Buy Japanese Clothes for Less at Shimamura | Trendy Clothes, Kids' Clothes, Socks and Bags, Stores in Asakusa, Takadanobaba, Kyoto Station, Tennoji, Hakata Station and More, Sizes, Tax-Free

Overview

"Fashion Center Shimamura" (called "Shimamura" in this article) is a chain of clothing stores in Japan. It is run by SHIMAMURA Co., Ltd. According to the company's information, there were 1,423 Shimamura stores in Japan at the end of the fiscal year that ended in February 2026. They sell clothes for women, men and children, innerwear and socks, shoes, bags, bedding and interior goods. This article explains how to shop at Shimamura during your trip, based on Shimamura's official information (checked on October 19, 2026).

• You can buy everything from trendy clothes to everyday clothes at reasonable prices. On the official online store, prices checked on October 19, 2026 were ¥1,639 (tax included) for a children's pullover top and ¥1,089 (tax included) for a 3-pair pack of children's socks. For details, see "What to buy" in this article.
• There are lots of children's clothes. The Shimamura Group also has "Birthday," a store specializing in goods for babies and children.
• Shimamura also sells clothes and accessories planned by people who are popular on Japanese social media (influencers), as well as products featuring Sanrio and anime characters.
• Only some Shimamura stores offer tax-free shopping (781 stores as of October 19, 2026). With Shimamura's tax-free shopping, you pay the price including consumption tax at the store and receive a refund of the consumption tax later. For details, see "Conditions" in this article.
• According to Shimamura's store search, checked on October 19, 2026, there are no Shimamura stores in Shibuya Ward, Chuo Ward (where Ginza is) or Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo, or in Kita Ward (where Umeda is) or Chuo Ward (where Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori are) in Osaka City. Stores that are easy for travelers to reach are covered in "Where to buy" in this article.

The photo, taken by the operator of this site, shows the entrance of a Shimamura store inside a shopping center. Above the entrance is a sign with "ファッションセンター しまむら" (Fashion Center Shimamura) written in red letters. The information board in front of the entrance said "送料無料！" (Free shipping!) and "どこでも受け取り可能！" (Pick up anywhere!). These refer to picking up items ordered from the Shimamura Group's online store at a store. At the back left of the photo, you can see the sign of a "Birthday" store from the same group.

What to buy

Inside the store

The following illustrations were drawn with AI, based on the composition of photos the operator of this site took at one Shimamura store in October 2026. Not every store has the same products.

Children's clothes

At the store where the photos were taken, the children's clothing section had lots of sweaters, sweatshirts, T-shirts and more on display. Shimamura's children's clothing sizes are written as numbers showing the child's approximate height. How to read sizes is explained in "Checkout and store" in this article.

Socks

At the store where the photos were taken, lots of thick winter socks and socks made of fluffy material were hung on display. The official online store also has 3-pair packs of socks.

Trendy clothes

At the store where the photos were taken, the women's clothing section had mannequins dressed in coordinated autumn outfits, such as a checked jacket with a brown skirt, and a mustard yellow sweater with black pants.

Shoes, pouches and bags

At the store where the photos were taken, the women's shoe shelves held boots, sneakers, loafers and more.

At the store where the photos were taken, lots of small pouches, wallets and small shoulder bags were hung on display. The pouch section of that store also had items with character designs (no characters are drawn in the illustration).

At the store where the photos were taken, women's handbags, shoulder bags and tote bags were lined up on the wall shelves.

Price examples

The prices in the table below were checked on October 19, 2026, on product pages of Shimamura's official online store, "Shimamura Park." Products and prices in stores may differ from those in the online store.

