A Place to Be is Sudden Chic’s recurring travel column about niche locations we love: from a hidden shop to a small town and beyond.
If you’ve ever been to the Harajuku neighborhood in Tokyo, then you know it’s one of the best places in the world for shopping. From cutesy-themed character boutiques, to others that special in subcultures, shopping in Harajuku is like shopping nowhere else on the planet. Take, for example, the fact that you can actually see certain fashion subcultures out in the wild: from punk to gothic lolita and schoolgirl, there are a number of shops that specialize in the look head-to-toe, and you’ll likely see people dressing up in these same kinds of styles walking around outside the very same shops that specialize in them. But this Alice in Wonderland themed shop tops all.
Alice on Wednesday is one of the most special subculture shops in all of Harajuku, and if you didn’t know about it, you’d probably walk right by it. Hidden in a tiny alleyway, once you approach the store, there’s a couple different doors. You’ll have to duck through a small one straight out of Alice in Wonderland to get in though. Once inside, the impressive Alice in Wonderland themed shop is three full floors full of merchandise straight out of the book (or, movie).
The first floor offers a variety of different drinks, cookies and snacks, packing up as if they were from the storybook. “Drink me,” they proclaim. Japanese flavored sodas and little shortbread cookies are the main thing they sell on this floor.
Next, you’ll need to walk up the stairs to the second floor. The staircase itself is intrinsically Alice and Wonderland-like. It’s dark, and covered in artwork inspired by Alice, such as a Cheshire cat 3D portrait that seems to have eyes that light up and follow you as you move throughout the space. Other accessories and memorabilia throughout Alice on Wednesday features Many of the shop’s accessories feature John Tenniel’s original 1865 book illustrations. It will remind you of the scene in the movie when Alice fell down the rabbit hole.
The second floor is where clothing and other things — think: anything else Alice and Wonderland themed you could ever want. There’s clocks, pillow, blankets, notebooks, pens, tablecloths and more.
The last floor is perhaps the very best however. Devoted entirely to accessories, you can sort through rings, hair clips, necklaces, bow ties and even handbags. Each piece is either directly inspired by Alice in Wonderland or looks like something Alice wears in the film. I ended up buying a massive red glittery bow hair clip, necklaces shaped like crowns, clutches shaped like books and earring clips covered in flowers. I definitely went wild in the accessories section, but it was well worth it.
Shopping at Alice on Wednesday is an experience you won’t have anywhere else. It’ll bring a little bit of magic and imagination into your world.
Alice on Wednesday
6-28-3 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo
Japan
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