The Omen
26-03-2002, 08:17 PM
From Football365.com :
Despite the relatively high cost of living, Japan is surely unsurpassed as a place to go shopping. And as the World Cup co-hosts are currently experiencing deflation, prices just keep going down.
Many fans who arrive here with a bit of spare cash will almost certainly make a beeline for electronics shops - and for good reason.
These shops sell devices serving any purpose you might ever have imagined - and a few you almost certainly haven't - for very little money.
A typical example are digital cameras, which are half the price here that they are back in the UK.
On top of this, many shops in Japan have perpetual sales with additonal reductions of anything from 20% to 60%, as well as loyalty cards that give you anything up to another 18% off the price.
Stuff is cheap.
It is also weird.
You will find many items on Japanese shelves that will not go on sale back in blighty for at least another year.
Electronic body-hair trimmers, blackhead removers, a massive assortment of massaging 'aids' and recording equipment all vie for space.
Other cheap goods include fine Scottish Whisky. I'm becoming a connoisseur of the Islay Malts at present, taking advantage of the fact that the tipple is cheaper in Tokyo than it is in Troon.
Still, that's rip-off Britain for you.
Cars are also jaw-droppingly inexpensive, especially second-hand ones.
The farcically expensive (about £700 a pop) and ultra-thorough biennial MOT means that a) people often trade-in new cars every two years and b) second hand motors halve in value. This also means that there are fewer cars on the road and that they are all reasonably new.
The most expensive items in Japan are beer, clothes and shoes. Getting sizes to fit you can be nigh on impossible, especially if you are a woman above 5 foot 1.
Service however, is immaculate.
When you walk near the door of a shop, an official 'greeter' will bow and, with a broad, genuine smile, yell "Irasshaimase" ("welcome").
On hearing one person yell this, every other member of staff (of which there will be many) will follow suit.
This happens with every customer that walks into the shop. As a result, you will hear a cow-like cacophony of "mmeeeEEEEHHH" whenever you wish to purchase anything. It can be quite scary at first.
Shoppers new to Japan will not take long to notice the national obsession with Hello Kitty merchandise.
You can buy everything, from rice cookers though toilet seat covers to crystal decanters, with Hello Kitty on it. Of all the cutesy cartoons in Japan, "Kitty-chan" is king.
Where the Rising Sun shopping "experience" falls flat on its arse, however, is with jingles.
The Japanese don't recognise the existence of noise pollution, so be prepared when entering any shop to have to listen to a 60 second jingle played at top volume over and over and over again.
All day.
Lord knows how the shop staff stay sane.
In particularly guilty shops, it is often impossible to stay inside for more than five minutes before you start frothing at the mouth and looking for the nearest granny to punch.
If the shops freak you out, however, you can take advantage of another of Japan's great specialities: vending machines.
And yes, the stories are true - there are machines that dispense used schoolgirls' underwear.
Vending machines (not just the pervy ones) are everywhere here. It is not uncommon to see them alone, surrounded by fields with seemingly no power supply whatsoever.
There are even some on top of that most sacred of mountains, Mount Fuji.
Similarly, most 900-year-old temples will have one their doorstep.
They usually sell hot and cold drinks - including coffee and tea - in cans. However, you will also find those that dispense beer, whisky and sake.
Other machines vend video games, CDs and other expensive goods. Computer software, ready-stamped postcards, sacks of rice, jeans, porn and erm, similar paraphernalia are easy to find.
Freshly fried foods such as chicken, chips, octopus and sea bream are available. Cup-a-noodle machines can be found next to hot water machines.
One machine allows you to pick your favourite song and have it written to a mini-disc while you wait.
I live next to a fresh egg machine.
There are some 20 million such machines in Japan, collectively earning in the region of a staggering £40billion a year.
The only surprising let down are the cash machines, which are usually only open during daylight hours. Many people thus withdraw vast fortunes to last them for the whole week.
Others manage to forget about this fact. Every single time they go out. And end up owing their friends lots and lots of money.
Ahem.
JAPAN IN A NUTSHELL
Essential Japanese Phrase Of The Week
In Japanese: "Nan desu ka?"
Translation: "What is that?"
Interesting Japanese Word Of The Week
"Yoboyobo". Not a reference to England's travelling support, but the verb 'to become senile.'
