous brands in here. Not only shopping, you can also take a walk and sit by the lakeside during the break and eat some delicious foods, then call it a day!
Adress: 〒344-0828 埼玉県越谷市レイクタウン４丁目１−１
Open Hours: 10:00 a.m.– 8:00 p.m.
Closed: Irregularly
Shisui Premium Outlet (Narita Airport)
The Shisui Premium Outlet is just a 15-minute bus ride away from Narita Airport. Opened in 2013 with 180 shops of both Japanese and international brands, it’s a good place for tourists to apass the time during a long transit time.
One of Shisui Premium Outlet’s main characteristics is the large selection of Japanese brands, including Agnes B. Voyage, Earth Music&Ecology, Beams, Zucca, and many more. In total, about 100 domestic brands!
Even the restaurants at the outlet mall are wonderfully Japanese. Since April of last year, several hotels offer a free one-way ticket from Narita Airport to Shisui Premium Outlet, be sure to make use of it right after landing or before departure! A direct bus from the airport is also available for a fee.
Adress: 〒285-0912 千葉県印旛郡酒々井町飯積２丁目４−１
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Closed: the third Thursday of February
Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza (Nagano)
Karuizawa has one of Japan’s largest shopping mall, built in 1995 on the south side of Karuizawa Station. Featuring outlet shops of overseas designer brands, the mall provides year-round shopping enjoyment. Brand such as Samsonite, Armani, Saint Laurent, Tory Burch, Ships, and even sports brands including Nike and Adidas can be found in here.
Its approximately 200 shops offer everything from famous fashions to distinctive souvenirs, all in a natural setting with impressive views of Mount Asama. Karuizawa is also a famous travel spot for tourists, so you can take shinkansen tron Tokyo and reach Karuizawa after 1 hour.
Adress: 〒389-0102長野県北佐久郡軽井沢町大字軽井沢字中谷地1178
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Closed: Irregularly
Gotemba Premium Outlets (Shizuoka)
Gotemba Premium Outlets is one of Kanto’s most popular outlet malls because of the famous view of Mt. Fuji. There are photo spots here that mark where you stand so that you can have the best Mt. Fuji as photo background as well! With over 200 shops, it is khown as one of Japan’s largest outlet malls. Compared to others, Gotemba Premium Outlet is well known for its selection of men’s apparel brands next to women’s clothes, such as Boss, Alexander Wang, Gucci, and more.
Moreover, you can acess here easily from Tokyo by buses running from Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, and Tokyo Station. Especially the Odakyu Romance car (Asagiri Limited Express) takes you from Shinjuku Station to Gotemba Station in about 96 minutes. From there, take a free bus to the outlet mall.
Adress: 〒412-0023 静岡県 御殿場市深沢１３１２
Hours:
*March to November: 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
*December – February: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Closed: once a year, third Thursday of February
Source: JapanShopping.org, pc-laketown.jp, aeon-jreit.co.jp, Chiba Japan Travel Guide, j-plan.co.th, exhaustprosr.us
