Question:
hello friends i heard japan is not famous for shopping
i heard usa has world biggest shopping malls and canada :) what aboUT JAPAN JAPAN IS NUMBER ONE HITECH CITY
how is shopping in japan is all necessary shopping all available in japan example like clothes toys etc and etc stuff kitchen quimpent etc and etc all itmes which are available for man are available in japan? and how is foregin clothes brands in japan like
what what brands of foregin are available in japan like diesel jeans gucci adidas are all clothe companies of foregin available in japan :)
can u say me is japan best for shopping for all facilities :) etc for all purposes from household to any purpose does japan has nice shopping
if not american brands does japanese have any nice clothing brands etc :) which can attractive etc
Answer:
People in all countries, Japan included, shop for the items you listed. The question that I think you are asking is whether good deals are to be had and where to find items. Here are some things that might help
1) Japan consumers are typically driven by functionality before price. US consumers are typically driven by price first. You can see this best in electronics. If you compare prices for items in the US, you will notice that the consumers mainly focus on items within a specific price point. For example, most buyers of video cameras look for ones that cost under $999. Although there are some that offer significant enhancements, they are rarely bought. In Japan though, consumers want the "best" (or perceived best) product with price being secondary. A Japanese buyer would not hesitate to pay 250,000 Yen (about $3000) for a camera if it offers the latest technology
2) Consumer buying in the US mainly centers around malls and over the Internet. Although there are independent stores here and there, most consumers flock to malls for clothing, minor household goods, etc. Larger household items, electronics, etc. are usually sold by specialized retailers (e.g. Best Buy, Home Depot, Costco, Walmart, etc.) and the smaller stores have been slowly squeezed out of the marketplace given the cost structure that the mego stores have over them
3) All large Japanese cities (not unlike any other country) have areas dedicated to retail selling. These could be super high end (e.g. Ginza, Ometesando in Tokyo) or more pedestrian in nature (e.g. Akasaka, Shinjuku, etc.). Department stores are prevalent and offer just about everything you could look for - they differ mainly from the US in their very heavy segmentation (for example, the basement floor offers food for sale, the 3rd floor will be dedicated to women's clothing, etc.) something that American department stores attempt to do but not successfully. In smaller towns, you may find the occasional department store but they are not as large or do not offer the variety found in the main city stores (this is the same everyehere, no?). In addition, you will find many more mom-and-pop stores that sell low volume/slower moving products.
4) Prices in Japan are higher than the US in everything if you companre apples to apples. Even Japanese products are sold for higher prices in Japan than in the US (in blantant disagreement with another poster). Only the very "niche" products may (and I stress may) be slightly cheaper.
5) Branded items (e.g. Diesel Jeans, Gucci, Adidas, etc.) are always more expensive in Japan than in the US. Just look at all the Japanese tourists in France, UK, Korea, Hawaii, New York who buy, buy, buy - taking advantage of the low prices for those same products that they can get at home
6) Most, if not all, Japanese homes are "small' (in comparison to US size homes). In addition, buying "used" items is not a prevalent thing in Japanese culture. So, buying the latest TV follows this process: find the best TV around, check budget, reconfirm if TV price remains reasonable, buy TV, have it delivered, throw away the old TV
The fact that Japan makes better cars and better electronics than the US does not mean they have lower prices. Their internal consumption cost structure is diferent
