100-yen shops

[Hiroyuki]

Today, I bought the following items at the 100-yen shop:

(Starting from top left to bottom right) Harusame, fukujinzuke, shio kombu, and tororo kombu.

Am I the only one who regularly buys foodstuffs at a 100-yen shop??

[easternsun]

these days there are some great 100 yen shops that sell only kitchen items. i adore them!

i can always find something that i dont need - like bamboo baskets to serve stickey rice , on "thai night" or a mini cast iron soup pot (help me if you know what this is really called - it sits on a stand and you put one of those blue flame things under it to keep the soup hot and bubbling at the table) it is also used on thai night .

generally i avoid 100 yen shops because i will buy things i dont need. like more dishes when i dont have room to store the ones i already have!

there is one exception - when i need spices that i know i am only using for one recipe - i usually get them at 100 yen because i can get just a small amount and not worry about finding ways to use the rest. almost all my christmas baking was done with spices from the 100 yen shop.

now i am feeling the urge - it is like a drug! just some pocket change and i can have new stuff!! and really the dishes are so pretty and they have such a variety.....dangerous territory for me!

[Hiroyuki]

a mini cast iron soup pot (help me if you know what this is really called - it sits on a stand and you put one of those blue flame things under it to keep the soup hot and bubbling at the table) it is also used on thai night . 

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You simply mean 鉄鍋 tetsu nabe (iron pot)?

More specifically, you can call it 一人用の小さな(or 小さい）鉄鍋 Hitori you no chiisana (or chiisai) tetsu nabe (small iron pot for one person).

[lambretta76]

I heard there were some outstanding - and huge - 100 yen shops in Tokyo - can anyone direct me to any - particularly to ones that would stock pottery and glassware (vases and table settings, preferably...)

Many thanks!

[torakris]

I heard there were some outstanding - and huge - 100 yen shops in Tokyo - can anyone direct me to any - particularly to ones that would stock pottery and glassware (vases and table settings, preferably...)

Many thanks!

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Once you get here you will have no problem finding 100yen shops!

The bigger the station the more likely the bigger the store...

Daiso (100yen chain shop) has about 2500 stores nationwide and have great stuff, this is my favorite store. There is a really large 3 story Daiso in Harajuku that is wonderful, you will find everything you are looking for and it is in a fun area to boot.

here is some more information including direction from Harajuku station

[jschyun]

On a sort of related note, Little Tokyo in Los Angeles has a 99 cent shop (the equiv of a 100 yen shop) that has got to have one of the best selections of nice bowls, plates, chopstick holders, rice presser thingies, various gadgets whose utility is unknown to me, etc. If anyone is in that area, it is worth a look, especially since it is right next to the Mikawaya shop which has 75 cent mochi ice cream treats that are kept in a special freezer so they are very soft and luscious. Oh and one of my favorite garden shop is just a block away. Got healthy young pepper plants there a month or so ago (didn't start mine from seed this year). Only $1.25 per plant! They also had tomatoes, eggplants, and chilis.

Edited May 25, 2005 by jschyun (log)

[melonpan]

On a sort of related note, Little Tokyo in Los Angeles has a 99 cent shop (the equiv of a 100 yen shop) that has got to have one of the best selections of nice bowls, plates, chopstick holders, rice presser thingies, various gadgets whose utility is unknown to me, etc.

theres one there and then there is the marukai 98 cent store in gardena. a bit larger than the one in little tokyo. from irvine, hrm... it may be _just_ about the same distance to get to gardena. lots a nice cheap household/kitchen plastics and ceramics. plus excellent selections of pens, some odd grocery items (although large portions are like $1.25 or $1.50), small cookbooks and okashi.

wish it was closer. i really prefer shopping at the japanese 99 cent stores over the american ones.

[Priscilla]

There is also a Marukai 98-Cent store in Fountain Valley.

[torakris]

On a sort of related note, Little Tokyo in Los Angeles has a 99 cent shop (the equiv of a 100 yen shop) that has got to have one of the best selections of nice bowls, plates, chopstick holders, rice presser thingies, various gadgets whose utility is unknown to me, etc.

theres one there and then there is the marukai 98 cent store in gardena. a bit larger than the one in little tokyo. from irvine, hrm... it may be _just_ about the same distance to get to gardena. lots a nice cheap household/kitchen plastics and ceramics. plus excellent selections of pens, some odd grocery items (although large portions are like $1.25 or $1.50), small cookbooks and okashi.

wish it was closer. i really prefer shopping at the japanese 99 cent stores over the american ones.

