Frugal Shopping in Tokyo: My Must-Buy Treasures

이번 여행을 마치고 돌아왔을 때, 공항에서 추가 수하물 요금을 낼 뻔했어요… “이번에는 꼭 알뜰하게 쇼핑해야지”라고 다짐했는데, 도쿄는 정말 가로등까지 사고 싶게 만드는 마법 같은 매력이 있더라고요.

I’ll tell you the story of why I bought these treasures, emptying my wallet!

“이건 단순한 간식이 아니라 예술 작품입니다.” – 뉴욕 퍼펙트 치즈

Anyone who’s been to Tokyo Station knows that place where people line up like a war is going on.

This is it. At first, I thought, “All snacks are the same,” but one bite and I was completely shocked.

The crispy cookie is filled with cheese and cream, and the sweet-salty balance is just… Wow, this is incredible.

I went at 10 a.m. and saw it sold out just a few people behind me.

I regretted it on the plane, thinking, “Oh, I should’ve bought three more boxes.”

And time flies when you step into Don Quijote.

If you go to Tokyo and enter Don Quijote, turn off your phone clock first.

Before you know it, two hours have passed.

I recently bought the “Pino Hair Pack” and the “Melano CC Essence,” and my hair is silky smooth these days.

My friends say my skin looks glowing after buying some of those sheet masks that all the Japanese MZ people are using.

They’d catch me adding them to my shopping cart after hearing, “I heard they’re only sold in Japan.” (But they’re really cheap!)

You could say Tokyo is dominated by Chiikawa and Sanrio these days.

Actually, I wasn’t really interested in characters.

But the moment I locked eyes with those cute plush dolls at Harajuku Kiddy Land… I came to my senses and saw a bunch of Chiikawa keychains dangling from my bag.

I tried to convince myself, “Oh, this is a gift for my niece,” but I actually bought them to keep by my bedside. There’s nothing wrong with cute things, right?

I also stopped by Itoya, a stationery store in Ginza that’s been around for over 100 years.

There, I bought a fountain pen that even engraved my name and a high-end version of an erasable ballpoint pen.

Honestly, I wonder who writes by hand these days, but seeing those beautiful designs gave me a groundless confidence that I should start writing a diary every day. I gave one to each of my coworkers as a gift, and they even complimented me on my sense of style!

Here’s one more shopping tip…

Please, go to Don Quijote early in the morning or early in the morning!

If you go at night, you’ll have to wait in line for over an hour just to check out, and your legs might disappear.

And always keep your passport in your pocket! The 10% tax refund is a nice bonus, so you can use that money to buy another convenience store pudding.

Hearing about my shopping story makes you want to book a ticket to Tokyo, don’t you?

My wallet is lighter, but my heart feels safe! (Until the credit card bill comes, of course… 😂)

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