The Oriental Bazaar is set in a quieter section of bustling Harajuku, located in what appears to be a traditional Japanese temple building.

The bazaar has several different focuses, and the store is laid out accordingly. Furniture and ceramics/porcelains are mostly on the first floor, with more touristy items there as well. Also, a very fine selection of tea and sake services is found downstairs. I purchased one of each and was very pleased with the quality and price.

Upstairs are prints (standard and woodblock), more touristy items, and textiles for purchase. Each section of the store is operated by a separate owner, so don't walk away with goods from one section to browse in another! Make you purchase and move on or compare and come back to buy.

Overall, the Oriental Bazaar is a handy place to do some comparative shopping in one central location. The craftsmanship probably is not as good as in some high-end shops, but it is quite nice and the price justifies the purchases.

Additionally, for some last-minute purchases, the Oriental Bazaar has a shop in the Narita airport in terminal 1 on the fourth floor.

The building is orange and green and done in Oriental style. There are several floors of handicrafts from all over Japan. There are different shops on each floor. You pay for your purchases in the area where you pick them out.

You will find people from many nations shopping here. You'll hear French, Italian and German besides English. The clerks speak English, so you don't need to worry about a language problem. Even if you don't buy anything, it's a great place to look around. The prices are very good too.