Planning to go Tokyo, am wondering if I should keep a lookout to buy things back.
Definition of things:
Discuss 😀
something start with V.
hint: perfect for Valentine present.
pun intended
used undies
I found an electronic wanking machine in Akihabara.
Didn't buy it though - the price worked out to be about AUD$300!
Pretty sure it'll run well on your stockpiled eneloops.
isnt that a fleshlight?
No! I've seen a fleshlight before and this definitely wasn't it!
It was kind of like a "closed hand" with some soft material inside. And from what I understood on the pictures, the whole machine sits on the stomach and an "arm" rotates and it moves up and down.
Quite interesting because the whole thing wasn't exactly small and it wouldn't be something that anyone could really hide in a drawer after use. haha
bahahaha i'm about to go back over there.
now i've got to find one of these and get a pic hahaha
bahahaha i'm about to go back over there.
I don't remember the exact location, but it was one of the huge multi-level sex shops. It was on the corner of a paved walkway (the walkway leads out from the station) and an actual street. There's also lots of book stores around on that paved area too.
Too bad I can't send pictures in private message - I brought a couple of small funny gifts back for my mates that I think you might be interested in!
Unfortunately, I can't give you a more accurate description than that, but happy toy hunting! haha
@bobbified: "Mens SOM Version 2" is the thing i think you might be looking for, we stumbled upon it and my wife said can they not just use their left hand for something different.
You can find all sorts of normal goodies in Akihabara more toys and gadgets that you could possibly need.
Don't get trapped just walking around underground because it's cold. some things are quite easy to find and easy enough to walk to without taking the convoluted system of some of the underground tunnels (which were being reconstructed for olympics). Concierge will often send you the long way so you don't have to walk out in the elements if it's cold we asked to find a particular shop a proper pharmacy she drew on the map and we followed her directions she said this was the best way from the underground exit at the hotel, when we actually got where we were wanting to go after maybe 20 mins walking we decided to walk out the front onto the main street exit just to see what else was around only to find we were looking directly at our hotel it was literally 500m away.
"Mens SOM Version 2" is the thing i think you might be looking for
I think you're right!!! It was odd-shaped and no hands required! I thought it was a little more boxy shaped, but that could just be my memory!
http://www.somjapan.com/us/mens_som/
Nice find! Haha
@bobbified: that thing looks clunky, might have a good time explaining to customs and quarantine when they rummage through your stuff for food checks
Globalisation and e-commerce have eroded the novelty. Back in the 90s, we'd come back with all sorts of cool homewares and stationery, but now it's all available here, or on Amazon/Gearbest/Alibaba. Only interesting stuff I found was in sex shops or Don Quijote's adult section, blows our adult stores out of the water.
Totally agree, most things you can get much cheaper online. Went to Japan late last year hoping to look for a Nintendo Switch, but much more expensive than buying it online here even considering the low AUD.
That's interesting. Had a mate who went to Japan last December and got a Nintendo Switch for ~$350 AUD in the Akihabara region, which was cheaper than the cheapest local price of $375 (or there abouts).
Yes, they're around 30,000 JPY ~$360) ex. tax, which is cheaper than here, but not impressively so. IMO, just wait for a sale, then you don't have to deal with changing region, carrying a box, and using an adapter.
From what I hear and see in videos there's a lot of stuff that's not available in Oz.
Maybe not retail, but we have Daiso and Muji here now. For stationery, there's Jetpens. Toys? AmiAmi. Games? PlayAsia. The retro stores like Super Potato aren't much cheaper than importing either. Stores like that and Mandarake know exactly what their stuff is worth. Buying locally might save on shipping, but that's about it.
Are laptops cheaper in Japan by any chance?
No, they are about the same price, but you need to be careful if you're planning to buy a laptop in Japan, they use a different keyboard layout and have additional keys to switch from hiragana, katakana, Kanji and the usual alphabet.
iqos if you're a smoker.
Japan-exclusive games, especially bulkier ones?
Robotic sex dolls? Japanese are good at making those.
Nothing anime or sex toys
bummer
"Nothing anime or sex toys"
That eliminates a vast quantity of quirky good stuff Japan is famous for. Everything else can be purchased from your local Daiso or jlist.com. If you know any smokers you could get some Japan only brands of cigarettes. Really cheap over there, and you can bring back 50 smokes. Customs form says to declare anything over 25, but if the second pack is open you sail through with no tax.
a high end bidet, good, quirky and techy
Bought from Amazon. One without the need for electricity, using only water pressure. Best buy ever!
I bought one from ebay. best thing ever
Bring back good memories
Check out the robot restaurant
The misses loved the cat cafe too
The cat cafe, is that the one in Kyoto?
I heard kids cant enter cat cafe?
