uniqlo clothes - are they well-stocked?

Hello! I intend to go to Japan this winter. As I'm from singapore, I don't have many winter clothes. I intend to bring an almost empty suitcase and then do most of my shopping for winterwear at UNIQLO (harajuku store) because of super-cheap prices. I actually saw the clothes and prices at the uniqlo.com website, and I've identified certain pieces that I want to buy. My question is, are the clothes that are featured online are available in the store as well? Are they well-stocked, and are the prices similar? I'm scared I may not be able to buy certain clothes featured online if they are not well-stocked. I may end up with no clothes! :P Please advise, thanks!

Well stocked... Yes,
Prices same...within a few yen or so
Same as online... maybe.
With all online shopping (almost) your order goes to a big warehouse where they can store things that are not that popular, ie shelf space is not in high demand at a warehouse because no one ever goes there. In the store itself, there is more pressure to put things on display that are hot that season or in great demand. If you have your eye on something that is not quite the "it" thing for Uniqlo, you might find it on a store shelf or your might just be able to order it online.

In my experience though if you go with a little flexibility, you will be a happy Uniqlo shopper. Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Actually, you might end up shopping at all the other cheap and stylish places in Harajuku, because that's what Harajuku is all about. In particular, Takeshita Dori street has loads of cheap shops. Don't worry, you can't end up naked in Harajuku!

Luv your name btw.

I must thank both of you for your quick replies. I'll be buying most of my winterwear as soon as I arrive in tokyo. But in the meantime, what kind of clothes would keep me warm sufficiently for the first day (as I rush to uniqlo...hehe)? Would thermal underwear + t-shirt + sweater + scarf + gloves be enough? I'll arrive in Tokyo on the 25th Dec.

As you've mentioned, the biggest problem would be, what you should wear from the station to Uniclo. The walk will seem quite long on a freezing and crowded day, although the Metro Meiji Jingumae Station would be much closer to Uniclo than the JR Harajuku Station.

Locals do manage with a very warm sweater, but I'm not sure about you coming from a humid country. Personally, when I travel, I give up my money on a good warm jacket before leaving home, and after arrival to the destination, I try to buy the things I wear inside, but it's up to you.

If you're lucky, Tokyo will have fairly warm days even during winter. Don't forget to buy a portable desposal warmer like "Hokaron" as soon as you arrive.

Don't forget to buy a portable desposal warmer like ''Hokaron'' as soon as you arrive. ---- Hi Uco, are you talking about hotpacks, which remain warm for several hours?

Actually Uco, i'm heading to Sapporo after tokyo, so I would need a good down jacket. But the prices for a down jacket here in Singapore are quite expensive - about S$100 plus, whereas those at Uniclo, are much cheaper. That's why I'm willing to risk freezing myself on the first day haha. I think I'll invest in a good sweater here which I'll use for the first day, in combination with thermal wear and those disposable heatpacks.

Yes, I think it's the "hotpacks".

I'm not sure what kind of down jackets those $100s are, but for my trip to Sapporo on a January, I bought the overly expensive Eddie Bauer because Uniclo's seemed thin and less warm. Here, good downs cost way over $100.

But then, I'm the type who wants to wear as less clothes as possible. If you don't mind putting on layers and layers of quality tops by Uniclo, it might still be a good option.

Btw, if you still haven't bought snow gloves, personally I recommend Uniclo's gloves. They're unisex, plain, thick, waterproof, reasonable(!), light(!), flexible(!) and very warm(!). You can hold snow with them and still walk around, and it's much better than my old ski gloves which are heavy, hard and takes a lot of space in my pocket.

And when you get to snowy Sapporo, unless you have rough rubber soles, don't forget to buy these little rubber things you can clog to your shoes to prevent it from slipping on snow. Also you should have a hood, hat or at least something to cover your ears.

Winter seafood is exquisite in Sapporo, especially when grilled!

Uco, thanks for your advice so far. Definitely will try to get those rubber soles! :D

Btw, i love seafood! yum..ehehe..

As a experienced traveller, I would recommed to wear multiple t-shirts with long-sleeves (3 or 4 t-shirts have the same effect as one warm-sweater...) and if you buy them in several sizes (ie if your size is 'L' buy one in 'L', 2 in 'XL' and 1 in 'XXL') they will fit perfect, another effect is the layers of air between the shirts, your body heat is warming the layers of air between the shirts! To keep this body heat between the shirts, buy a windproof raincoat.
A cheap but very effective way to keep you warm!

can somebody tell me any official website of uni qlo so that i can buy some clothes online as i am in USA right now

You can type "Uniqlo" on Yahoo Japan, and their official shopping website will appear on the top of the list.
http://www.uniqlo.com/L1/main.html

Scroll to the bottom and click "USA". The USA site also appears on the Yahoo Japan list. However, you need Flash Player to view the USA website.

.. I should mention that the Uniqlo jackets doesn't seem to be that warm. I have 2 I purchased from them.. :O

If you need to grab a warm Jacket with proper down anywhere else in Japan other than Uniqlo, it'll definitely be more than $100 USD its probably going to be like $250-400USD for a jacket easily. Even though clothing at Harajuku is relative cheap I think it only applies to t-shirts and other thinner tops, as I struggled to find an affordable but warm jacket when I needed one. *_*

Also Dec 25th is Xmas - I can't remember if any shops close during that period (don't believe so) but if you left anything till 1st of Jan then for the week or two after that, a lot of shops tend to close for NY holidays..

If you keep a shop or restaurant closed for more than a week in Japan, you're usually out of business.

I agree most shops wouldn't close for a week (or two).

However, personally I have found that a lot of shops and tourist spots are closed towards end of year and in new year. In particular shops which retails or wholesales performance car related products are closed for two weeks, prior to Tokyo Autosalon.

Here is a link which has more information, its part of this website:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2276.html


But yes I agree, most of the normal shops only close for 2-3 days. :)

What time do Uniqlo stores here in Japan open? 9am? 10am? Do they all open at the same time? Thanks alot!

Most Uniqlo stores open around 10 or 11. It depends on the store and weekday.

If you read Japanese, you can look the opening hour for every store up here:
http://www.uniqlo.co.jp/shop/?ref=L1

Uji,

Arigatou gozaimashita!