7 Smaller ¥100 Chains Not to Miss!
¥100 shops are great in a pinch, or for getting rid of the last of your Japanese change if you're heading home from a vacation. While there are plenty of big chain stores around, the smaller shops offer secrets and specializations well worth investigating!
By Bua Loy7. Realize
http://www.k-okano.co.jp/newpage-tenjinbasi.html
Based in Osaka, Realize focuses on lifestyle goods and cute accessories for young women. You'll find things here you'll wish you'd found ages ago!
6. Natural Kitchen
http://www.natural-kitchen.jp/
The "kitchen" in the name gives away the focus of this ¥100 chain. Why shop here and not at a big chain like Daiso? The quality of the goods! Here you can find nice wooden spoons and bowls, as well as well-made ceramic dishes. Do be careful, though, as some larger items are ¥300—but well worth it! You can find branches in Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Fukuoka, as well as in various locations around Kanto and Kansai.
5. Kitchen Kitchen
http://www.kitchen-kitchen.jp/
Competing with Natural Kitchen is Kitchen Kitchen, which offers a café-chic style and products made from natural wood. Branches can be found around Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.
4. Orange Terra
http://www.orangeterra.jp/shopinfo/index.html
Located in chic shopping areas of Tokyo like Omotesando, Ebisu and Kichijoji, this is another kitchen-and-lifestyle shop, this time focusing on chic, unique products with a natural style.
3. Vita
http://vita-world.jp/shop/
Vita goes for a simple, eco-friendly image, with prices at ¥105, ¥210 and ¥315 including tax. You'll also find a variety of garden tools on-site. The first Vita store was opened in Iwate Prefecture in 2003, and branches can now be found in Aomori, Yamagata, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa.
2. Lawson Store 100
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AD%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%82%A2100
Lawson Store 100 is a variant of the Lawson convenience store chain that focuses on ¥100 goods and cooking ingredients. The products on offer are actually fresh and of decent quality—to keep prices low, they're just sold in small, one- to two-person portions. Great in a pinch after the grocery store closes!
1. Daikoku Drug
Discount drug store Daikoku Drug has a ¥100 section in many of its shops—and that price includes tax! However, be aware that part of the shop is also a regular drug store, and while prices are cheap, they won't adhere to the ¥100 label.