Influencer and character products

• Shimamura makes clothes and accessories together with people who are popular on Japanese social media (influencers). According to the official information, the influencers are in charge of planning and announcing the products, while Shimamura and the manufacturers are in charge of manufacturing, quality control and sales. For questions about quality, exchanges or returns, contact a Shimamura store or the online store.
• The official online store also has products featuring Sanrio characters (Hello Kitty, Kuromi and others), Disney characters and anime characters.
• Some products are sold only at certain stores. In the official store search, stores have labels such as "限定トレンドアイテム 取扱い店舗" (Store carrying limited trend items) and "限定キャラクターアイテム取扱い店舗" (Store carrying limited character items).

A different store with a similar name

Shimamura Music, a musical instrument store and music school, is run by Shimamura Music Co., Ltd. This is a different company from the one that runs Shimamura. Shimamura stores do not sell musical instruments.

Where to buy

Stores that are easy for travelers to reach

The stores in the table below were checked in Shimamura's official store search on October 19, 2026. Each store's page says "免税店舗" (Tax-free store).

• The floor numbers match the signs in each building. 1F is the ground floor (street level).
• According to a notice in the official store search, the Takadanobaba store does not sell bedding or interior goods.
• On 3F, Kyoto Avanti also has an "Avail" store, which belongs to the same group. Avail is a store selling clothes and shoes for young people. On 1F of the same building as the Abeno store, there is also a "Birthday" store.

Areas with no Shimamura stores

According to Shimamura's store search, checked on October 19, 2026, there are no Shimamura stores in the following areas.

• Tokyo: Shibuya Ward, Chuo Ward (where Ginza is), Chiyoda Ward
• Osaka City: Kita Ward (where Umeda is), Chuo Ward (where Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori are)

Finding a store

• In the "店舗検索" (Store search, in Japanese) on the Shimamura Group's official website, you can choose a prefecture to see each store's address, phone number and opening hours. For some stores, the walking time from the station is also given.
• You can find stores where you can buy tax-free by choosing a region on the "消費税免税対応店舗" (Consumption tax-free stores) page of the Shimamura Group's official website (in Japanese, English, Chinese [Traditional and Simplified], Korean and Thai).
• Store names are written in Japanese, as on the "ファッションセンター しまむら" sign.

Si Meng Le in Taiwan

A Shimamura Group company runs "Si Meng Le" (思夢樂), a chain of clothing stores similar to Shimamura, in Taiwan. According to the company's information, there were 45 Si Meng Le stores at the end of the fiscal year that ended in February 2026.

Checkout and store

How to read sizes

In the size guide of Shimamura's official online store, sizes are given as approximate body measurements, not garment measurements.

• For children's clothes, the size number is the child's approximate height (cm). For example, size 110 is for children 105–115 cm tall, and size 130 is for children 125–135 cm tall.
• Adult clothing sizes are written with symbols such as S, M, L and LL. The same symbol means different measurements for women's clothes and men's clothes.

• In the size guide for women's clothes, the approximate height for every size from S to LL is 154–162 cm. The women's size guide also has sizes from 3L to 8L, which are larger than LL.
• Sizes are only a guide. Each product is made differently, so check the price tag or the product page before you buy.

Payment methods

According to Shimamura's official information, you can use the following payment methods.

• Cash in Japanese yen
• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and others). Only one-time payment is available; installments are not. According to the official information, only cards with a signature on the back can be used.
• Debit cards and prepaid cards (Visa, Mastercard, JCB)
• Transit IC cards such as Suica, PASMO and ICOCA, and Japanese electronic money
• Japanese QR code payments such as PayPay
• WeChat Pay and Alipay+

Shimamura's "消費税免税対応店舗" page also shows marks for Alipay, GCash, Touch 'n Go eWallet, TrueMoney and others. The official information does not say whether the accepted payment methods differ from store to store. Check at the checkout before you pay. How to use cash and cards in Japan is explained in Do You Need Cash in Japan? | Where Cards Work, ATMs That Accept Overseas Cards, and Currency Exchange.

