The website is:
http://www.coldwatercreek.com/

Use offer code: WXH6419 when prompted at checkout to get the 50% off your total. The sale is until 12/28.

Happy shopping!

Recommended by SS on the Frugal Japan mailing list.

For used books, the mother of all shops is, of course, Book Off. This mega-chain has over 900 stores (500 franchises), and sells the bulk of Japan’s used books. They will buy your used books (sorry, Japanese books only!) and pick them up from your house if necessary. Their stores are also a great place to browse (what better place to pick up cheap cookbooks, magazines, maps, or even novels to study Japanese?), and they even offer CDs and DVDs at some locations now. For foreign used books, in addition to the old favorite Good Day Books in Ebisu (), an online option is available in the form of http://www.infinitybooksjapan.com (formerly Caravan Books). They also offer book purchase and credit services.

Used clothing in gaijin adult sizes can be rather hard to find at the average Japanese “recycle shop” (and do you really want what the have to offer), but used children’s clothes *are* usually a good bargain. A good time to shop is “moving season” (usually March in Japan, right before corporate transfers and the new school year starts), and also “koromogae” season (koromoeage means – usually around April/May or October/November when the seasons change and people empty out their closets. Many towns and cities have one or two used children’s clothing stores, sometimes in a larger mall or complex. You can search online (enter the Japanese “kodomo fuku risaikuru” in Google, along with your city name) for the location, or choose one of the many online retailers. Man will also accept clothes for sale.

Finally, electronics! In particular, PCs. Although new PCs are getting cheaper and cheaper these days, there is still a vibrant market for used PCs in Japan. The largest retailer of used PCs in Japan is Sofmap, which sells more used PCs than new. Most of its PCs are less than two years old, including some very new models even released just a season go. Looking for a simple laptop to do email, word processing, Internet surfing, and a few other basic applicatons? Sofmap offers a Japanese brand 800Mh, 256MB, 15GB hard drivewith a CD-ROM drive and Windows already installed for Y47,800. A 2.93GHz, 512MB, 300G hard drive Valuestar with a huge 17″ monitor and DVD multi-drive and TV tuner (i.e. a “multimedia PC you can use as a TV and DVD player as well) is only Y143,800. You can add a 3-year warranty for used PCs as well for Y7500. Check out http://www.sofmap.com for more information!

When you shop smart, “recycled” goods can be quite a bargain sometimes!

© 2006 Wendy J. Imura.

The first problem is finding shoes. In case you were not aware, standard women’s shoe sizes in Japan range from 22.5-24.5 cm. (For ladies who don’t need to spend every day in dainty flats or pumps, try looking at the men’s department in discount shoe stores. I’ve gotten good deals on casual shoes (sneakers) for 25.0cm sizes here.) For men, the shoe sizes usually stop at around 28cm, or sometimes 29 cm. If you have feet larger than that, your options are limited to one of the few stores for large sizes, mail order within Japan or abroad, or simply stocking up at home. The prices for high-quality leather shoes in Japan are typically 2-3x those abroad, if not more. That said, I have found a few good quality shoe sources in Japan.

1) Womens’ Shoes: Benebis Mail Order by Belle Maison

http://www.bellne.com/pc/special/benebis/bnbs_top.htm)

Benebis, a high-quality mail order company, makes a variety of sturdy yet fashionable shoes, mostly in leather designs for dress and casual attire. Their catalog sizes on most styles go up to 25.5 or 26.0 cm, and a few shoes might be even larger. Their shoes also have a large range of widths, from D through 4E. Most pairs range in price from 4000-8000, with a few more expensive. What’s more, these shoes are extremely comfortable — with special pressure points and padding to make standing or walking long distances much easier. They also have great boots for winter. I own 5 pairs of these shoes, and will probably buy more. Good quality for a more reasonable price than downtown Tokyo shoe shops and department stores.

2) Mens and Women’s Shoes: Shoes-Ten
Shoes-Ten, a big-girls and big-boys shoe store, has both an online and brick-and-mortar presence, and also sends out mail-order catalogs for ladies’ and men’s shoes. Prices range between 5000-14,000 yen, with the higher-end products being brand-name shoes and sneakers. They stock sizes from 25cm or higher for women, and 27cm or higher for men. One example was a pair of 30cm black converse trainers for 5,044 yen. The store itself is located in West Shinjuku, a two-minute walk from the Shinjuku-nishi Station Exit D-5. The store holds a sale twice annually. (Again, while the prices are not cheap, the relative costs must be considered vs. the other options: importing from abroad, or traveling home to buy shoes.)

3) Outlets
The third option is special shopping at outlet malls (such as Machida’s Grandberry Mall) or Costco, which occasionally receives shipments of larger sized shoes. The outlet malls feature familiar brand names and often familiar prices, while Costco may have Kirkland brand shoes or whatever shipment happened to arrive. Your timing has to be right, but there is the possibility of some good bargains.

While still in the 6000-9000 yen/pair range, shoes from these sources are still cheaper than those mail ordered from abroad or purchased at a specialty retail shop. In my experience, the purchase of a sturdy good-fitting pair of shoes (even if expensive) might save money in the long run if the shoes last for years.

Once you’ve found a good pair of shoes, it’s vital to keep them in good shape. Fortunately, Japan is blessed with an abundance of shoe repair shops, many of them conveniently located in subway stations, outside large supermarkets, or tucked in small shops. Even department store shoe departments can point you in the right direction.

To do a “Frugal Shoe Check,” take off your shoes, and look at them at eye level. Are the heels worn down in a particular way (usually to the right or left)? Is the top stitching worn or broken? Is the leather fading or torn? Are the toes scuffed? A good shoe repair shop can address all of these
concerns.

I resole my two workhorse pairs of shoes every year, usually for about 700-Y800 a pair. I’ve had my favorite red leather loafers restitched and colored, recovering another two years’ worth of wear for 1600 yen. Finally, I even had an old pair of black pumps made over — resoled, leather siding on the heel replaced, toe restitched and burnished to a fine shine. At 2800 yen, that was an expensive
shoe repair, but still 1/5th of the cost of a new pair of shoes. In short, paying a little for maintenance of shoes seems (for me at least) to lengthen their lifespan significantly.

In the end, it’s a question of cost. Buying a pair of shoes in Japan might cost twice what the same pair would cost at home. If you are headed home already and can purchase appropriate shoes in a limited amount of time (no impulse buying), then by all means go ahead. But for those without that
option, taking a look at the domestic choices might not be a bad idea.