What will 100 Yen Buy in Tokyo?
If you have 100 Yen in your pocket and you need a shopping fix then I know the place for you! Actually you will probably want to bring more than 100 Yen with you when you head out for a Daiso shopping spree…
Daiso is a discount department store where most items can be purchased for a dollar. They have household goods, food, gardening supplies, party supplies, stationery, souvenirs items and and my favorite, dishes!
I will admit that I have a Daiso problem, and so does my husband…whenever we pass by one he has to hold onto the change in his pocket while trying to restrain me! After all, dishes are heavy, difficult to pack and can be a tad pricey to ship back home.
Daiso operates 2,500 stores throughout Japan and 660 of them are in the Kanto region that includes Tokyo. I have been to the Harajuku Store which is located on Takeshita Dori, but my favorite is the seven floor Giga Funabashi store that can keep me entertained for a couple of hours and is the one that my husband fears most!
Did I say I like dishes? Here are some that I purchased on a recent trip to Daiso. I spent a total of Y2,400 (around US $24) and came home with six settings for sashimi and six for zaru soba, two of my favorite Japanese foods. 
If your budget allows you to spend a bit more than 100 Yen on each item then why not check out a new store that I have seen popping up all around Tokyo. The 3 Coins stores offer all of their products for, you guessed it, 3 coins, that’s 3, 100 yen coins! Still a bargain, the 3 Coins stores tend to be smaller and offer a more limited selection but they are definitely worth checking out if you happen to spy one while you are out and about in Tokyo (locations – Babel Fish translation).
Image Credit: Personal Collection
5 Comments
I love 100 yen stores and Daiso are definitely the best kind- Oh how I miss them!!! I have not been to the one in Funabashi before though but will definitely be checking it out when I go back to Japan!!!
There is a good one in Nakano too!
When I first came to Japan I would come home with bags of things after checking out the 100 yen shop. Fortunately I’ve been able to tone it down a little bit.
We also have 100 Yen shop here in Malaysia though not many. Ohh, your post struck me that it’s so easy to compare yen with USD, 100 yen=USD 1. That’s so easy to compared instead of RM3 or a lil ++ for each 100 yen.
I’m not sure who started it first but there seem to be RM1 and RM2 shops coming up here and there in Malaysia. They sell from cooking utensil including dishes to stationeries and make up accessories.
I am getting better at restraining myself but am still tempted every now and again. If you live in Japan some of the household goods and cleaning supplies work quite well and are much cheaper that other local stores.
Akira – the exchange rate isn’t actually 100:1 but it’s close enough to give a rough estimate of how much things cost in US dollars.
Me I love 100 yen stores – our dishes, glasses, washing bin, cups, table mats……. you get the picture, all come from there! I can happily spend a couple of hours mooching around! I was gutted when my very good partner in 100 yen shopping decided to return to the UK to live. Now I generally tour alone as my fella is not a shopping guy.