Almost all the convenience stores in Japan are opened all year round, 24 hours, 365 days. You can find everything from pastries, snacks, bento for lunch or dinner, toothbrushes, pens, to magazines and more.  Convenience stores also have ATMs, copy machines, home delivery services. Literally, convenience stores are VERY CONVENIENT. Tokyo have at least one convenience stores near the stations so you will see a lot.

You can find many Japanese products at drug stores. Most of the drug stores in central Tokyo are duty free so it would also be a great place to get souvenirs. I can stay at a small drug store for an hour to think what I want to buy…!

Major stations in central Tokyo (e.g. Shinjuku and Ikebukuro station) have home appliances stores near the stations. Usually, a store is in a building and each floor has related products. You can enjoy shopping not only electrical products but also toys and high brand watches. If you’re lucky, you may negotiate the price and make it cheaper a little bit!

Supermarkets in Japan has many groceries at a cheaper price than other stores. You can get from foods to kitchen tools etc…! We can get almost everything of daily necessities. The stores are well structured that you can find the products easily. Most of the stores may close around 20:00 pm to 22:00 pm. Comparing to convenience stores, the prices are cheaper and product line ups are larger.

You can enjoy shopping at local greengrocers, fishmongers and butchers at shopping arcades. It is called ‘Shotengai’ in Japanese and local people gather around a lot. It is also very fun to communicate with friendly store clerks. Stores at shopping arcades are usually closed around 17:00 pm. Be careful not to visit at night. Take a look and feel local Japanese atmosphere!

Discount stores sell various products at a cheap price. It is recommendable for those who want to buy a lot and those who are looking for souvenirs at a cheap price. As you may know, biggest and most famous discount store is Don Quijote in Japan.

Major stations have department stores. Even most famous and popular one may be Mitsukoshi, all department stores have luxurious brand shops and depachika floor. At depachika floor, delicious side dishes are beautifully lined up. When you visit department stores, don’t miss the depachika on the underground floor.