Today we have come to my favorite Japanese home improvement store.
There's all kinds of fun goodies hidden inside.
[Life in Japan Theme Song]
Ok, so it's hard to even walk into the store because right in front are the plants, and I just love plants.
Kuroganeya is a chain of stores that operates across Japan, but our favorite one of them all is only 15 minutes away from us by car.
I think these are plum blossoms.
They're plum or sakura. Oh, so pretty, huh?
Start envisioning where everything can go.
Japan has it’s own unique solutions for everything, and at Kuroganeya you can discover some of them.
Oh boy. Ok, so they have like farming stuff.
I don't know what. Bags of potatoes? I don't know what they are for? Are they to plant or to eat?
Thats a good question. I'm assuming they are to plant.
Then they have all the small hand tools that you need for gardening.
All the insecticides,
One thing that I find very interesting is this.
They lay this black stuff down so that weeds can't grow.
Well, this looks like turf.
I don't know what it is, I don't know what its for, but it's really cool.
If you need something for home and garden, chances are you can find it at Kuroganeya.
Often the biggest challenge is just finding what you need.
Then I'm always very thankful for pictures on things, because,
If I have a problem with my flowers or plants, I come and look
Oh! That's what mine looks like.
Then I can buy the appropriate medicine. The appropriate response.
Row after row of stuff. Oh boy!
And then as probably a lot of you know, stationery is my downfall. I just love stationery.
And my kids love stationery. So if my kids come to this store, they spend a lot of time in this area.
And it's great because this store is not too far from my house,
And we can come get school supplies in a pinch if we need it.
And if you've ever been to Kuroganeya, you know that the music is something very special.
Very Japanese.
If you're older or a first time driver,
You need these stickers on your car. That's right.
Thankfully its been a while since we've had our license so we don't need it anymore.
When you start walking the aisles, you start envisioning how your life could be different with the products they show.
Yes, they’re counting on you finding something you can’t live without.
I need this for the side of my bed.
Side of our couch?
Oh, these are cool.
Oh yeah. All kinds of fun stuff.
Silvia has one of these for her camping.
You can put all your dishes in it and hang it up.
So, throughout the store there are little nits and crannies with camping - they are kind of spread out everywhere.
But this is like the main aisle for camping and they just have everything you need.
From your stoves and grills,
Charcoal in bulk.
Canopies and chairs and blankets.
They have it all.
And the problem is, you come and you think, oh, I better buy this because I'm going to need it.
And then you end up buying all this stuff
And then you only camp one time a year and you have to store all this stuff.
I've never seen a place that cares so well for their pets as well as Japan does.
And I mean, it feels like you are shopping for kid supplies.
But it's rows of dog and cat stuff.
There's diapers, mats, I mean, there's everything you could want.
Look!
You can get pink ones, blues ones, or military.
Nate would probably get that if he had a dog because he likes camp.
Oh my goodness. Look at these dogs!
It's just hilarious to me. I just got my kids out of diapers, I don't want a dog in diapers.
If we were to get a pet, I’m sure we’d end up buying supplies here.
I have bought many shelving units here, because,
They have quite the supply and all sizes.
And, it just a fun store to come shop at.
As we go through the store, you can see how each section has its own personality that matches the products they sell.
So they have home organization, everything you need to organize your bathroom,
Everything to organize your storage units,
Everything! I mean its kind of like a home supply store,
Plus, at one end its all lumber and things to build stuff. I don't know, I don't build.
So, but it's still fun to look through and you can smell all the wood.
I love the smell of fresh wood.
In Japan, we all hang our clothes out on our balconies.
So you get these long polls and you put them out.
Then you hook your laundry hanging things, hangers, to it.
And they have really amazing hangers because everything hangs outside and needs to stay on even with the wind.
So they all clamp.
See, you push it like this, you put it on the poll, and it holds the hanger on.
I mean, your clothes might fly off, but the hanger will not move.
Look at that one's intense. 20 different arms that come out.
My goodness. It's the octopus.
They have a great selection of kitchen items.
So like here you can buy nabe - the pots for the nabe.
And, they are just so beautiful. These clay pots.
Then you have all your regular pots and pans, all your coffee carafes,
Water dispensers.