A Japanese Wife :)
those are nice…
One of the things in my wish list, too bad now old fat and poor so probably keep wishing. 😂
Japanese exclusive limited editions of video game consoles. The games themselves aren't so worthwhile getting (you wouldn't make a profit reselling them and if you played them yourself you'd have to be able to speak Japanese) but the consoles themselves would be - importing from PlayAsia can be expensive.
bring back one of the girls from the robot bar in shinjuku https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qol6T1ANuw
the most japanesey thing i saw therelol
It really depends on what you're really interested in. the thing I love about Tokyo/Japan is that it has everything so that whatever niche you're into, you'll find it there.
Here are a few things I can think of off the top of my head.
PlayStation Vita, PlayStation TV and Vita memory cards. Impossible to find new in Aus stores, but games are still being sold at EB games and jbhifi. Being portable, Vita games are region free.
Check out Kiddy land it's a multifloor toy store, all the latest toys and gadgets are showcased on the ground floor.
Check out Don Quijote, it's like the Dimmiys/Forges of Japan, lots of odd and random stuff there, also cheap snacks.
Check out Loft, if you like stationary then this is the place for you. Stationary is a big deal there so have a wide variety. My Japanese teacher has advised me that the trending thing at the moments are standing pencil/pen cases.
Check out Tokyu Hands, more targeted to an older audience(nothing dirty), DIY stuff and gadgets.
Check out Village Vanguard, It's meant to be a book store, but they have really quirky stuff, some may blow your mind
Check out Up Garage, for second hand JDM car parts, if you're a car enthusiast.
Look out for interesting Gottcha Gottcha machines. These are the machines you see in front of store that kids love to play, just put in money and a random toy will come out. they have many variety of stuff that comes out of them, so check them out and you might find something you find amusing. They also make great gifts for friends.
this is good, thanks
I bought a whole bunch of model cars that you need to assemble with glue. Those are fun, until you screw up.
Just get some snacks, doesn't matter what it is, they all test really good!
stopover at Singapore for 1 week on return leg so dont think the snacks would last. besides, i hate bringing food stuff back to AU. The quarantine queue and taking out everything for inspection and explaining blah blah …
i heard kit kat varieties are a good gift to bring back though
actually I brought back all kinds of kit kats last time. Not the best gift unless someone really loves kitkat. Also quruantine is more concerned about fresh food, packaged snacks are fine, they are also much better tasting than kitkat
is it? not the matcha kit kat? always thought they are a nice novelty gift.
its either food = check or no food = might check. the wait on the exit queue can be a nightmare (I waited for more than 1 hour and half from touch down till out of the airport once!)
regardless, i think its safe to say this trip we will most likely bring food back. sigh …
Tick yes to the food and when they ask you say you have lots of PACKAGED SNACKS (which is true) but NOTHING FRESH, no meat, no eggs, no milk, no seeds etc (should be true… right?). They should wave you through.
This isn't tech related quirky stuff but we'd buy those meals at the train station that comes in boxes w/ a picture wrapped and keep the boxes and frame the pictures when we got back.
eg. http://shinkansen-access.visit-hokkaido.jp/en/area/area03/im…
looks like bento box, is it? good recycle idea!
Yup! Wife and I saw it on one of those Youtube channels and thought it'd be a great souvenir considering we're not into most stuff people buy in Japan
I saw posts on whirlpool about whiskies such as Yamazaki. Reckon they are cheap and can be found in Tokyo?
not a chance…
very hard to find now days, and if you do find any they aren't at the price they were a few years ago. NAS stuff is everywhere just like they are here.
I was able to buy a few miniature bottles of hibiki 17 and hakashu 12 and chita that was it… this was October last year and this dry spell has been going a few while before that
NAS?
Whats the one that people are after? 12 y.o yamazaki … <—-?
Non Age Stamp
yamazaki 12 is the one that people buy most, probably because its the youngest of age stamp in yamazaki. 18 year old is about $600-$700 you can buy it here from dan murphys $199
there is a special one called yamazaki single malt sherry cask 2013 release. that's the one that won the awards along with hibiki 12 in 2010 that put most of the Japanese whisky into mainstream
What!?! The 18 y.o going for $600+ there but selling at Dan's for $199??
U mean the 12 y.o is going for $199 here at Dan's while the going rate for 18 y.o is $600+?
The ones that won the awards, are they in the thousands range?
Pricing is one thing, I read to be able to find them is in itself an almost impossible task at reasonable price (subjective to what people willing to pay of course)
@LurvinOZB: 12year old $199 and 18year $600-$800
opps typing too quick
and the sherry cask is about $4k
FAKE FOOD! I bought an amazing slice of chocolate cake. It looks like the real thing and I love it. But be warned they're really expensive. It cost me almost $30… Whole meals can go for around $100… but they looks amazing. They also sell smaller items like sushi for souvenirs if you want something cheaper (Kappabashi area where all the food prep supply stores are).
whats your use case for the fake food? interested to know
Leave it around to see if anyone tries to eat it. Also pretty solid so makes great paper weight. Lots of people display ugly crap I think is useless, might as well include plastic food in that category :)
Eneloops