Japanese streetwear brands: who to buy and where in Canada

This note says who they are, what each one costs in Canadian dollars, and what is still worth saving for Tokyo.

Quick facts

• A Bathing Ape: Nigo founded it in Harajuku in 1993. 58 items on within, CAD 50 to CAD 1,000, read 8 November 2026.
• Undercover: Jun Takahashi started it in 1990. 65 items, CAD 70 to CAD 4,795.
• Neighborhood: Shinsuke Takizawa founded it in 1994. 8 items from its Y-3 collaboration, CAD 105 to CAD 500.
• Kapital: from Kojima in Okayama, a company since 1985. 9 items, CAD 200 to CAD 1,000.
• AMBUSH: 7 items, CAD 129 to CAD 455.
• sacai with Nike: 24 pairs, CAD 100 to CAD 1,100.

One shop, in 1993

Urahara means the hidden Harajuku: about four square blocks of backstreets between Harajuku and Aoyama. Nigo and Takahashi opened Nowhere there on 1 April 1993, and Hiroshi Fujiwara, whom Hypebeast calls the godfather of Japanese streetwear, was already making clothes under the name Goodenough.

Nigo named his label after a Japanese phrase about an ape sitting in lukewarm water, a joke about spoiled young people. Takahashi went louder: Undercover's motto is "We Make Noise Not Clothes". Neighborhood, which Shinsuke Takizawa started in 1994, is named after the backstreets themselves.

What each one costs here

These are the shelves at boutiques on within, read on 8 November 2026. A Bathing Ape is split between Outlined and Utopia, and Undercover is at WDLT117 on St Thomas Street in Yorkville.

A Bathing Ape is the easiest way in, and I would start there. A Bape ABC Camo tee is CAD 108 at Outlined, in S to XL.

Undercover is the opposite end. A graphic tee in white is CAD 199 in size 5, and a leather skirt is CAD 4,795. The label uses sizes 1 to 5, so check how Undercover sizes run first.

Kapital comes from Kojima, in Okayama, and it is the denim end of this list: its 14oz slim jeans are CAD 400 in size 30. Our Kapital note lists the other shops.

A Bathing Ape tee is CAD 108. An Undercover leather skirt is CAD 4,795.

What to save for Tokyo

WTAPS and Neighborhood's own collections are the ones to buy in Japan, because in Canada they turn up only inside other brands' releases. A Vans Sk8-Hi in WTAPS Bones Orange was CAD 200 at parlor23, and the Y-3 Neighborhood Trucker Cap was CAD 105 at Due West.

If you go, our note on what to buy in Japan explains the tax rule that changed on 1 November 2026. The older, more formal side of Japanese design has its own list in our Japanese designer brands note.

Common questions

What are the top Japanese streetwear brands?

A Bathing Ape, Undercover, Neighborhood and WTAPS came out of Harajuku in the 1990s, with Hiroshi Fujiwara's Goodenough a little earlier. Kapital, from Kojima, is the one that came from denim rather than the street.

What is Japanese streetwear style called?

Ura-Harajuku, or Urahara, after the backstreets of Harajuku where it started in the 1990s. The name means the hidden Harajuku.

Where can I buy Japanese streetwear in Canada?

On 8 November 2026 boutiques in Canada held 58 A Bathing Ape items, 65 Undercover items, 9 Kapital items and 7 AMBUSH items. A Bathing Ape starts at CAD 50, Undercover at CAD 70.

Every business above is independent, was verified open as of August 2026, and nobody paid to be here. If one has closed or moved, tell us at hello@shopwithin.co and we will fix it.

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