Japan » Shopping in Tokyo

Modern Japanese supermarkets are organised much in the same way as their western counterparts. They offer all kinds of goods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood, meat, tofu, pickled, dried and canned food, bread, dairy products, snacks, ready-to-eat meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and household articles.

The goods are usually beautifully presented and of excellent quality. Also the cashier system is well organised and efficient. The packages and portions in Japanese supermarkets are usually smaller than comparable packages sold in Europe or North America in particular; nevertheless, they are rarely cheaper. On the other hand, traditional Japanese foodstuffs can be relatively inexpensive.

There are several department store chains in Japan. The largest shopping zones in Tokyo are Shinjuku, Ginza, and Shibuya, where several department stores can be found there side by side.

Many floors of most department stores feature women's clothes. On basement floors one can usually find a food department while one or more floors in the top of the building are restaurant floors featuring various restaurant types: Japanese, Chinese, Western, etc.

The service in a Japanese department store is excellent. Personnel stand ready everywhere in order to greet the customers. Many elevators are operated by elevator ladies who announce the floors and open and close doors. The goods are presented very beautifully, and much care is given to the nice wrapping of purchased merchandises.

Every department store chain closes its stores on one day during the week. On weekends and most national holidays, all the department stores are usually open since Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are the most popular shopping days.Some of the largest department store chains are; Mitsukoshi, Takashimaya, Seibu Daimaru, Matsuzakaya, Tobu, Odakyu and Tokyu.