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Are these Japanese items only or is it a mix with American style things? I wonder if these are Jaapnese chains spreading overseas...?

[SuzySushi]

Are these Japanese items only or is it a mix with American style things? I wonder if these are Jaapnese chains spreading overseas...?

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Can't vouch for the Marukai 99-cent stores in California, but the two on Oahu are almost completely Japanese items except for some American candy bars & soft drinks and personal care items like cheap shampoos. The Daiei supermarkets here have 99-cent or 98-cent stores within their stores.

I too have gotten great buys there on Japanese housewares, from really nice dishes and lacquer-look chopsticks, to handy items like nigiri sushi molds, plastic food storage containers (I always check the bottom of the container for that helpful Japanese notation of whether it's microwave-safe to 140 degrees C -- and reject the ones that are only good to 100 or 120C), mesh laundry bags, thong slippers, and occasionally food items like bags of peeled roasted chestnuts or bite-size orange mochi.

As far as I know, in the USA, Japanese 99-cents stores have opened only where there's a branch of their parent company's supermarket attached or nearby, and in areas with a large Japanese-American population.

[chocomoo]

There's a Daiso here in Vancouver (well, Richmond, to be more precise) a while ago when they remade Aberdeen Centre, a Chinese mall. It's 2 floors, & pretty huge - we go there for kitchen & home supplies. I've only ever bought food there a couple of times, as I'm worried about the freshness & quality of $2 food. Oh yes, instead of it being a 100-yen shop, it is now a $2 shop. And they carry lots of pretty dishes. Most, or maybe all, of the items are made in Japan or China (mostly China).

I think I bought some cheapy okashi there, stuff like peanuts in a crunchy black sesame coating, and that mochi-like stuff that has flavours like pureed red bean, green tea, and chestnut. I have no idea what the Japanese name, only the Cantonese: "yeung gung". It's usually rectangular-shaped, soft, and always sweet.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

The Marukai in West Covina, CA has a 99 cent section at the front of the store.

Apparently there's also a Japanese 99 cent store somewhere in El Cerrito or Richmond in the Bay Area.

[sanrensho]

I think I bought some cheapy okashi there, stuff like peanuts in a crunchy black sesame coating, and that mochi-like stuff that has flavours like pureed red bean, green tea, and chestnut.  I have no idea what the Japanese name, only the Cantonese:  "yeung gung".  It's usually rectangular-shaped, soft, and always sweet.

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Are you referring to yokan?

http://store.yahoo.co.jp/kasyuan/choju3.html

I can't speak about every item, but I think you are pretty safe with the food items at Daiso. I have heard that a lot of the food items solid in Japanese 100 yen stores are simply repackaged name brand items. Regardless, even the imported items are subject to the same import standards (into Japan) as other food products. There shouldn't be anything that makes them inherently less safe than other processed foods.

[Hiroyuki]

I bought the tableware for eight people that I needed for the housewarming party at the 100-yen shop. There were many attractive, fancy items, but I ended up buying basic whitish ones.

[Chihiran]

I bought everything at hyakkins. I transferred with my husband to New York last year (we don't know how long we'll stay. companies never tell us, but 2~4 years?), and on a trip back this New Years, I bought... furikake and chopsticks. It's one store I miss.

But Hiroyuki, I've never bought actual dishes at a hyakkin. (everything else, yes. I even bought a knife once.) Do they hold up?

[Hiroyuki]

I bought everything at hyakkins. I transferred with my husband to New York last year (we don't know how long we'll stay. companies never tell us, but 2~4 years?), and on a trip back this New Years, I bought... furikake and chopsticks. It's one store I miss.

But Hiroyuki, I've never bought actual dishes at a hyakkin. (everything else, yes. I even bought a knife once.) Do they hold up?

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I'm no expert on tableware, but as a regular user of 100-yen shop tableware, I can say that I'm quite satisfied with the quality of most items. But you should be careful when buying them because there are some defective ones such as ochawan (rice bowls) that do not sit well and small plates that are not quite round.

