Doing some research on shopping in Japan was an interesting experience.
But my main questions were, how exactly does one go about this process.
When shopping, you need two things at least: a store and money.
Well, Japan has plenty of stores, I assure you. To my understanding, it seems like a lot of shops are located in stations. This makes sense because of the high volume of foot traffic. Think Grand Central and all the levels of shops, but on a much, much larger scale.
Using Grand Central as an example, it's seen as a place where people commute. In Japan, stations are also that, and places to shop.
You have numerous shopping choices in Japan, many that parallel our own choices. There are dollar stores, convenience stores, smaller stores, and department stores (or, hey, vending machines are also quite popular and hold a variety of items).
I learned that a popular 100 yen store chain (nearly equal to a dollar) is called Daiso. I guess I'll have to be on the look out for that then!
However, now does one go about paying for items in Japan?
First, it's important to know the exchange rate. That's possible to look up here: http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/index.html?Intro=intro_markets
The currency in Japan is Yen, and in relationship to the dollar it was (last time I checked) 100yen was equal to 93cents.
Since we'll only be there a short time and will most likely buy all the yen we need before hand, this doesn't really matter, but right now the dollar is stronger than the yen.
For our dollar we will be able to buy more yen, which makes things actually cheaper for us to buy. However, unless you plan on dropping big bucks in Japan, this won't seriously affect us when we are over in Japan.
But it is interesting to note this from how it may affect our shopping. Therefore, using a shirt as an example.
Six months ago, it was 100yen to 1.13dollars. Now, since it is .93cents to 100yen, it is actually cheaper to buy that shirt now than it was 6 months ago.
All very confusing I know, but then, just like in America, Japan has tax.
Currently, there is a 5% consumption tax on items in Japan, but there may be an exemption to it if over 10,000yen is spent.
Now that we know about what type of shops are in Japan and the Japanese currency, how does one begin the whole shopping process?
First, for food, a alot of Japanese food is fresh and when you want food, you may even have to visit a market! Wow!
This is a really good site: http://www.digi-promotion.com/japanese-travel-phrases/japanese-phrases-shopping.html
It tells you phrases to use when buying things from a market. Japan is also on a different weight scale, so it'll be necessary to convert metric from standard and standard from metric. You'll want kilograms of produce, not pounds, and grams instead of ounces.
Now that we know about food, what about clothing? Probably one of the most trickiest things I think of shopping in Japan will be the size conversion. I'll be happy with extra apples, but not with too tight pants!
While this is mostly for women, it gives a good idea at the difference between clothing sizes: http://www.usatourist.com/english/tips/Womens-Sizes.html
Since my feet are very small (I'm a size 6), this means I'll be a Japanese size 22. Yay shoe shopping!
So, you have money and something you'd like to buy? Well, here in the United States you'd then bring your items up to the register and pay using cash or credit (perhaps a check, but they aren't used very much any more). In Japan it's very similar, and while I have not been able to find a good website for explaining sales transactions, it shouldn't be difficult.
But will you pay in cash or credit? This website does a good job explaining that for smaller establishments you should bring cash to be safe, because it's often cheaper (the stores don't have to pay transaction fees then to the credit companies) for the stores to accept only cash. http://www.cheaptraveljapan.com/japan-tourist-information/more-on-using-cash-and-credit-cards-in-japan
Hopefully this helps! About the Japanese yen to the US dollar, http://www.cheaptraveljapan.com/japan-tourist-information/more-on-using-cash-and-credit-cards-in-japan is a good site to look at to see the exchange rate, which can fluctuate every few minutes.
-Lisa
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Lisa, this is excellent! Very informative, and engagingly written. A couple of extra points:
ReplyDelete1. Traditionally, "naked" money is not passed hand to hand. At a register, you will see a tray on the counter, usually with rubber dimples on the bottom. Put your money there. Traditionally, the cashier would put the change on the tray. However, these days, sometimes they will give it to you by hand, usually with the receipt under the money.
2. People in Japan don't make small talk. I bought something at the Wawa this morning, and the cashier mentioned that she doesn't like that item. Happens all the time in the U.S., but will NEVER happen in Japan. A cashier will never ask how you are. They'll say "welcome" ("Irasshaimase."), and tell you how much the price is, and thank you, but that's about it. Customers rarely say "thank you" in return. After all, no gratitude is necessary, because (by Japanese logic) the cashier is simply doing her/his professional job. If your mother trained you to always say thank you, you can smile, nod, say "doomo," or "sumimasen," or something nice.
P.S.
ReplyDelete1. When you are buying something in a "real" store (i.e., not a "konbini" or convenience store), sales clerks will often input the final price (including tax) into a hand-held calculator and show it to you. When I first encountered this I thought they did this because I'm a gaijin, but then I saw that this was done for Japanese as well. I think it's because of the tax.
2. The tax exemption for expensive purchases applies mostly to department stores, appliance chains, and places like that. Mom-and-Pop stores and neighborhood stores are usually not equipped to process the exemption.
The information you have stated here are very well said. It's smart that people should know about these kinds of stuffs when having a Japan shopping spree. That way they can maximize their shopping experience.
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