Oh, I need to buy stuff for my...to make Tonkatsu.
Oh, for Tonkatsu?
Yes because, you go getting out all the little crumbs that fall in the oil. So it keeps the oil clean.
I need this.
We've got our first purchase.
This is all stuff for sushi, and rice. These are the little mats you roll your sushi out in.
Then these are just beautiful for putting your food in.
All the wooden stuff is just so amazing.
These are buckets that you can put water in and take a bath. Because you sit on the little stools,
Before you get into the bath, you take a shower, outside of the tub,
To get all washed off, then you just go in the tub to soak.
So you are all clean already so everyone can use the same water.
That's smart.
They have kid ones. Little ampanman ones.
The longer we’ve lived here, the more we’ve discovered some of the Japanese products that help make life here more convenient.
So, it's very humid, not so much now in the winter, but in the summer.
In Japan, it is very humid in our houses,
So we buy these packets,
And they have little beads in them that absorb the water,
And it just collects water, so it's really fun to put them around your house and see water collecting.
And then they have all types of dehumidifying things for your closet.
You can hang them between your clothing, you can put them inside your drawers.
They have these - I actually bought this - you put it underneath your futon,
And it absorbs all the moisture
And then you just dry it out in the morning and use it again at night. And it works wonderfully.
I'm always amazed at how cheap theses pots are.
This is on sale. My goodness! That is very cheap.
This one is a little more expensive, but I think it is heavy duty.
Oh yeah, that is like cast iron or something, huh?
Before I knew about this store I would go to Daiso to buy packing material,
But you buy like this much for 1 dollar.
Well here you can buy it in rolls. It's glorious.
Rolls, glorious rolls and rolls!
Man, I should buy one of these for my kids for Christmas sometime.
They would love it! All the popping.
It would be like the best Christmas gift ever.
Boxes are very expensive here. [Here in Japan]
I don't know if it's because you have to pay to get rid, throw them away and everything too.
I find boxes very expensive.
One of the best things about Japan are the heated toilets.
You can't go wrong.
I would not be able to live without my washlet now.
Oh there, that one.
And they have work clothes. And like out door gloves and warm supplies.
They're probably for work, but...
This reminds me a lot of a store called Farm and Fleet in the States.
Where they just sell like farm supplies, and a bunch of stuff, kind of like this. Very similar.
They have an interesting assortment of shoes.
They sure do.
Then you get into all your tools.
Oh boy.
Which, in another life, I would have a wood shop work area.
All your tool boxes, extension cords - heavy duty extension cords.
I like your strainer pointer.
Yep, I've come here before for a screw.
If anything, home improvement stores have had a boost in activity during the pandemic.
With people stuck inside more, they’ve turned to home projects to keep themselves busy.
You know, I think I really need a drill.
A drill, yeah, huh?
Oh, I would love a little saw.
Oh, and an electric sander.
Maybe our next house we can have some space and Ruth can have her tool shed.
Look at all the drill bits.
I would love a band saw.
A band saw? What would you do with a band saw?
You can cut out little things, make...
Could you make Tonkatsu with it? Probably could.
This is impressive. This is impressive.
Look at the lights and the fans.
It's like all of a sudden, crackers and snacks? Snack aisle.
I guess if you are working with power tools, you get hungry.
That's right. Those are like pretzel bites.
And Japan. Alright Japan.
Oh, a mailbox. Oh yeah.
Ruth loves imagining what would be possible with her own little workshop.
Perhaps in the future she’ll have one!
Oh boy. Oh my.
Oh, look at all these. You could make so many cute things with this.
Oh, look at all the wood.
Oh, and it smells, so good. It does.
Beautiful. Look at that.
What would you do with all this wood?
I'd find something to do with it. Yes, you probably would.
You know what I thought about doing for Joshua, is buying one of those big metal industrial shelving
And have 2 layers for Mario, and then I could store stuff on top.
So, if you come to this store, what would be your favorite section to shop in?
Please comment below and let us know.
And don't forget to like and subscribe. We'll see you next time.
And if you made it in here without any problem, well, you still have to get out.
Oh my goodness.
These are beautiful. Pretty flowers.