the roads are getting nearer
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Saturday, December 10, 2005
` Saturday, December 10, 2005
Oh dear. I think either the festive season or work's got too much of an adverse effect for me to go on yet another crazed shopping spree this weekend in Tokyo. Of course, for many who have known me long enough, this not a new phenomenon.
(As a matter of fact, I did go on a yet another buying frenzy in Bangalore, for which I plead undefined insanity and would like to close the case i.e. too many thoughtless purchases to be worth a mention).
Perhaps not travelling as a tourist in Tokyo has its benefits. I have time to take in everything at my own pace. And of course, being a shopaholic, prior online research is always a necessity to sniff out the bargains in a city.
1 day of visting the ever-wonderful and affordable Odaiba isn't enough at all! The monolithic Aqua City and Decks Tokyo has unbelievably cheap stuff. I started at 11am and spent so much time in them that I didn't have any time or energy (or hands) left for Venus Fort, yet another huge mall. Whoever said Tokyo was expensive to shop in must be referring to the department stores and brand-name items, since I had absolutely no problem swiping my credit card many times over and still not feel a tremendous hole in my pocket.
For posterity, these are just some of my least regretted expenditure:
Oh. My. Goodness. Please don't ask me why I bought 2 pairs of the same in different colours. Alright, the main reason why I bought them was because of the low, low price (JPY1,050 or S$15 per pair!!!!) and the fact that the latter two are exact rip-offs of the Nine West ones I had my eyes on a couple of months back, which would've cost me S$85 per pair. I rest my case. These were from the second floor of Decks Tokyo next to Sega Joypolis. It's a real gem of a walkway of several shops selling direct import items for ridiculous prices (and I don't mean high).
Then there is a 315-yen (about S$5) shop tucked in the midst of Decks Tokyo Island Mall on the 2nd floor displaying plenty of frivolous items like these for one fixed price. The only reason why I bought the soft toys is because they would've cost a bomb in Tokyo Disneyland and I'd like to smirk about restraining myself there and then. The alarm clocks are for genuinely practical reasons, as my sister will be the recipient of the duplicate.
Okay, I admit to having an insatiably bizarre appetite for Zara fashion. After catching Memoirs of a Geisha at the Virgin Toho cinema at Roppongi Hills, I strutted into the shop 10 minutes into their closing time. As expected of superior Japanese service standards, they were gracious enough to let me try on 2 pieces and tada, this paisley-ish top landed in my shopping bag in no time, even though it looks like the type of top I'd wear once and decide it's too OTT for daily parade. Noted though, that the pieces featured at the store were far more attractive and varied as compared to what we're seeing back home, possibly due to the stronger spending power of the Japanese, which also translates into higher prices.
And my most frivolous of all purchases: these adorable mini Care Bears. I saw them at Sony Station (which surprisingly, is more like a mini fashion store rather than being electronics-centric) and suddenly, I felt like a little child all over again. They retailed at about S$18 each, which is rather expensive but it's one of those days you keep telling yourself over again that it's the festive season and it was alright to be light-headed (diplomatic term for dense or daft).
This is just one Saturday's worth of shopping. I'm heading to Harajuku for the Daiso 100-yen store. God knows what madness will overwhelm me then. But admittedly, it's been alot of fun. At this point, I reckon joining Shopaholics Anonymous will be a waste of my shopping time. Save me.