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Review: Shopping for Children’s clothing at Gotenba Premium Outlet

By on February 13, 2020

Since moving to Tokyo, we have gone from being a family of three to a family of five.

The biggest budget item for us is clothing which can make shopping decisions, when buying for 3, very challenging.

Back home in the U.S., we had easy access to malls. We have had no luck with local shops in terms of what we were looking for. So we turned to the world wide web for imports. It worked for us in the beginning until we realized, the parcel shipping fees were causing a huge drain on the family budget even with items on sale. These fees can quickly add up.

The other reason online shopping hasn’t really worked for us was because of size, fabric and style issues.When it comes to shopping for my kids, I prefer to pay more for something made of organic materials. I know this limits my options to where I can get them. Some items tend to easily fade, shrink and lose their shape after a few washing. I find that higher-end brands hold up better over time. So one weekend, we bundled up the kids and drove to Gotemba Premium Outlets.

Fashion for small people is booming in this part of town, and the variety of styles and brands can overwhelm even the most frugal shopper. Located in Shizouka, the whole car trip took us a little over an hour from Tokyo (2 hours if you take the train).

Nestled in the hillsides near Hakone, the Gotenba Premium Outlets is arguably one of the most scenic shopping areas in Japan. The cherry blossoms in the spring and the golden foliage in the fall can make you momentarily forget that the purpose here is actually, to buy things.

There is even a Ferris Wheel that offers a panoramic view of the nearby lakes and Mount Fuji hovers as a big backdrop to everything.

Gotemba Premium is also Japan’s largest outlet mall, and my first time there was on a December weekday during a clearance sale. The selection and prices made a shopper out of my husband. He walked out happily with new work clothes and a windbreaker. I got two sweaters and for the kids, we bought a full season of winter and spring clothes. Heck, we even stocked up on birthday presents at Lego.

But the next time we went, it was still on a weekday and not a sale season. Selection was sparse and prices unimpressive. The third time we went was on a Sunday afternoon. The average wait for parking was over two hours.

If you are a seasoned American outlet mall shopper, be warned that there simply is not the same quantity of merchandise as in Woodbury, Jersey Garden or a Premium Outlet in the U.S.

Still, being the largest purveyor of imported brands, Gotenba Premium Outlet can provide retail therapy for the homesick shopper. The best time of the year to go bargain hunting is on sales season. Check out the calendar for events before going. https://www.premiumoutlets.co.jp/en/schedule/

Now that we know where and when to go, clothes shopping keeps us humming along season by season!

We shopped for clothes here:

Petit Bateau (France)
Gotemba Premium Outlet
https://www.petit-bateau.co.jp/shop/default.aspx

 

Gap Gotenba (U.S.A.)
Gotenba Premium Outlet
https://www.gap.co.jp/

Miki House (Japan)
Gotenba Premium Outlet
Tel. 0550-70-1213
https://www.mikihouse.co.jp/index.aspx

 

Mezzo Piano (Narumiya)
Gotenba Premium Outlet
Tel. 0550-82-5522
http://www.narumiya-catalog.com/

 

Gelato Pique (U.S.A.)
Gotenba Premium Outlet
Tel. 0550-70-6148
https://gelatopique.com/

Cath Kidston (London)
Gotenba Premium Outlet
0550-78-7536
https://www.cathkidston.jp/

 

Gotemba Premium Outlet  https://www.premiumoutlets.co.jp/gotemba/

About Samantha Green