SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP
WHETHER YOU’RE CHOOSING MEMENTOS FOR FRIENDS, TREATING YOURSELF, OR SIMPLY CHECKING OUT SOME LOCAL FLAVOR, SWING BY THESE GLOBAL SHOPPING HOTSPOTS. YOUR WALLET MIGHT NOT THANK YOU, BUT THE ECONOMY WILL. BY NICOLE WOON PHOTOS BY MINJAE CHO, DANIEL KHAW AND KRITHI BALA
Ginza Japan The luxurious shopping district known as Ginza in Chūō, Tokyo, features numerous flagship establishments, department stores, boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants. One square meter of land is worth over 10 million yen, making it one of the most expensive precincts in Japan. To accommodate thousands of passersby on weekends, Ginza becomes hokōsha tengoku (“pedestrian heaven”) when it closes the central Chuo-dori thoroughfare off to all vehicle traffic. Gawk at the high fashion displays of Prada and Louis Vuitton while windowshopping, peruse nine floors of stationery paraphernalia at the prestigious Itoya, and rediscover your inner child at Hakuhinkan Toy Park.
Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria
Ginza, TOKYO, Japan
Spain Famed chef Ferran Adrià once referred to La Boqueria as “a gastronomic temple, a place that congregates all the phases in the food chain, from the producers, harvesters, butchers and fishmongers who provide the food, to the individual and professional clients who wander through.” Indeed, the culinary labyrinth is Barcelona’s shining jewel for foodies. The market has existed since the 13th century and will likely thrive for centuries to come. Both the city’s top chefs and wandering tourists alike come together at the public market, feasting their eyes and stomachs on shimmering shellfish, fragrant cheeses and vibrant produce. Take a hands-on cooking class at the in-house Food School to put ingredients purchased to good use. Check out Asher’s take on La Boqueria and other Barcelona sights to experience on p. 14.
mercat de sant josep de la boqueria, Barcelona, Spain