Tokyo/Suginami

Suginami (杉並) is in Tokyo, west of Shinjuku.

Understand
Suginami is mostly a residential area which will provide a great view of real Japanese living in Tokyo. The area's main points of interest are the clothing shops and nightspots of Kōenji and the antique shops of Ogikubo and Nishi-Ogikubo.

Tourist information site
The ward has a semi-official Japanese-only guide site and its Pamphlet section has some materials in English.

Get in
JR Chuo Line and the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line both connect Shinjuku to Ogikubo. Also JR Chuo line, JR Chuo Sobu line and Tokyo Metro Tozai line you can go to Kōenji (高円寺), Asagaya (阿佐ヶ谷), Ogikubo (荻窪) and Nishi-Ogikubo (西荻窪). Be careful! During weekends and holidays Rapid service on JR Chuo line does not stop at Kōenji, Asagaya and Nishi-Ogikubo.

Ōme Kaidō (青梅街道) is a main street which connects Shinjuku to the western burbs, running through Kōenji and Ogikubo. Straight down Ōme Kaidō, Kōenji is a about 19 minute drive, 70-minute walk or ¥2,500 taxi from Shinjuku Station.

Buy
Kōenji (高円寺) has a long shōtengai (shopping street) that is well-known for its vintage clothing and bohemian-style shops. It more or less begins adjacent to Kōenji Station and runs south up to Ome-Kaido (Ome Highway) and Shin-Kōenji Station on Metro Marunouchi Line. It is composed of two sections: Kōenji Pal Shotengai, which is covered, and Kōenji Look Shotengai.

Asagaya (阿佐ヶ谷) also has a long series of shopping streets named Asagaya Pearl Center and Suzuran Dori running south from the JR station to Ome-Kaido (near Minami-asagaya station on Marunouchi line).

Nishi-Ogikubo (西荻窪), one station down from Ogikubo, has a good selection of antique (骨董 kottō) shops with reasonable prices, but they're scattered over a fairly large area. Ask at the station for a map.