[JumblyJu]

Most of the items at the Marukai 99 cent store in Hawaii are now $1.49. The quality of the items are not as good as they were before and they no longer carry Disney and Snoopy items.

[SheenaGreena]

the 100 yen store reminds me of this store near me. It's located within sort of a shopping mall and is run by Chinese people, but they stock a lot of cheap japanese products. They have an aisle for kitchen ware, plates, dishes, bowls, and a section for containers such as bento boxes or container's to hold your kosher salt.

I have bought the little container w/flip lid that is supposed to hold your loose salt. You usually buy it as a pair so you can have one hold sugar and the other hold salt, but I rarely use sugar. I have also bought mini tea strainers as well as things for my bathroom.

They have a lot of iron pans there that are incredibly small, like 5'' across. Does anyone know what they are for? If I can find a picture I will post it.

[Domestic Goddess]

Hi y'all! Here in Korea, our equivalent would be the 1,000 won shop which is basically the dollar store (1,000 won is roughly $1). I'll take a picture and post it here soon.

[helenjp]

Bento stuff such as chopsticks and chopstick boxes, bandanas for wrapping bentos.

Molds for making quick log-shaped onigiri - kids say they are faster to eat than flat-packed rice when they have stuff to do during lunch hour.

Filing trays for work papers.

Weird but wonderful... one of those wire mesh tea-strainer inserts for teapots. I squish it a bit, put it upside down in a big pot, and stand my Christmas pudding on it ready for boiling/steaming. It's more stable than the traditional upside-down saucer, and much cheaper than a trivet!

[kinkistyle]

There is a chain of 24-hour 99yen shops called "Shop 99" here in Osaka that sells lots of groceries and produce in small portions for 100 yen. I will often buy single onions, cups of scallions, tofu, natto (yeah I like natto alot), cheap frozen veggies and whatnot. I also buy spices, curry powder, nori seaweed and stationary and plastic boxes and tupperware when necessary.

I will also often go to small, specialty 100 yen shops that specialize in interior decorations and various "zakka" for when I want to spruce up the home or when a houseplant dies and I need a replacement.

For what its worth, 100 yen shops often will sell these little cast-iron skillets, and there is a whole site dedicated to recipes using these 100 yen skillets. Its located here:

http://100suki.collabosite.net/

Unfortunately its entirely in Japanese, but lots of cool ideas.

Edited October 18, 2006 by kinkistyle (log)

[AzianBrewer]

I normally avoid purchasing food at the .99 stores here in the States. I have noticed that some of the cookies, snacks and sauces have way passed the expiration date. Is that also the case in Japan? Or there is a higher quality control standard?

[kinkistyle]

I normally avoid purchasing food at the .99 stores here in the States.  I have noticed that some of the cookies, snacks and sauces have way passed the expiration date.  Is that also the case in Japan?  Or there is a higher quality control standard?

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Pretty fresh. The portions are small, like single onions, knobs of ginger or two heads of garlic, or 200g of steamed rice, etc... Just enough for people like me who live alone and don't really need to buy lots of groceries. The tofu is the cheap kind, but you get a nice heavy chunk. The frozen stuff is well... frozen.

The standards for quality are much much higher here in Japan, and the stores are very busy with good chains of distribution so stock is consistently being replenished.

[Hiroyuki]

I normally avoid purchasing food at the .99 stores here in the States.  I have noticed that some of the cookies, snacks and sauces have way passed the expiration date.  Is that also the case in Japan?  Or there is a higher quality control standard?

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Pretty fresh. The portions are small, like single onions, knobs of ginger or two heads of garlic, or 200g of steamed rice, etc... Just enough for people like me who live alone and don't really need to buy lots of groceries. The tofu is the cheap kind, but you get a nice heavy chunk. The frozen stuff is well... frozen.

The standards for quality are much much higher here in Japan, and the stores are very busy with good chains of distribution so stock is consistently being replenished.

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I agree with kinkistyle, but I can't speak for vegetables sold at 100-yen shops because those shops here in my rural area don't sell any vegetables.

[Hiroyuki]

Today's purchase: Oni oroshi

This type of grater is usually quite expensive. For example, this one, made of bamboo, is 1,680 yen.

I will report back after I use it for the first time.