Gently used

I've heard rumors about Japanese second hand stores for years.  But I have never been to one.  They aren't exactly obvious and the name isn't Goodwill here.  If you take your time, many treasures can be found at second hand stores and I wanted to see what Japanese goods I could find.

There are two second hand stores in Nerima.  One is called Off House and the other Hard Off.  Off House specializes in household  goods like dishes, clothing, children's toys, and things for the house.  Hard Off is for electronics, musical instruments, media (CDs, DVDs, and so forth), and the like.  Luckily for me, they are housed in the same building, just separated onto different floors.

As soon as I walked into the two story store, my first impression was one of surprise.  It didn't smell like a second hand store at all.  It was the tidiest, most organized second hand store I have ever been in - and I've been to many over the years.  Each section was well organized and smaller items were wrapped in plastic (the Japanese way with everything - wrap it in plastic) and placed in bins. 

My son wanted to look at toys and I couldn't believe how neat and clean the aisle was.  I'm used to the toy section being trashed.  However, it was so organized and easy to peruse.  My son picked out a couple items and we continued to walk through the store. 

There were also lots of collectibles for sale.  For the most part, I just scan them and move on.  However, my son got really excited about the Buzz Lightyear.  I'm guessing it was a limited edition of some sort, as the price tag was over $100!

I was really tempted by the vase selection.  There were so many old Japanese vases that I thought were so beautiful.  But I didn't indulge myself because I don't really need new vases!  Same with the purses.  Everything was in such great condition and pretty good prices, but I don't need more purses.

The kimono section was exciting.  It was small, but the fabrics were incredible.  The fabric can easily be transformed into something else.  I just need a project in mind before I buy something like that, no matter how exciting.  Otherwise it will just sit around forever collecting dust.

We peeked upstairs at all the electronics, but didn't stay long because I can only handle so many requests to take things home before I get annoyed.  My son is really into music right now and the firs thing I saw at the top of the stairs was instruments.  We hadn't left the stair before he was pointing out drums and guitars.  I wouldn't mind buying these for him, but not while we share walls with neighbors.  The second floor, even though it was a separate store, was equally well organized.  I'd imagine anyone could find whatever they were looking for if it was there.

We walked out of the store with a new game, a magnet toy, a puzzle, and a small Lego set.  It was much more than I would have spent in the US (¥2400/$22), but everything was in pristine condition.  Even the boxes were perfect!

This visit only made me want to explore more second hand shops.