Kawaii London

Back from 5 days in London and after weeks of illness and work, here we are with our usual kawaii travelogue, with the list of stores across the Channel which we strongly recommend you to visit. At the end of the post, you can also find the link to the map, marked with all the store addresses and locations. If you wish to recommend other places we have not included, you can do it in the comment section!

Artbox

The Artbox stores are undoubtedly a must for any self-respecting kawaii girl! The three stores located in London are recognizable by the colored exterior that looks like a classic red double-decker… led by the panda mascot of the store! Inside, you can find not only Sanrio and San-x accessories, but also “minor” brands like Crux, Kamio, Q-lia, MindWave, Re-ment miniatures and fashion dolls.

You can find Artbox shops at the Thomas Neals Centre in Covent Garden, at the Kings Walk Centre in Kings Road and on the ground floor of Selfridges in Oxford Street. We strongly recommend you the first two stores that are more supplied! Can’t you go to London? Do not panic! Artbox also sells online at http://www.artbox.co.uk.

David & Goliath

Located in Carnaby Street, this clothing store is well worth a visit! David & Goliath t-shirts are adorable, colorful and cheerful. Our favorites are obviously the ones with candies, but inside the store there are shirts of all types and for all tastes (even for boys). Also, there are often discounts and promotions on sweatshirts and sweaters. David & Goliath has a rich online store athttp://www.davidandgoliathtees.com.

Irregular choice

If you love eccentric shoes and bags, this is the place for you! Inside Irregular Choice (Carnaby Street area) is a riot of colors, floral prints and shoes with very particular shapes (some have fantastic carved heels!). Take some time to carefully comb through the two floors store, it’s easy to miss something at first glance! The complete catalog, including pricing, is available athttp://www.irregularchoice.com.

Japan centre

In Carnaby area, you can come across a small branch (not covered by any map) of Japan Centre, a series of stores dedicated to food and Japanese culture. Inside the store of Air Street, you can find not only a selection of magazines and manga, but also some very nice gadgets by San-x and Sanrio!

Trocadero and Chinatown

The area between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square (including Chinatown) is a valuable source of kawaii shops. Both within the Trocadero Centre and all along the streets around Chinatown, you can find seemingly anonymous shops, but really good inside. If you prefer little-known characters to the usual Hello Kitty, these shops are entirely for you. So keep your eyes open and enjoy sifting through blocks and accessories (some fake, other originals)!

Hamleys and Harrods

For those who feel still like a child, Hamleys is an inevitable stop! The historic toy shop in London, with its seven floors, is a real wonderland! After dodging soap bubbles and few games thrown by the shop assistants, go to the floor dedicated to children, where there is a small department for the beloved Hello Kitty. Next, there is the famous Build-a-Bear, the store where you can build your own dream plush from scratch (there are fantastic Star Wars costumes!), and a small area dedicated to personalized plastic accessories (some of them are very cute!). Do not miss the mini-boutique with the (expensive) merchandise from Harry Potter (and more)! Another meeting point for all tourists is Harrods! Again, the toy department has a zone with a lot of Hello Kitty gadgets.

Camden Lock

Located a short distance from the metro station and Camden Market, Camden Lock is a huge market entirely dedicated to alternative fashion. Unlike the Market and the main street, where you will find mainly more “alternative” clothes, the shops of Camden Lock offer a great choice for those who prefer a more casual but particular style. Sifting through here and there you will find even sweatshirts and jerseys dedicated to kawaii characters, including Choo Choo, many Mori-style clothes and accessories and, of course, some shops dedicated to Gothic Lolita style, where, among some questionable dresses and skirts, you can find several interesting things.

Eating

In London you can easily able to find restaurants capable to satisfy any taste! For an Asian night without being pretentious, the perfect place is definitely Chinatown. If you do not want to spend much money, you should enter one of the fixed-price buffet restaurant: with just over 10 pounds, you can eat at will (but beware, sometimes they do charge a little more if you leave too much stuff in the pot, so do not overdo!). Around London, there are also several Japanese restaurant chains such as Yo!Sushi and Wagamama (specialized in ramen). Nothing to do with the real Japanese restaurants, but I really liked them both (the katsu curry was so good!).

Do you prefer sweets? In addition to the traditional tea rooms (including the one located inside the legendary Ladurée, at Harrods), there are also delicious and mouth watering places. For example, Candy Cakes (in the photo, the window of the shop located in Kingly Court, Carnaby area) is a decorated cupcakes and cakes paradise, small masterpieces of real cream and sugar! In Camden Lock, between kiosks that sell (and offer!) any kind of food, you can take a break from shopping eating cupcakes and crepes. At the Trocadero Centre in Piccadilly, instead, follow the smell of cinnamon to taste the cinnamon rolls of Cinnabon!

Preferite i dolci? Oltre alle classiche sale da tamp;egrave; (tra cui quella del mitico Ladurée, da Harrods), si trovano anche deliziosi locali da far venire l’acquolina alla bocca. Ad esempio, Candy Cakes (nella foto, la vetrina dello shop di Kingly Court, zona Carnaby) amp;egrave; il paradiso dei cupcakes e delle torte decorate, dei veri piccoli capolavori di crema e zucchero! A Camden Lock, tra chioschi che vendono (e offrono!) cibo di ogni genere, potete fare una pausa dallo shopping tra immancabili cupcakes e crepes. Al Trocadero Centre di Piccadilly, invece, seguite l’odore di cannella per assaggiare i cinnamon rolls di Cinnabon!

Ready to start? Do not get lost in London! Here’s our Google Map with all the addresses of shops that we reported above.

Visualizza Londra Kawaii in una mappa di dimensioni maggiori