[Otaku Hot-Spot] RADIO EVA STORE - Where Otaku Meets High Fashion!

Let’s face it, the otaku lifestyle is not known for its high fashion. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, wearing your favourite anime girl on your t-shirt is not the most fashionable choice. But what about otaku that are looking for a way to express their love for their fandom, while still looking fashionable? Luckily, in the heart of Shibuya, there is a store that does exactly that for one of Japan’s biggest anime fandom - Evangelion.

Not to be confused with the Evangelion Stores in Shinjuku and Ikebukuro which sell a lot of great Evangelion merchandise, this clothing shop is called RADIO EVA STORE. Instead of keychains, mugs, file folders, and t-shirts with characters’ faces on them, RADIO EVA focuses on clothing and accessories that are inspired by Evangelion in a more subtle and artistic way. Let’s look at how RADIO EVA STORE has brought otaku inspiration into Shibuya’s famous fashion scene!

RADIO EVA STORE Info

Location Address
15-1 Shibuay Parco 5F, Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-8377

Nearest train line(s)
“Shibuya” - JR Yamanote Line, JR Saikyo Line, JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line, Fukutoshin Line, Hanzomon Line, Ginza Line, Keio Inokashira Line, Tokyu Den-en-Toshi Line, Tokyu Toyoko Line, Narita Express

Cost of Admission N/A
Hours of Operation Time and days
Sunday-Saturday
9:00 - 21:00

Official Website
https://shibuya.parco.jp/shop/detail/?cd=025672 (Japanese only)

The Experience

RADIO EVA STORE is not very big, but it has a lot of stuff packed into its tiny space. There are a lot of clothes, most of which are unisex, including t-shirts, jackets, pants, dresses, and sweatshirts. There are also bags and other accessories like hats, scarves, and socks, and even jewellery, phone cases, and watches. Most of the clothes and other items have subtle tributes to Evangelion, such as a colour scheme matching one of the Eva units, the NERV logo, TOKYO-III, or another recognisable symbol to anyone who has watched the anime. A lot of the items have art inspired by something from Evangelion as well rather than being an exact screenshot or logo from the anime. The stock is always changing so if you live in Tokyo it’s worth adding RADIO EVA STORE to your usual shopping rotation.

There are also a few shirts that do have characters on them, but this is where things get really interesting - most of these items feature a character from the anime wearing another piece of clothing from the RADIO EVA STORE! So that means you can not only buy a shirt that you like the design of at the RADIO EVA STORE, you can also buy a shirt with an Evangelion character wearing that same shirt!

There’s plenty of art around the shop too that features the main cast of Evangelion characters sporting the same fashion available in the store, and all of that fashion is very modern. Shibuya is famous for being the fashion centre of Tokyo, and RADIO EVA STORE’s products fit right in. The entire back wall of the store is a big mural of the Evangelion characters wearing modern clothing as well and all hanging out together in Shibuya. There are also a few magazines on display with a lot of cool art in them that are available to flip through.

Finally, something easy to miss near the back of RADIO EVA STORE is a capsule machine that has a variety of badges featuring all of the Evangelion characters wearing these fashionable clothes, along with some badges that have designs from items in the store. Like all capsule machines, the one you get will be random, so it’s fun to play and see which you get! Each try is ¥300 (around $3USD) so it’s worth trying. All of the designs are unique to the RADIO EVA STORE, so even if your budget is a bit too low for the fashion (RADIO EVA STORE is not cheap) you can still bring something special home.

Keep in mind that the photos in this article were taken at the time of publishing and may not reflect current products and capsule machine designs currently in the store.

Additional info

One of the best parts of the RADIO EVA STORE is its location. It’s inside of Shibuya Parco, a shopping mall already known for being an otaku paradise. While RADIO EVA isn’t located on the otaku floor, it’s just a couple of escalator rides away from the Shibuya Pokemon Centre, Japan’s only Nintendo Store, the Capcom Store, Jump Shop, a rotating otaku exhibition space (hosting Digimon at the time of publication), and a dedicated eSports cafe. Talk about a one-stop-shop for all your otaku needs!

The rest of Shibuya won’t disappoint any discerning otaku, either. Don’t forget to stop at Animate, the main anime goods chain in Japan, along with Mandarake which deals in second-hand books, goods, and doujinshi. They’re also just a ten-minute walk away from the RADIO EVA STORE, making it just one stop on a great otaku day out in Tokyo’s trendiest neighbourhood.


Final Thoughts

If you have been looking for a way to make your otaku life a bit more mature and dare we say, fashionable, look no further than RADIO EVA STORE. It has married an otaku staple, Evangelion, to Shibuya’s famous reputation for high fashion with incredible results. Yes, any Evangelion fan will be able to tell that the stuff you buy from RADIO EVA STORE is from the anime, but isn’t that the point? Fans will know what you’re all about, but the average person on the street will just see a trendy outfit, accessory, or bag. Whether you’re looking for subtly, fashion, or maturity, RADIO EVA STORE lets you have it all while still flaunting your love for Evangelion.

Have you been to the RADIO EVA STORE shop? Would you like to go? What kind of stuff would you buy? Would you like to see more stores like this combining otaku interests and high fashion? We would love to hear your opinions!

RADIO-EVA-STORE-Wallpaper-500x448 [Otaku Hot-Spot] RADIO EVA STORE - Where Otaku Meets High Fashion!

Writer

Author: Jet Nebula

Living the dream in Tokyo, where you can find me working at a theme café catered towards women. When I’m not writing for Honey’s, I’m working on original dystopian science fiction or blogging about Tokyo’s trendy coffee scene. I spend my free time in Harajuku and Shibuya wearing alternative Japanese street fashion. I love video games, J-rock, tattoos, and Star Wars.

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