This post is about some awesome things I’ve bought recently at the ¥100 shop (hyaku en shoppu), or dollar store. 100 yen stores in Japan are way better than North American dollar stores — you can buy everything, from food to clothes to fake eyelashes to iPhone cases (as seen above)! Daiso is probably the biggest 100 yen chain but there’s lots of them. They’re a great place to pick up almost anything inexpensively. I gave my iPhone a cute makeover for a grand total of ¥500 (about $5). The case was ¥100, the polka-dot cover sticker thing was ¥100, the earphone plug was ¥100 and the Hatsune Miku charm was ¥200 from a UFO catcher.
Seriously, this iPhone case is super cute. AND IT WAS ONLY ONE DOLLAR!
The earphone plug that allows you to attach charms to your phone: also ¥100. Actually, it was two for ¥100.
Other ¥100 finds: pretty hair scrunchies. I have not worn hair scrunchies since the fifth grade or so, but they’re popular here.
Hello Kitty bandaids. ¥100! Why not?
Makeup wipes. The pink ones are from Daiso. Are they the best makeup wipes? No. Are they decent for ¥100? Yes!
The sheet mask obsession continues even at the ¥100 shop.
This charcoal face mask from Daiso is highly rated on the internet, and hey, it’s only a dollar. It’s this black sludge that basically turns into a Biore strip, ripping everything out of your pores. It works, but it’s kind of painful (just like Biore strips).
Pink heart folders that I use for my Japanese homework. Three for ¥100!
And I do love lunch…
Slippers are a Japanese necessity, and Mike has gotten a lot of use out of these for ¥100.
Other good ¥100 store purchases I’ve made but aren’t pictured:
- fuzzy earmuffs (the pair I brought with me to Japan broke and these ¥100 ones were almost the same)
- a bath mat with bears all over it
- food: snacks, tubes of karashi mustard and shiso paste, curry
- waterproof pocket thing you put your iPhone in so you can use it in the bathtub
- pocket warmers
- kitchen stuff, including adorable pink chopsticks
There are also ¥300 yen shops (for example, 3 Coins), which are like fancy dollar stores. They have a lot of really cute home stuff — dishes and other housewares. (Frilly plastic gloves! Pretty teapot! Legwarmers!) These and the ¥100 shops are a great place to stock up on basics, especially since Tokyo can be expensive. And if you’re ever in Japan, the ¥100 store would also be a good place to pick up souvenirs — there’s lots of wacky Japanese stuff and candy. I love the ¥100 store!