Shopping in Town (Bao Bao & More!)
When it comes to shopping I am very specific about what I want to buy in each country. I am not really one who will browse department stores looking to see if there is something to buy. I always end up buying nothing.
In Japan, I zoom in on Japanese designer Issey Miyake. You can find his trademark Pleats Please at most major department stores or standalone stores at malls like Tokyo Skytree. When shopping Issey Miyake in Japan, apply for a member’s card for free. This will give you credits with each purchase which you can use to offset your next purchase. And after this discount, you will still get your VAT refund. This membership card is only valid at the standalone stores. At department stores like Takashimaya and Daimaru, foreigners can go to the customer service counter to either get a discount card (Takashimaya) or discount vouchers (Daimaru). And again you get VAT refund on top of these discounts.
Unlike Pleats Please which is readily available, Bao Bao bags by Issey Miyake can be elusive to unfamiliar shoppers. At department stores like Takashimaya in Shinjuku (same for Takashimaya in Osaka), you need to be there before the store opens to get in the queue for a lucky draw. Lucky shopper will get a number which determines your priority to choose a bag to buy! Eg if you get 1, then you will be the first and 10 means you will be the 10th. If there are more in the queue than the number of bags they have that day, you could end up with a blank piece of paper.
Bao Bao has a standalone boutique near Tokyo Station. When I went past it on Saturday morning, there was already a long queue of tourists. Here it is first come first serve basis.
I headed for the Issey Miyake store slightly further at Marunouchi. On weekday evenings when I went, they still had stock and there was no queue. But when I went by this store on a Saturday morning, there was a queue here too. Well these bags in the evenings could be leftovers from the morning crowd, but who cares! So long as I get my bag. Each person is only entitled to buy 2 pieces per day. If you want to buy more like me, either come back again or bring a friend with you. I suggest checking through the Issey Miyake Store listing to decide which store is more convenient for you before starting your shopping adventure.
Bao Bao by Issey Miyake – My loot from this trip
These Bao Bao bags cost about 40% cheaper than if I were to buy them in Singapore and they have much more variety and choices in Japan. I find them to be great casual bags.
Another must buy for me in Japan is cosmetics from Cle de Peau. I love their loose powder and powder foundation. Somehow their color suits me. And they cost again half the price of what I need to pay in Singapore. I always stock up my supply during each trip as cosmetics have a long shelf life.
Shopping at the Airport:
We flew back from Haneda airport this trip. Our last trip out from Narita in Dec 2014, we were able to get our favorite Potato Farm potato sticks. But this trip, it was sold out at Haneda. Incidentally it was the same at Osaka airport when we were there several months back. It seems the Chinese are carting them away in cartons! Anyway, since I couldn’t get the potato sticks, I bought some of their potato chips instead. But I still like the sticks better.
Fortunately, another of our must buy, the Hokkaido White Lovers Chocolate was available. Yippee! The White Lovers Chocolate is only a fraction of the price we pay in Singapore. Another good chocolate to buy is Royce. I normally buy them too, but did not this trip.
One unexpected good buy at the airport this trip is the Beats headsets for our boys. We paid around JPY30,000 for the Beats Studio which was about SGD100 cheaper than if we were to buy them in Singapore. For that price, we can only buy the lower end Beats Solo in Singapore.
Our purchases from the airport
Flight Home:
We were flying Business, so I had made used of SQ’s Book a Cook to pre-order my meal. I was dying to try their Chirashi Sushi. The Japanese bento I had from my flight from Singapore to Tokyo was only so so. But I figured for flights out of Tokyo, they must be better. The Chirashi Sushi did not disappoint. This is going to be my choice meal out of Tokyo from now on!
Chirashi Sushi, SQ Business Class Book-A-Cook meal
8/11/2017 -Update:
For a 2017 update on shopping for Bao Bao bags, pls refer to my updated post: Tokyo & Hakone, Sept 2017 – Shopping in Shinjuku.