Today we're going to explore all the wonderful second hand shopping that's available here in Japan.
There so many different stores with things that are practically brand new that you can buy but at a fraction of the cost.
Come with me.
[Life in Japan Theme Song]
You got your money Dude?
Yes, yes, yes!
Alright.
We're heading to a Book Off Super Bazaar
This Book Off is especially big, especially huge.
Oh now that's huge.
Joshua barely got in the door and he was like "Yes!"
How many yen is it?
Oh, it's almost 10,000 Yen (~$100)
You don't have enough.
Nothing introduces you to the Second Hand Shopping culture in Japan quite like a Book Off Super Bazaar.
Here we are in the clothing section which is great because...
The kids grow out of their clothes so fast, so I can buy them pants for a dollar.
And then, we didn't spend that much money and we can use them until the wear out.
What is this?! That is, uh, something.
Book-off started off as a used book store, and skyrocket to popularity in the 90’s.
They would shave off the edges of the books to make them appear new.
A whole franchise was born out of their success and as business boomed, they branched out into other items as well,
such as clothing, electronics, sporting goods, just to name a few.
It’s a great alternative way to shop, and has inspired many other stores of this type.
And if you have some nice things around your house that you’re not using, Book Off is a great way to get rid of it and make a little money in the process.
OK, the best time to come is right as the seasons are changing.
Because I came at the beginning, beginning of summer and was able to get water shoes
And then I came back during the summer and there were none.
So since there are gloves available, I am buying gloves in hopes that we will finally get snow this year.
So, for my nephew's birthday, what do you get him?
Well we got him a car like this from here.
I think we spent like $20.
So, it's the perfect place for toys. And look at the condition!
Japanese people keep their things in perfect condition, it's great!
Can I buy this? Nope.
Why? Because we don't need another car.
Do you need a crib at all? Bedding? They got it all here.
This ugly bird, or whatever it is, is one of my kids' favorite characters from the new Toy Story.
Because it shoots lasers out of its eyes.
It's only 310 Yen, $3
We're buying it. OK, carry it.
The mojo is strong at Book Off, and if you’re not careful, you can easily end up with something you didn’t originally intent to buy.
Socks, for kids, are in the most random place sometimes.
Did you ever wonder where all the little play things from the doctor's office and the dentist go?
Well, they end up at Book Off.
And also they'll organize things in kits.
So here it's a bunch of LEGO pieces.
Instead of just having them random, they organize them.
I don't really understand what the method that they use is,
But it's nice, you can buy just kits of LEGOs.
And there are a lot of kits of LEGOs. There sure are!
But a very interesting this is that you have to check out of each floor. You can't just take them between floors and do one massive checkout.
More often than not you come across something that looks brand new for half of the price.
Whoa Dude! I'm going to get these new shoes for you.
When your foot grows a little bit more!
These shoes look brand new.
I paid 5,000 Yen for them new. Here I can get them practically new for 2,000.
Going in the cart!
While momma chan shops for kids clothes, I have often wandered into the adjoining section and found myself considering a purchase.
This section is definitely my section.
I love all the used musical instruments.
You sometimes find some really good guitars in great condition
Some vintage gear, if you keep your eye open, you'll find something really nice.
There is all kinds of vintage gear: lenses, cameras, oh my goodness!
And there's several floors of this. You can really spend a lot of time here.
And then they also have it broken up into brands, so if you want a certain brand, you can just buy a certain brand.
Like this is Adidas and Nike, this is Columbia.
So if you like a certain brand you can just go to that section and buy what you want.
What did you find, dude?
Look at all the games! Oh my goodness.
You find a lot of Book Offs in Japan, and they're mostly this: books.
Tons and tons and tons of books.
And if you like to collect stuff, this is amazing place to find stuff to collect.
Action figures. All kinds of models.
Here you can find all kinds of things for sports, for camping, seasonal items
And then if you want really real nice, name brand purses like Louis Vuitton, Coach, Guess,
Then have them all here, they're all locked up obviously,
But they're a fraction of the price and a lot of them are in still very good condition.
Oh! oh.
What do you see Dude? The moon, up there!
Don't drop your camera!
So what was the damage? How did we do?
We spent 5,000 Yen on floor number 4
And 1,300 on floor 2.
Good job.
But Book Off isn’t the only second-hand store we like to go to.
This is another one of our favorite stores.
It's a little bit more expensive, but it's just another option of fun things you can buy.
I actually bought...
This is where I bought this purse.
Yea!
Second Hand stores have become very popular in Japan, and it’s easy to see why.
It’s a great way to buy good items at a discounted price.
And who doesn’t like a good deal?
They also have very nice bags. I love bags.
It's a snowboard, Dude! And skis, that's what I'm talking about. Yeah.
Joshua always finds the toys, no problem. Right?
Whatcha got there?
Sword that can light up.
That can light up? Very cool.
When we first moved to Japan in 2014, we had to furnish our whole house and do it fast.
While we bought some of our essential items from IKEA,
the rest of our furniture and appliances came from local second hand stores.
In fact our refrigerator was too big to move up the stairs, so a crane had to hoist it in!
We were able to set it all up through the second hand store, and it was an affordable way to do a big move.
When we first moved to Japan,
We were able to buy a lot of our things at a second hand store
Including our washing machine and our refrigerator which we still use 'till today.
And it was in a little shop kind of like this one that we were able to buy it.
They have furniture, exercise equipment, bags
Ooo, interesting!
A lot of this stuff comes from IKEA and Nitori and it's already prebuilt, which is nice.
Second Hand stores come in all kinds of shapes and sizes and are a great way to save money in Japan.
So I went to Book Off yesterday and look what I bought!
Tada! From Toy Story. It was 300 Yen. They're going to love that.
Luiza has no clothes right now 0-3 months. Right, no 0-3 months.
And I have no clue what size 0-3 is. Oh yea, in Japan.
So I bought a couple different sizes.
Well welcome back girls!
Hello!
So I got three because I thought you guys always cry because I buy you pink.
Is that true?!
What?! I don't cry when Mommy buys me pink.
Oh you like pink, OK.
This one for you girls.
Flour, eggs, fun.
How was school, Beccster? Good, I had club today.
You threw up?! What?
I have club today. Oh, you had club today.
What's your club?
Ba-do-mi-n-to-n, Badminton
Badminton club?! Is it fun?
Yeah. I want to see you play it sometime.
Ba-do-mi-n-to-n-ku-ra-bu
Good bye!
Hello?
Ah, this is Toad.
I'm Mario. Nice to meet you.
Oh Mario! Donkey Kong is such a big fan,
Would you talk with him?
Yes, it's Donkey Kong.
Mario here.
(Imitates Japanese)
OK, bye bye!
Bye bye!
Donkey Kong may have not made a lot of sense,
I hope that's alright.
Bye Mario.
It's me, Bye Bye Mario.
Goodbye.
This is a smile.
See you later!
So that's how we use second hand stores in Japan.
Super helpful, super useful.
How do you use them? What do you like to buy at them?
If you live outside of Japan, how are they different from second-hand used stores where you live?
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And until next time, we'll see you on Life in Japan. Bye bye.
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