shopping at don quixote - a must stop in japan for quirky souvenirs, tasty snacks and drugstore beauty!

Don Quijote (or "Donki") is a discount chain store with over a hundred locations throughout Japan.  It's like Target on steroids!  They sell almost everything - including, drugstore beauty goods, pharmaceuticals, food items, liquor, souvenirs, cosplay costumes, electronics, household items, etc. etc.  It is a must stop even if you aren't interested in shopping because the offerings are just so vast and weird that you can happily spend a few hours in exploration and amazement.

 

Floor upon floor of goods!

I think most tourists go to the Akihabara ("Electric Town") location which is massive (about 7 stories high with a popular maid cafe and a claw machine arcade on the top floors).  (In case you don't know what a maid cafe is, it's basically an overpriced cafe serving very cute food - imagine chicken curry and other entrees, ice cream sundaes, and beverages in the shape of teddy bears and bunnies - all served by young Japanese ladies in french maid costumes... a bit odd, but apparently it's a thing in Japan.  I think you are required to buy a certain amount of food and drinks to be in the cafe - similar to a 2 drink minimum in comedy shows - but you are paying a premium.)   But I actually preferred the one in Roppongi - less crowds and I think the luxury section had better options for Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags.

 

The front door of the Roppongi Don Quijote

Regardless, both are equally entertaining. To me, Don Quijote is a must see because:

1.  It's simply too entertaining.  There are some items that are only found in Japan and have to be seen to be believed.

 

This looks like some crazy sex toy but is actually for exercising your jawline.

 

They seem very obsessed about leg circulation??

I have no words...

2.   It's a nice, convenient one-stop shop for quirky (or normal) souvenirs and drugstore beauty goods.  AND  it is tax free (so long as you meet spending requirements and bring your passport).  You can get unique flavored Kit-Kats, instant ramen noodles, lower-end Japanese whiskey, sake,  random cute stuff, toys, sunscreen, makeup, fake eyelashes, circle lenses, sheet masks, etc.  (Tip - You can get a lot of this stuff at the airport too but there might be less variety and be slightly more expensive.)

 

Cheesecake, green tea and a myriad of other flavors!

 

Miniatures galore!  The Japanese really really like tiny things....

Awww - drugstore beauty heaven!

I love Japanese lashes!

3.   Cosplay!  There are lots of cosplay costumes available.  I was actually on the hunt for a halloween costume, but unfortunately the Japanese have too much of a fascination for maid outfits.  So as a woman, if you don't want to dress up as a French maid, you are a bit out of luck unless you are into wearing weird masks.  They did have more variety in costumes for men (some insanely funny)... and they did have a lot of decor.

 

I couldn't convince my husband that this would be an awesome costume...

I'm so bummed my luggage was already full!

So funny but my head was getting sweaty after only 1 minute.

The quality of some of the wares isn't that great so if you are looking for truly beautiful Japanese souvenirs, I wouldn't get them at Donki.  (I'd recommend the Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando - gorgeous kimonos, handkerchiefs, ceramics, chopsticks, etc.)  But if you are just looking for something fun and affordable, this is the spot!

Oh, I almost forgot!  They had an "adult" section which was curtained off which sold dvds, condoms, sex toys and the like.  But what was really strange was that the majority of the marketing were done in anime - so instead of pictures of real life women with big breasts or butts, you had pictures of anime characters with big breasts.   Very odd...