Shopping bags and hemming

• According to Shimamura's official information, shopping bags are free.
• For a fee, you can have pants and other items bought at Shimamura hemmed (shortened). However, according to the official information, they take from about one week to 10 days to be ready. If your stay in Japan is short, you may not be able to pick them up.

Taking photos in the store

Shimamura's official information asks that you do not capture other customers or staff in any photos you take in the store. Taking videos in the store is completely prohibited, including live streaming. Shimamura also does not allow photos of its products taken in the store to be used commercially or reposted without permission.

Conditions

Stores where you can buy tax-free

At Shimamura, you can buy tax-free only at the stores listed on the "消費税免税対応店舗" page of the Shimamura Group's official website. When checked on October 19, 2026, this page listed 781 Shimamura stores and 235 Birthday stores. All the stores in the table in "Where to buy" in this article are listed on this page.

Shimamura's tax-free conditions

According to Shimamura's tax-free information (checked on October 19, 2026), the tax-free method and conditions are as follows.

• At the store, you pay the price including consumption tax. After that, you complete the procedure yourself and receive a refund of the consumption tax amount (Refund Method).
• Tax-free shopping applies when the amount of one payment at the checkout (excluding consumption tax) is ¥5,000 (tax excluded) or more and ¥500,000 (tax excluded) or less.
• The refund procedure is done with a service called JPrefund.

How the refund procedure works

According to Shimamura's tax-free information, the procedure is as follows.

1. At the checkout, pay the price including consumption tax.
2. If you have a smartphone, scan the tax-free transaction code shown by the staff with your smartphone. If you do not have a smartphone, write down the 20-digit number shown by the staff.
3. Register as a user on the JPrefund website. At that time, also register your passport information, contact details and how you want to receive the refund. If you do not have a smartphone, apply using the number you wrote down in step 2.
4. When JPrefund has finished confirming your identity and the transaction, the refund is made automatically. The number of days until the refund arrives depends on how you receive it, and is about 1 to 20 days.

Shimamura's information does not say when you should tell the staff that you want to buy tax-free. Tell the staff at the checkout before you pay.

Customs check when leaving Japan

Shimamura's tax-free information does not cover the procedure for leaving Japan. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, for items bought tax-free on or after November 1, 2026, no matter which store they were bought at, you must leave Japan within 90 days of the purchase date and have them checked by customs at the airport or port when you leave. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, you must have all the items you bought tax-free with you when customs checks them. You cannot have them checked after you have checked in your baggage with the airline. Get the customs check before you check in your baggage at the airline counter.

The tax-free conditions and the procedure when leaving Japan are explained in Tax-Free Shopping in Japan | The Refund Method from November 2026 and What to Do When You Leave Japan.

Good to know

About the online store

• Shimamura's official online store, "Shimamura Park," does not ship products outside Japan (according to the official information).
• You need to register as a member to buy from the online store. Registration is free of charge.
• When you pick up items ordered from the online store at a store, there is no shipping fee.

About the photo and illustrations

• The photo of the store entrance was taken by the operator of this site. No people appear in the photo. This article does not name the store where the photo was taken.
• The other images are AI-generated illustrations. Because Shimamura does not allow photos of products taken inside its stores to be used commercially, they are shown instead of photos taken inside the store. The details differ from the actual store.

Guides to other stores

• Akachan Honpo, a store for baby and children's goods, is explained in How to Use Akachan Honpo in Japan | Tax-Free Conditions and Fee, Tax-Free Stores (Tokyo, Osaka, and More), Baby Clothes Sizes, Price Tags.
• UNIQLO in Japan is explained in How to Shop at UNIQLO in Japan | Tax-Free Rules and Returns, Hemming Fees and Turnaround Times, Sizes, Payment, Choosing HEATTECH, UNIQLO Shinjuku Takashimaya.
• If shopping has added to your luggage, how to send your bags to your hotel or the airport is explained in Send Your Suitcase by Courier | Airport to Accommodation, Accommodation to Airport (Yamato Transport).