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| Shopping in Japan credit: http://www.destination360.com/ |
Someone emailed me recently about where to buy affordable clothes, mattresses and other household products. Her family just moved to Japan and they're just about to start their lives in a new place.
If you're in the same situation as hers, I'm sure you can find the following tips useful:
For clothes:
If you're okay with second-hand clothes, the best place to buy is King Family. It has shops all around Japan. Get a free membership card from King Family. They have regular campaigns for card holder. For example, if you get 2 clothes they'll give you 20% discount, if three to four you'll get 50% discount. If you get more, you'll get as much as 70% discount. I usually buy 3-4 items and they only cost me less than a thousand Yen.
If you like brand new clothes, GU is the best place to go. They have a wide variety of clothes. You can buy a shirt for as low as 300Yen when they're having a sale. Gap and H&M also have regular sales. My husband bought polo shirts for only 300 Yen from Gap. I have some items from H&M which I bought for only 100 to 200 Yen.
For shoes:
Shoe Plaza and Shimamura are my go-to places for shoes. I especially like Shoe Plaza for their sneakers and sports shoes. Shimamura is the place to go for casual shoes. I have 2 pairs of shoes from Shimamura which I only bought for 500 Yen each.
For futons, mattresses, pillows and blankets:
I highly recommend buying from AEON Home Section. This section is usually next to the supermarket. A winter blanket is priced from 1000 Yen, a single mattress from 1900 Yen, a futon from 3000 Yen, pillowcases from 300 Yen each and a pillow from 500 Yen.
Shimamura is also another option but AEON still has the lowest prices.
For home furniture and appliances:
I suggest you buy the following items from recycle shops: TV, dining table, couches/ chairs, cabinets, air conditioner, washing machine and stove.
Then buy these items from Bic Camera: electric fans, rice cookers and other smaller appliances. These items are usually cheaper or almost the same price as with the items in the recycle shops. The good thing about Bic Camera is their membership card. When you get a card, you'll earn points when you buy from them. I have a few friends who bought their cellphones from Bic Camera. Their purchase earned points and they all went home with a free rice cooker or toaster.
For small household items:
Daiso and other 100 Yen shops are just everywhere Japan. This is the best place to buy glasses, cups, plates, spoons, rugs, pans and other household needs. The bigger Daiso stores have just about everything you need including consumables such as soap, food and almost anything you might need for daily life.
To give you an idea how much you might need to start a life in a new place in Japan here's what I know: When I moved to Japan, I spent less than 15,000 YEN to fill my furnished apartment. My place already has a TV, a microwave oven, a washing machine and a stove and a refrigerator. I didn't buy a couch, my living room has a carpet with few throw pillows. A friend who moved into a totally empty house spent about 30,000 to fill her place. She bought a TV, a 4-seater dining table, a washing machine, a small refrigerator and a small table. She also doesn't have a couch.
You don't have to buy everything all at once. Some of the things I have were generously given by other people. Who knows, somebody might also give things to you?
If you've been here in Japan for quite sometime, do you have other tips? Share away!
