The 100-Yen Wonderland

Posted on 11/30/2021 Last updated on 01/06/2022

I hate to shop. Mind you, I like getting new and exciting things, but I dislike the idea of having to go to a store and walk around looking at things and having to decide what to get. However, shopping at a Daiso in Japan is something different for me. It is like I’ve been transported to another dimension. No joke! Daiso is one of couple 100-Yen stores or “Dollar Stores” that can be found all over Japan. Much like second-hand shops, 100-Yen stores are a Japan newcomer’s best friend.

At Daiso, most products are sold for, you guessed it, 100 Yen (plus tax). Each Daiso store houses over 50,000 products on average and ranges in categories such as household, beauty, grocery, stationary, car-care, gardening and more. Having been transported into this rabbit hole of things I want, things I need and things I just feel it would be fun to have, here’s a list of items I recommend you get from your local Daiso store in Japan!

Stationary

It’s hard to select just a single item from this category, so I will suggest the entire stationary section for our first list of items. There are a lot of bookstores in Japan where you can buy stationary. However, when shopping at Daiso, you get just about the same quality of products at much cheaper prices.

I’ve never gone to a Daiso store without buying something from the stationary aisle(s). You will always find something you just have to get, from pencil points for your mechanical pencil to whiteboards of varying sizes.

Cleaning Products

This is another category that’s hard to just pick one product from, so I’m suggesting the entire lot. Daiso has a wide range of cleaning products for just about everything and everywhere that requires cleaning. Products for cleaning your bathroom, kitchen, floor, car or even your body!

What’s also amazing is that there is no guessing if you can use a product to clean a particular thing or surface because most of their cleaning supplies are surface-specific, and clearly labeled as such. For example, they have cleaning pads specifically for wooden floors, refrigerators, ceramic tops, wooden counter tops, and so much more.

Toilet Air Freshener

These aren’t just ordinary air fresheners. Yes, they have those as well, but these are just super handy and cute. Because of how Japanese toilets are built, this air freshener/cleaner uses the water used to refill the tank to dispense the liquid inside. Plus, they sell refill packs. “Sugoi ne!” indeed!

Plushy Toys

If you live in Japan or have any idea about Japan then you’re likely aware of Japan’s cute culture. Hence, your home, car, handbag or backpack wouldn’t be complete without a cute plushy toy. Of course, I just had to get a couple for my car, home and backpack. Some even double as pillows!

Light-up Mirror

This next product was just a lucky find that I am still super proud of. It’s a light-up mirror. It’s super handy. Yes, my bathroom sink has a mirror and proper lighting. But with this bad boy, I can sit somewhere like on the balcony and shave. Voila! I have a mirror, proper lighting and as a bonus I don’t have a messy bathroom sink to clean.

Fake (or Real!) Plants

If you live in apartment, you might not have the luxury of being able to plant flowers on the property or even have garden space. At Daiso you can find fake or really beautiful real flowers to beautify your home.

On my first trip to Daiso, I actually bought a real plant to beautify my apartment, have something to take care of and just to add a little life to my apartment. The fake plants aren’t half bad though, and you won’t have to worry about watering them!

Savings Cans

If you do not know Japanese currency, here’s a quick breakdown of their money; 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 are in coins and 1000, 5000 and 10000 are in notes. Saving is an important life hack and these saving cans make that process relatively easy. With saving cans from Daiso, you know you which currency to save and how much you’ll get based on the can you purchase.

Space Savers

I think this can be categorized as a type of item, even if its purposes is to store other items! There are space savers for many different areas. I’ve bought space savers for my kitchen draws, my closet, inside my car, or for little items I sometimes use and just need an area for them. Being in Daiso and seeing all these products might cause you to buy space savers for your space savers!

Puzzle Mats

You can’t use these mats everywhere (I would not recommend them on tatami) but they are perfect for hard surfaces where you will stand for a long time. For example, I use these inside my kitchen where I stand by the stove and kitchen sink for extended periods. They are also easy to clean (and easier to replace in case of accidents!)

Manual Vegetable Shredder

This was a good buy from my local Daiso. It’s so practical; instead of chopping vegetables or seasoning on a chopping block, I can just put them in this product and pull the string a couple times. Like magic, my vegetables/seasoning are shredded.

Which one of these products did you like the best? Daiso is somewhere you definitely want to go if you visit Japan, but it’s a must if you live in Japan. There’s range of products at very, very, very low prices and the quality is shockingly good. Along with the items/categories mentioned, this treasure trove has something for everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Have fun while shopping and enjoy this wonderland of products without worrying about costs!

Photo Credits:

Top Image: Irasutoya

Previous Version: Kuha455405 licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Wikimedia Commons Link

Additional photos provided by Kedon Henry