Mentalist Website Of The Week
Find vending machine heaven at http://www.nokia.co.jp/tokyoq/tokyoscape/vend1.html
Despite the relatively high cost of living, Japan is surely unsurpassed as a place to go shopping. And as the World Cup co-hosts are currently experiencing deflation, prices just keep going down.
Many fans who arrive here with a bit of spare cash will almost certainly make a beeline for electronics shops - and for good reason.
These shops sell devices serving any purpose you might ever have imagined - and a few you almost certainly haven't - for very little money.
A typical example are digital cameras, which are half the price here that they are back in the UK.
On top of this, many shops in Japan have perpetual sales with additonal reductions of anything from 20% to 60%, as well as loyalty cards that give you anything up to another 18% off the price.
Stuff is cheap.
It is also weird.
You will find many items on Japanese shelves that will not go on sale back in blighty for at least another year.
Electronic body-hair trimmers, blackhead removers, a massive assortment of massaging 'aids' and recording equipment all vie for space.
Other cheap goods include fine Scottish Whisky. I'm becoming a connoisseur of the Islay Malts at present, taking advantage of the fact that the tipple is cheaper in Tokyo than it is in Troon.
Still, that's rip-off Britain for you.
Cars are also jaw-droppingly inexpensive, especially second-hand ones.
The farcically expensive (about £700 a pop) and ultra-thorough biennial MOT means that a) people often trade-in new cars every two years and b) second hand motors halve in value. This also means that there are fewer cars on the road and that they are all reasonably new.
The most expensive items in Japan are beer, clothes and shoes. Getting sizes to fit you can be nigh on impossible, especially if you are a woman above 5 foot 1.
Service however, is immaculate.
When you walk near the door of a shop, an official 'greeter' will bow and, with a broad, genuine smile, yell "Irasshaimase" ("welcome").
On hearing one person yell this, every other member of staff (of which there will be many) will follow suit.
This happens with every customer that walks into the shop. As a result, you will hear a cow-like cacophony of "mmeeeEEEEHHH" whenever you wish to purchase anything. It can be quite scary at first.
Shoppers new to Japan will not take long to notice the national obsession with Hello Kitty merchandise.
You can buy everything, from rice cookers though toilet seat covers to crystal decanters, with Hello Kitty on it. Of all the cutesy cartoons in Japan, "Kitty-chan" is king.
Where the Rising Sun shopping "experience" falls flat on its arse, however, is with jingles.
The Japanese don't recognise the existence of noise pollution, so be prepared when entering any shop to have to listen to a 60 second jingle played at top volume over and over and over again.
All day.
Lord knows how the shop staff stay sane.
In particularly guilty shops, it is often impossible to stay inside for more than five minutes before you start frothing at the mouth and looking for the nearest granny to punch.
If the shops freak you out, however, you can take advantage of another of Japan's great specialities: vending machines.
And yes, the stories are true - there are machines that dispense used schoolgirls' underwear.
Vending machines (not just the pervy ones) are everywhere here. It is not uncommon to see them alone, surrounded by fields with seemingly no power supply whatsoever.
There are even some on top of that most sacred of mountains, Mount Fuji.
Similarly, most 900-year-old temples will have one their doorstep.
They usually sell hot and cold drinks - including coffee and tea - in cans. However, you will also find those that dispense beer, whisky and sake.
Other machines vend video games, CDs and other expensive goods. Computer software, ready-stamped postcards, sacks of rice, jeans, porn and erm, similar paraphernalia are easy to find.
Freshly fried foods such as chicken, chips, octopus and sea bream are available. Cup-a-noodle machines can be found next to hot water machines.
One machine allows you to pick your favourite song and have it written to a mini-disc while you wait.
I live next to a fresh egg machine.
There are some 20 million such machines in Japan, collectively earning in the region of a staggering £40billion a year.
The only surprising let down are the cash machines, which are usually only open during daylight hours. Many people thus withdraw vast fortunes to last them for the whole week.
Others manage to forget about this fact. Every single time they go out. And end up owing their friends lots and lots of money.
Ahem.
JAPAN IN A NUTSHELL
Essential Japanese Phrase Of The Week
In Japanese: "Nan desu ka?"
Translation: "What is that?"
Interesting Japanese Word Of The Week
"Yoboyobo". Not a reference to England's travelling support, but the verb 'to become senile.'
Mentalist Website Of The Week
Find vending machine heaven at http://www.nokia.co.jp/tokyoq/tokyoscape/vend1.html