Shopping, Shopping, Shopping and More Shopping – December 25th, 2012

Christmas Day was a late start for us. We began the day with a Skype call home to see the family. It was great to see everyone and to be able wish a Merry Christmas – considering this is the first one I have missed and one of the few that my Dad has missed it was nice to able to share it with everyone in a small way.

After the quick call it was off to the subway where we headed for Harajuku. I had decided that it would be a shopping day and we would visit a couple of the major shopping areas within Tokyo.

Line up for Ben & Jerry's

 The last time that I had been in Tokyo I had looked forward to going to Harajuku, however on that trip it started to rain so my friend and I didn’t get the chance to really explore the area, this time though Dad and I got to see the area. We started off walking down Omotesando road where they have more of the high end shops. Here we stopped into the Oriental Bazar and purchased a few things. Dad bought a Yukata and Happi Coat, I bought a Happi Coat. We also stepped into Kiddy Land which is a huge toy store.

After walking along that road we then turned off to head into the main shopping road of Harajuku. Takeshita Street is where there are a lot of stores that are small and cater to the fashion senses of those who frequent Harajuku. The other place that I wanted to stop into in Harajuku was the Daiso. It’s one of the biggest Daiso’s in Japan – and since I love Hyaku en shops I had to see this one. After my quick stop into the Daiso it was onto the JR train and heading north to Shinjuku.

Takeshita Street

Shinjuku is the world’s busiest transport hub with well over 3 million people using it a day. This area is also has a huge collection of the skyscrapers in Tokyo, it’s even known as Skyscraper district. It was here that we went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. On the 45^th floor there is an observation deck that is open to the public. From here you can see the entire city spread out below. Also on clear days you may have the chance to see Mount Fuji. We went though after dark, which was cool. It’s nice to see the whole city lit up, the Sky Tree and Tokyo Tower and all the wards give off this glow.

After seeing the city all lit up we got back onto the JR and this time we went east. We got off at Akihabara, which is affectionately known as Electric Town. In this area you can find great electronics, comic book stores and the AKB48 theatre. If you are into anything to do with electronics or Otaku goods (a Japanese term that is applied to people with obsessive interests particularly [but not limited to] anime or manga) this is the place to visit. We stopped into a Don Quijote – a discount store found across the country. It was another great place to look around a pick up some small things. This building is also home to the AKB48 theatre. AKB48 is a J-pop group made up of over 60 girls… I’m not really into J-Pop but they do have one song that is quite catchy so I wanted to see where they perform almost daily.

Pepsi White!

After quite a packed day of shopping it was back to Akasaka and to a Pizza Hut pizza. Something that I have sorely missed since moving here.

Hard Off

Yes Hard Off is the name of a second hand store here in Japan. It’s connected with Book Off and Off House. (There is also the other popular second hand stores Doki Doki and Jumble House)

The store can be compared to a Value Village or a Salvation Army, but unlike those two locations the Hard Off seems to have a better selection, as well a sections with high end things.

The Book Off is exactly what it sounds like. People bring in old books, manga, CDs, DVDs and video games and then they are sold. It's a great place to look through if you want full seasons of TV shows for cheap or even whole collections of manga. I haven’t found any English books so I doubt that I am going to be doing any book shopping there.

The Off House portion is for things like fans, tables, chairs, couches anything that is home and housing related. I was able to pick up a nice faux leather chair for 5000 yen (about $50) and my bike at a Doki Doki.

The Hard Off portion comes from everything else they sell there. The one in Niihama is apparently known for great camera gear, and it’s true. I was able to get a great zoom lens for 3000 yen.

So I know that I am going to go back and see if I can pick up some more camera stuff. In the Niihama Hard Off you can also find cases of action figures, walls of Pokemon and other trading cards, a whole wall of guitars and basses, piano keyboards, computers, TVs, toys, professional turntables and a whole range of other things.

Found an old iBook. Vintage Apple products!

I really like the record selection that the Hard Off has and I was able to pick up The Beatles Let It Be for 1000 yen. So I know that when I stop in I always check that section to see if I can find other great records.

The Hard Off also sells clothing. You can get anything from a wedding dress to jeans. It’s quite a selection. The clothing selection also has the high-end stuff like purses, wallets and bags from designers like Louis Vuitton, Channel, Coach, Prada and Dior. I even found a section that had a collection of Burberry clothing.

The Hard Off (or Doki Doki) is a must stop for shopping for things to decorate an apartment or for things that are great to get second hand.

More Hard Off pics this way: Niihama Hard Off

Grocery Shopping

A quick little blog about grocery shopping here in Japan.

It’s basically the same as grocery shopping back home, except that everything is labelled in Japanese so finding certain things can be a little more difficult. (I had this issue with vinegar)

I’ve got two grocery stores that I frequent. The Maruyoshi Center and a Fuji, I tend to go to the Maruyoshi because the Fuji is a little more expensive.

Though products are the same, there are some differences. Mostly lack of cheese and large block of it like we have at home and also toast bread. These are both things that we get easily at home, but the Japanese don’t really eat.

I have been consistent about buying groceries and cooking at home. I have found that I eat a lot less beef here though because it is quite pricey.

Another thing that is helpful at grocery stores is the fact that they do have some foreign products (I did buy myself a Heinz Ketchup).

I’m also lucky that here in Niihama we have a Caldi Coffee. This is a food store that specializes in import food. They have Maple Syrup from Canada, Skippy Peanut Butter, Nutella and a lot of other non-perishable foreign food items. It is a little more expensive to go there, but if you are missing home it’s a great place to pick up a few things that remind you of where you’re from.