I've mentioned on my other blog that Daiso Japan branches are located in California. There was one near where I used to live, but I moved, and that shop closed down around the same time. For those who don't know, Daiso is a 100-yen shop in Japan. In the U.S., it's a $1.50 shop.
The American equivalent of a 100-yen shop is a dollar store. However, there really aren't that many actual dollar stores in the area I live in, despite it being pretty full of shops. I have come across several of such stores, both in San Francisco and in the Bay Area, but they've almost uniformly been dismal affairs. Not only is the selection of goods poor and unattractive, but most of the stores are shabby, dirty, dingy, and located in areas that you may not be entirely comfortable walking around in at night.
In Tokyo, the 100-yen shops were almost uniformly clean, tidy, well-stocked, and in good areas of the city. Not only that, but some of them, the Lawson 100 chain, were actually mini grocery stores that sold fresh and frozen food that you were happy to eat. It wasn't scary, creepy or nearly outdated like the food you see in the dingy areas of dollar stores here.
I truly and totally miss the 100-yen shops in Japan. They were convenient, cheap, clean, and fun to shop in.
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Is there not a Daiso store near you? I would have thought there would be. There's a few in the Seattle area, and each time I go I remark at the quality of the stuff I could buy there. The other dollar stores I've been to aren't nearly the same and I think if Walmart had a rejects outlet, Dollar Store would be it.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on what you consider "near". ;-)
DeleteThere used to be one very close, but it closed. Now, there's one a bit further afield, but within reasonable driving distance (about 45 minutes).
I love Daiso and agree that it's worlds apart from the typical US dollar store. In San Diego there's also a Marukai Value + (used to be Daiso!) but it's somehow not quite as good.
ReplyDeleteThe 100-yen stores were one of my favorite parts of Japan. I even made some money off them, buying a bunch of video-game cases for 100 yen each, then selling them on eBay for more than $15 each.
ReplyDeleteI've been to the Daiso inside the Japantown "mall" in San Francisco, and it's very cool, but not quite as awesome as the ones in Japan.
Wow. Cool deal with the selling on eBay! I'm not savvy enough for that sort of thing, but it's a great idea if you know your market.
DeleteOh, did I have fun at Daiso in Osaka! I actually had to buy another bag to bring all my omiyage home (okay, so it wasn't all from Daiso). I think I spent almost two and a half hours there; four stories of stuff! I wish it had existed when I lived in Japan 20 years ago. Good times.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever saw a Daiso that big, but I did see some which were quite expansive. It makes me wish I could go to Osaka. ;-)
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