Hello everyone!

Goju-Ryu practitioner here from Spain.

I'll be going to Osaka and Kyoto next week (for the first time) for a family trip.

I would like to know where are the best places to buy Gi's and what brands to look out for.

Thank you very much!

Cheers!

Can't really tell you of any stores to visit, But I can say Tokaido & Shureido are the two premium brands out of japan. As a Goju-Ryu practitioner I would love to get a Shureido.

As Karate John mentioned, Tokaido and Shureido are usually universally recommended. Hirota is a newer company (than the other two) that comes highly recommended. Hirota doesn't have the presence outside of Japan the others have.

Shureido is the unofficial official Okinawan karate gi, whereas Tokaido is the unofficial official Japanese karate gi. Both are equal in quality, but they're cut differently.

I'd be surprised if you can't find a store that lets you try them on. Probably both in the same store, but you never know.

I'd personally recommend Tokaido because of the quality that they provide, but that is the same of Shureido. I have a Tokaido Gi and love it, but have never worn a Shureido Gi before so can't really say which to go for.

The hard part is finding one that fits you well, since they would (most likely) sell primarily the Japanese Cut over the European Cut in store.

I think Kyoto would be the best out of the two locations to buy Gi's from because many Honbu Dojo's operate out of there.