This is where the city's hip and stylish teenage boys and girls come to buy their hair dye. It's where newly weds stop by to kit out their bathrooms with traditional wooden bathing stools and stiff-bristled brushes for thorough back-scrubbing. And it's where business men and schoolgirls alike buy their stationery (you should also visit one of the vast dedicated stationery outlets such as Ito-ya in Ginza, to see how particular and obsessed the Japanese are about anything to do with pens and paper).

Tokyu Hands has also become a place of pilgrimage for discerning western shoppers because it gives an insight into the everyday lives of Tokyo's residents. But it's not just the great and the good who are heading east for their retail therapy. Increasingly, ordinary travellers are going to Japan just to shop.

They are lured by brands and products you can't find anywhere else in the world and Japanese fashion labels, such as Comme des Garcons, at almost reasonable prices. Also, winning over the visitors is the glorious forelock-tugging service culture and the amazing amount of money and effort retailers put into designing statement stores.

The best place to see this commitment to lavish building is in Aoyama, the home of the Prada shop. Designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron (the people behind the under-construction stadium for the Beijing Olympics) it is said to have cost $80m . . . and it's worth every cent. It's a tower, made from a honeycomb of green glass panels, which even on a rainy afternoon looks like a glinting crystal. Apparently, it has nice clothes too.

Prada is on the road known as Omotesando, which is Tokyo's Rodeo Drive or Bond Street. This is also where you'll find the largest Louis Vuitton store ever built . . . it has a private shopping salon that stocks the coolest products from around the globe . . . and not just those made by LV. Then there's Omotesando Hills, a shopping mall designed by Tadao Ando, Japan's most famous architect, which is packed with elite Japanese and western labels. The centre has the calmness of a museum . . . aided by soothing Japanese music . . . and the gently rising escalators interlink to form a beautiful criss-cross pattern.

But it's not all big bucks or outlandish looks.

There are lots of cheap fashion and homeware stores, including branches of the two chains that have a familiar ring to us here: Muji and Uniqlo. And if you are in Ginza, take time to visit the Muji store at Yurakucho, which not only sells the desk tidies and tea towels we see in Ireland, but also entire flatpack houses, big enough for a family of four. If you think it's a struggle putting together a self-assembly wardrobe, then this may not be the best memento to ship home. The store has a huge restaurant and a food section where you can buy good gifts.

Smart and sedate, Ginza is also home to many of the department-store giants such as Matsuya (which has a good one-stop shop for traditional Japanese design) and Mitsukoshi (the oldest department store in Japan, with a history dating back to the 1600s).

Although Japan has a reputation for being achingly modern, most of these stores seem to be proudly old-fashioned, even quaint.

Walking around them can be an exhausting experience. At least Matsuya has a calming restaurant with a menu that has pictures on it, so when your Japanese grammar fails you, you can just point with confidence.

Less frenetic than Shibuya or Shinjuku, Ginza is a wise place to shop on your first couple of days, when the jet-lag is at its worst and crowds can seem an impossible task. Indeed, many local people come here just to stroll the streets and window shop, including older women dressed in traditional kimonos.

And only when you are back to full strength should you contemplate a trip to the state-ofthe-art electronics megastores. Perhaps the biggest challenge awaits you in Akihabara where there's a district known as Electric Town, which has some 600 retailers clustered together. It will either be your idea of hell or heaven. If you can't face the trek, then try Bic Camera (it's near the Muji store), which has floor after floor of tvs, iPods and, yes, cameras.

It's advisable to do your research in advance, however, because although the prices are good and you can often shop duty-free, they are not always better than back home.

When you do finally hand over your Yen, one of the most satisfying sights is seeing how carefully your purchases are wrapped. When I bought simple bowls from an old-fashioned homeware store, two women proceeded to carefully place each one in a sheet of glossy red paper and then each parcel was tied with a tight ribbon. As I left, they bowed and thanked me. Now that's the service I want in my local supermarket where you think it must be a national holiday if they crack a smile. If you go for a drink at the Park Hyatt, the hotel made famous by Lost in Translation, check out its shop where you can buy rice crackers which come in elegant wooden cases that make them seem as valuable as vintage Krug.

You should also make sure you get up very early one morning to visit the tuna auction at the Tsukiji fish market, a piece of unbeatable retail drama. The tuna auction starts at about 5am and is where dealers come to secure the best fish for the city's demanding restaurateurs. Vast sums are paid for each fish and as they are sold the porters drag their huge decapitated bodies away to the waiting trucks.

Oddly, the traders don't seem to mind the presence of tourists. Just make sure you don't catch the auctioneer's eye, no matter how much you love fish, you'll never get one of these beasts in the overhead locker.

OTHER SHOPPING HOTSPOTS

Dubai for gold Dubai's booming trade in gold is just one more aspect of its growing status as a consumer capital. In the 'City of Gold' souk in the Deria part of the city, pieces are sold by weight. The numerous small shops display row upon row of dazzling high-carat jewellery, gold bars and bullion coins.

Florence for fashion Head to the factory outlets outside the city. The Mall in Leccio has the likes of Gucci, Armani, Valentino and Alexander McQueen, all with markeddown prices. The Prada outlet in Montevarchi sells clothes with more than 30% reductions.

Shanghai for silk Get yourself a silk duvet. The Shanghai Silk Museum is also a shop and you can buy everything from bedding to clothes. A king-size duvet that would cost 300 in Ireland is around 60 here . . . and they'll vacuum-pack it for easy transportation.

Venice for glass The tradition of glass-making in Venice dates back to the 10th century. In 1291, the factories . . .

considered a fire-risk . . . were moved to the island of Murano, across the lagoon. Venini (www. venini. it) is one of the most prestigious producers and its Fondamenta dei Vetrai showroom is open to visitors.

Istanbul for tiles Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is one of the greatest shopping experiences to be had. One souvenir worth seeking out is the Iznik tile. There are hundreds of imitations available in the Sultanahmet district but seek out the real thing at Iznik Classics, Arasta Carsisi 67-73. Prices start at around 200 for a single tile.

Buenos Aires for leather Buenos Aires's elegant shopping streets have shop after shop selling leather goods. You can pick up a pair of hand-made shoes at De Maria in Recolata or, for bags and belts, head to one of several branches of Prune around the city.

THE FACTS

Getting there, staying there Virgin Atlantic (www. virginatlantic. com) offers return fares from London Heathrow to Tokyo from around 1,100. The Conrad Tokyo (00 81 3 6388 8000; www. conradhotels1. hilton. com), 1-9-1 Higashi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, offers double rooms from 320 per night.

Further information Japan National Tourist Organisation (020-7734 9638; seejapan. co. uk)