if the minimum wage in japan is $47us per day then how in the world is everything in japan so expensive? in the past, people have informed me that tokyo is a very entertaining city but be prepared to empty out your wallets because even a bowl of ramen can cost you around $10.00us. i exchanged $1000.00us into yen at the narita airport currency exchange, so i'm hoping i can budget myself till thursday.
today we roamed around shibuya and harajuku (both fashion capitol of japan) to see what the japan shopping experience was like. name brands that are imported from other countries typically cost 30%-50% more than what it would cost back in the states. nike air force ones and nike dunks cost around $250-300us, but often what attributes to the high price tags is due to exclusive models only found here in japan. there are plenty of styles and colors that are specifically released in japan and will never be available in the states unless you go through japanese web-sites or auction sites like ebay. street hustlers holding laminated photos of products will solicit you every chance they get. majority of these hustlers are from jamaica and most of them can speak japanese and english fluently. if you're interested, they'll ask you to follow them to their store located along alleys off the main streets. if you're not interested, they'll follow you for about 2 blocks harassing the hell out of you. one of our missions in harajuku was to locate the bathing ape store. we knew bathing ape was located in harajuku but wasn't exactly sure where specifically. we made attempts to ask some of the locals but they they were reluctant to speak to us because they seemed intimidated to carry a conversation with us in english. we eventually reached our destination (a very very secluded area) but ended up not buying anything because one t-shirt costs around $90us and a pair of shoes costs around $300us. most high end stores in japan will not allow you to photograph the products inside the store and wont even allow you to photograph the outside of the store (go figure). we ended our harajuku adventure by eating at a local restaurant specializing in open grill meat sticks. the banner plastered on the window advertises a variety of meats served on skewers for $1100yen. we walked in, ordered, ate, drank, and enjoyed a very delicious food. the check came, ended up paying $7,600yen, and was dumbfounded. our expression towards each other was 'what the eff just happened'?
we asked some of the locals where the best areas are to go clubbing and most of them suggested roppongi. roppongi is an area where all the expats and foreigners frequent. the japanese who work in roppongi are required to speak some amount of english. subways are no longer in service after midnight so our only way of transportation was by taxi. our twenty minute taxi ride to roppongi cost $3,000yen. sigh, roppongi here we come. just like every part of japan, the jamaican hustlers are there with open arms to solicit you. they hold flyers and business cards advertising all you can drink for $10,000 yen to $30,000 yen and promises that there will be girls with gigantic titties. we know their job is to scam the foreigners, so no thank you mr jamaican hustler! we walked into the first club that didn't require cover. the club was small and was filled with foreigners and not so good looking japanese girls. two bottles of heneiken costs $2,100yen and one bottle of water costs $700yen. it's no wonder the club didnt charge an entrance fee. the second club we hopped to, we were fortunate enough to mingle with one of the bar-maids. her name was kumi and judging by her accent we discovered she was from australia. she was openly honest with us and informed us roppongi is old news, and we needed to be in shibuya at club vuenos. so we jumped into another cab ($1,500yen) and we get to shibuya station. the club is located on a very discreet small road. cover is $3,000yen, can't bring drinks from outside, and you get patted down by a bouncer. the club is impressive compared to the previous ones and its even impressive compared to some of the clubs back in the states. the two story club is filled with japanese locals and majority of them didn't know a lick of english. hip hop was the only music genre bumping from the speakers and midway through the night a local japanese rap group performed a live show for the restless crowd. the male patrons inside were all dressed like they were part of 50 cents g-unit click. fitted caps cocked to the side, baggy pants, baggy shirts, cubic-z pendants, bandannas, and what ever else that would make them look like crips. it was not a pleasant sight.
trying to figure out the subway station in shinjuku
Shibuya 109, a popular and trendy place for mostly Japanese young women to shop (12F total)
sales signs advertised everywhere
every
girl's
dream
shoes, clothes, accessories... clothes are not cheap here
an electronic store just outside of 109. multiple floors of electronics, ranging from mp3's to computers
shibuya, fashion center of japan
variety of shoes displayed outside the store window
the most gangsta rapper in japan
more sale
before
after
unlike back in the states, space is limited in japan. stores are often found stacked on top of another
sega stores are located in major cities of japan. this particular sega venue carries various games such as claw machines, arcades, pachinko, and real black jack tables
indoor smoking are allowed in restaurants, stores, and even kids area
ladies powder room inside the sega store
albert posing for the camera and a not so good looking japanese girl on his right
a descent looking japanese sipping on a cup of joe
shibuya 109-2 store right across the street from shibuya 109. first floor offers hello kitty accessories and tokidoki-hello kitty hybrid purses.
just way too many people in japan
where's albert? we lost albert a couple of times because he blends in so well with the locals. =P
harajuku. fashion for youth, gothic, punk, rock, and hip-hop
a main shopping street in harajuku. this area is the equivelant of chicago's michigan ave
high end stores include luis-v, chanel, gucci, prada, and many more
more shoppers gather as the day turns dark
meat on a sticks are very yummy
the price isn't as yummy
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