How To Buy From Urban Research Japan

Similar to the lifestyle and fashion brand Uniqlo, Urban Research is a well-known and established Japanese lifestyle selection store and fashion brand that originated in Osaka. With over 50 selection stores all over Japan, Urban Research Japan provides all kinds of goods varying from women's and men's fashion to home goods. The brand focuses on the latest innovations, such as a virtual dressing room for a digital experience in fashion. It also focuses on SDGs by promoting second-hand fashion through its new concept stores and upcycling system. 

What is Urban Research? 

Urban Research now owns 17 fashion labels and 5 food and lifestyle labels. Check out the official Instagram Account.
Here are a few of the most popular fashion labels, where in each label they have selections of numerous local Japanese brands.

• Urban Research UR 
  This signature main brand offers casual and tasteful lifestyle goods under the "Urban Living" concept.
  
  
• Urban Research Doors
  All items are designed with the concepts of "Environment" and "Living", providing sustainable products.
  
  
• Sense Of Place
  "The Global Standard Fashion" offers affordable and universal fashion pieces for fashionistas.
  
  
• Sonny Label
  Relaxing and casual items to offer you a day-to-day comfortable fashion style.
  
  
• Ekal
  Quality outdoor gear that is inspired by living along the lakeside.

You can purchase a wide range of products such as fashion goods, kidswear, accessories, swimwear, kimonos, sports goods, home decor, furniture and so much more! In Japan, Urban Research also has cafes and restaurants to locally complete their brand value for sustainable lifestyles. Unfortunately, they do not ship outside of Japan currently - but ZenMarket is here to help you with that!

Here in this blog, we will show you a step-by-step guide on how to buy from Urban Research Japan's online store without the hassle of knowing Japanese. Before adding goods to your cart, remember to sign up for a ZenMarket account!

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How To Order from Urban Research Online Store

The online site is in Japanese and with tons of information, follow the below steps to search for the items you are looking for. 

Step 1 Open An Account

Make sure you already have a ZenMarket account. If you do not have one, sign up for one now.

Step 2 Finding an Item

Go to Urban Research Online Store and start browsing products, we recommend to use Google Chrome browser.

With Google Chrome browser, you can translate the site using the built-in Google Translate function. 

Right-click on a blank space on the webpage and select "Translate to English".

Select "Choose another language" and select English. There you go - a fully translated English page from Japanese.
The Google Chrome browser app on the phone also does the same. 

Then, on the front page, you will find different categories below.

In this tutorial, we will use "Womenswear" as an example. Click on "WOMEN", and you will be directed to the Women's section. Once you reach this page, you can browse through the NEW ARRIVAL and RANKING sections. Or you can find your item through the MAIN MENU tab to search based on different categories.

In case you were unable to translate the page into English, here is a helpful guide for the main categories in English. 

Step 3 Adding an Item to Cart

Once you find an item you want, decide on the color, size, and quantity. Here are some explanations on the product page. In this tutorial, we will be buying this knit sweater.

• Price in Japanese Yen (Tax inclusive)
• Model Images
• Available Colors and Sizes / In Stock 在庫あり or Out of Stock 在庫切れ
• Model's Height and Size Worn in the Images
• Styling References
• Product Description
• Size Chart and Dimensions
• Product Details (Composition, Washing Methods, etc.)
• Reviews

Here are some more useful tips to differentiate whether the item is new or on sale. 

• NEW ARRIVAL 新着
  A new arrival item.
• ON SALE セール
  A sale item.
• TIMESALE タイムセール
  A time-sale item, which means it is only on sale for a limited period, e.g. 24 hours.
• PROMO+TIMESALE/SALE まとめ割+タイムセール/セール
  A promotion plus time-sale/sale item means that you get a discount if you buy more items in the same promotion category. For example, if you buy 2 or more items in the promotion category you get a 10% off. An extra 10% if the item is a sale item
• OUT OF STOCK 在庫切れ
  The item is showing on the search results but it is currently out of stock.

ATTENTION：Sometimes the items will be online-exclusive or shop-exclusive, so there will be different domestic shipping/payment methods. Pay attention that the parcel may be sent in separate packages. You do not have to worry as ZenMarket will help you consolidate all in one package, but you may need to pay multiple domestic shipping fees.

Once you have decided on the item and its details, copy the URL of the item and paste it into the ZenMarket search bar, so you can add it to the cart in your account. To add this item to your ZenMarket Cart, copy the original URL address of the item you want to purchase. Then paste it in the search bar of the ZenMarket website, like this. Click the magnifying glass to search.

Since the Urban Research Online Shop is not a ZenMarket shopping channel, the item needs to be reviewed first. Type in the color and size you want and press "Add". In this case, the size is only one size, so I did not include the size.

The item will await review. The review process takes between 10 minutes to 1 day depending on order volumes and access to the information on the store website. You can check the item in "My Account" and you can proceed to payment and shipping once the item has been checked.  If you would like to remove the item, just click the BIN icon on the right. Once the items have been checked, you can proceed with payment!

Also Read: DETAILED GUIDE FOR HOW TO SHOP WITH ZENMARKET

Step 4 Alternative: Search on ZenMarket 

If you want to save time on reviewing the item on the official online store, you can also click on the below links and directly add to the ZenMarket cart (no need to wait for review!) your desired items through ZenMarket shopping channels.

• Urban Research on Rakuten Japan
• Urban Research on Amazon
• Second-hand Urban Research items on Mercari Japan

There are over 100 pages of products you can choose from on Urban Research and we hope this complete guide on how to buy from Urban Research Japan Online Store can help you find your Japanese fashion goods with ease. ZenMarket helps to save you from the long process of creating a Japanese account and paying with Japanese-only payments. Happy shopping!

10 Japanese "Select Shops" You Need to Know 

Urban Research is only one of the many lifestyle and fashion brands in Japan. Lifestyle brands are very popular and common in Japan. Lifestyle brands are shops with a selection of labels that offer products and services that go in line with the brand's lifestyle values. These shops offer a vast variety of products like fashion, home goods, interior goods, and even cosmetics, that match the aesthetics, hobbies, and opinions of a particular audience group. There are a lot of well-established lifestyle and fashion brands in Japan waiting to be discovered. If you want to discover more local Japanese fashion and interior brands, here is a list of lifestyle and fashion Japanese brands. Check them out and shop for Japan-exclusive styles and goods.

• United Arrows
• WEGO
• Uniqlo
• Shimamura
• BEAMS
• Honeys
• SHIPS
• Journal Standard
• Muji
• nano universe

Related Blog: 17 POPULAR LIFESTYLE BRANDS SELECT SHOP IN JAPAN