When we first moved here (Tokyo) a few months ago it was my
intention to write on this blog often to relate what life in Tokyo is like for
westerners who are, by far, a minority.
I have failed miserably. Well…let’s just say I have been
extremely lazy and have been using everything from the language barrier to the
summer heat as an excuse to stay in the house and not venture out. Don’t get me wrong, the fact that I don’t
speak Japanese IS a challenge and the summer WAS unbearably hot but I have been
given a great opportunity to discover this very unique city and I am not gonna
take it for granted. The weather
has broken, fall winds are blowing and this is where this home-buddy puts an
end to her summer laziness and starts exploring Tokyo and the surrounding
areas. I still don’t speak
Japanese but I have a translator on my iPhone.
I am a big believer in taking baby steps, so instead of
attempting to climb Mt. Fuji on my first outing of this “let’s discover Tokyo”
mission, I opted for a shopping trip.
Baby steps remember? I had
heard of this store Don Quijote (Don Quixote in English) or Donki as the locals affectionate call it, but
there is not one in the routes we normally take to go to the places we normally
go to and I never took the time to look it up. Did I mention laziness had set up camp in my house for the
summer months? Ok. All I knew about Donki was that one
could find “anything” and one could find it at a discount, which made my heart
dance with joy because not many things are found at a discount in Tokyo. Tokyo is the 3rd most
expensive city to live in the world, behind Olso #1 and Zurich #2. I have not done an expert analysis but
I think it would be safe to say things here are at least 25% more expensive
than what we are used to pay.
In any case, it was time to pay Donki a visit. I did the obligatory google search to find the address. Luckily for me Donki appeals to tourists – it is ranked #314 of 711 things to do in Tokyo by Lonely Planet travelers – and I was able to find the address in English. I quickly clicked on the “maps” tab, I entered “point A” and “point B” details and clicked on “get directions” and within seconds I had the map, which would guide me to the famous Donki. Donki’s time had come.
[I need to make a pause here to point out how
entirely bizarre it is to have a store in Tokyo, a city where 99.9% of
everything spoken and written is spoken and written in Japanese, named after a
Spanish fictional character…weird!]
Back to the story….armed with my map, my iPhone and my
bicycle I embarked on my journey on a beautiful sunny and breezy
afternoon. It took me 15 minutes
to get to my destination and to my delight there was a 100-yen store – the
equivalent of a $1 store – right across the street from Donki. I HAD to go in. I have been to another 100-yen store
and these places are full of surprises!!!! The stuff in the 100-yen store here is of higher quality
here than at the $1 store back home…I hate to say it but everything in Japan
seems to be of higher quality, hence the lack of discounted or “cheaply’ priced
items.
The 100-yen store was a total success… I paid 1000 yen and I
walked out with….well…hmmmm….10 items….simple math! Then I crossed the street to the main attraction – a
gigantic 6-story building filled with things waiting to be bought by this
expeditioner from the far West.
The board that listed the contents of each floor was so big it covered
the whole entrance wall…floor to ceiling.
Donki is like having a Sports Authority, Target, Office Max, Home Depot,
Michaels and Walgreens all in one place.
I am glad I finally made it to see Donki…I would go back, but the real
reason to go back to Donki is for that awesome 100-yen store across the street…That’s
the beauty of exploring…you never know what you will find or where you will
find it.
Mission “let’s discover Tokyo” will continue. Let’s see what will the fall winds blow
my way next week.
Until then, I invite you to do some exploring in your area
and tell me about it!
See you soon...
Mad
See you soon...
Mad
