Nov 17 2007
NYC Japanese Shopping: Prepare to Get Ripped!
Everyone
always says that Japan is really expensive and I might agree to an extent - but when I look at a price tag and see both the Yen and USD amounts being miles apart…something just doesn’t add up. Generally the only Japanese “goods” that I buy are manga, however I did buy some clothes at the New York City Uniqlo store. While I think the clothes there are pretty fashionable, this post will actually go into why I am really unhappy with both Uniqlo and the newly opened Muji and why you SHOULDN’T shop there.
So let’s begin with a brief overview. Uniqlo is a clothing store that often contains Japanese fashion. Sure you’ll have your set of the usual jeans, polo shirts and panties, but during the summer they had a crapload of Kimonos and matching sandals and nowdays you can find a bunch of leg warmers and gloves that go all the way up to your elbow. Muji is like a Japanese Target. They have things that range from clothes, to home furnishings to makeup.
So this evening I went over there with JP hoping that we could get some nifty goods for our home. Muji basically means plain and simple without any frills and brands and all that fancy shmancy stuff. Naturally you would think that with a title like that, you’d get a lower price because you wouldn’t be paying for anything dramatic. WRONG.
All the 
tags on Muji items are in Japanese - so you can see the original yen price. Below the item is a little tag on the shelf that says the item name in English and the USD price. Excuse me, but why the fuck is a pot that’s 1800yen now $46? Did someone forget to use the proper currency calculator? Why isn’t this lovely pot $16.20? Also why the hell is a 900yen tshirt now $20? Maybe I woulda considered buying it if it was, like originally converted, $8.10! This is where the problem lies. They are blowing up the price of completely PLAIN GOODS that you can probably get for 1/3 the price at IKEA. So really the only idiots I can think that will go shopping there, are those who think that this store is just so fucking hip and cool or Japanese people who have to buy Japanese goods despite the fact that they are now double in what they’re supposed to cost.
Also, the Japanese girls working there, need to start wearing pants their size - nobody wants to see your buttcrack, ojou-chan.
So now let’s move on to Uniqlo. Uniqlo is a clothing only store so you won’t find overpriced chopstick holders there. In the summer their selection was great. The prices are expensive, but it’s pretty typical for New York pricing. However, once the winter came all hell broke loose in the women’s department. Everything is fucking cashmere. Now this isn’t the fake cashmere you’ll find at a street fair (like my “$5 Cashmere Scarf”) this is like the real deal where their cashmere scarves are like $50. Excuse me but even if I had a 6 figure salary, I wouldn’t spend $50 on a fucking SCARF.
And the worst part is, that’s ALL IT IS. Then you slowly stroll your way upstairs to the men’s section (where the heater blows so much you could probably walk in a tshirt and shorts and still be warm) and there’s actually stuff that isn’t ALL CASHMERE. So there you can probably find a sweater for $40 instead of $89. (I still think $40 is expensive, but that’s their average price so I’ll just leave it at that.) JP always buys stuff there because he’s as thin as a board and retail stores like Target and TJMaxx cater to the 180lbs and over crowd more than for him.
So in conclusion, for men, especially short and skinny men, Uniqlo is a great place to shop. It’s probably comparable with H&M except there’s probably more tight man shirts at H&M. However, if you’re a woman, prepare to spend $150 on a pair of gloves, hat and scarf because they will all be made of out cashmere. And if you don’t want cashmere, well that’s too bad because that’s ALL you’re getting. (Also, Uniqlo your 1 year anniversary 25% off sale isn’t going to convince me to buy an $89 sweater for $67.)
I think I’ll stick to buying my stuff at Strawberry, although I gotta find out when they get their new arrivals in, because these days finding pants smaller than size 7 is becoming a challenge.
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15 Responses to “NYC Japanese Shopping: Prepare to Get Ripped!”
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Uniqlo is also good for men’s jeans that accentuate your penis.
They’re imported so they must be more expensive!!! =DDD
Also, any mention of tight clothing always reminds me of my emo kid friends who think it’s cool to wear girls’ pants.
Where I live you can get $2 worth of nori for $10!
I think JP once had girls shoes
As far as food goes it’s actually pretty cheap in the groceries here and in NJ - it’s just the clothes/goods that are ridiculous.
You have tempted me to say… They are looking for their onii-chan! Or their jijii-san… for you know what. Mayhaps they have been watching too much highschool lovelove show etc2.
Of course not. But if you had a SEVEN figure salary and was named Buritonii Supiarusu, you would.
I’m stingy when it comes to buying clothes. I go for something elcheapo even though I know I can afford the pricier stuff. The money saved goes into more… *important* merchandise. Like the Nanoha x Fate figures… >_> And the Kamichama stuff >_>
I love Strawberry too. Actually, I suspect that some Asian person picks or designs the clothes they sell there because some of them are rather fobby. And I actually heard a Hikki song play there once…
Back on topic, holy damn that is a rip-off. I usually avoid any Japanese stores here in the OC because everything is way overpriced. That’s why I stick to the Chinese stores. I always find they are cheaper whether it comes to clothes or houseware.
Uniqlo really disappointed me this year. I think overall, even in Japan, prices have gone up. They’ll probably cite gas costs and whatever, but I’ll just wait for a sale. Plus, you can fined similar stuff at Old Navy for way less. x.x
Import cost and tax… its not gonna be the same price man. Its like ipods in the us are cheap as over there but we have to pay 100bux more give or take even though the dollar is almost 1:1. As for the ass crack if they were hot i wouldnt mind
haha
Wow, it must be some kind of crazy weeaboo tax ^^;
And then there is the ipod issue. Something like US599 sold as…. 599pounds.
lol some feedback for you hinano =p
last week i went to uniqlo and bought 3 things. a coat with a hood made of cashmere and two plain sweaters (or someother apropriate name. my english is kinda rusted)
total spent: 16k yen (12,8 on the coat , 1600 on the rest)
quite cheap if you ask me @_@
*cashmere sweater was like 5000 yen or 6 something like that
obs1: the salary here hmmm since i`m not japanese goes as far as 37万￥, the japanese salary for the same work? 40k easy(with less work of course heuahea)
so its quite cheap.
obs2: work sux, but i did come here for some personal reasons like pay the bills with my own money and so. also get to know the home country of my grampas so it cant be helped =p
if you look at the average salary of a japanese. uniqlo looks like a basic `cheap` store
berz> My guess is similarly to Muji, the prices in the US have been doubled compared to the Yen price XD
kiseki> Yes some clothes at Strawberry are really…..weird lol Look like clubbing gear half the time so you gotta dig for treasure. I found a great deal on knee socks there!
So Harry takes off his shirt and he’s being fleeced by this Japanese store.
Wait, being fleeced does not give you pecs?
I AM IN DESPAIR
(j/k)
Hey Maria I’ve been meaning to ask you can you scan me the manga for-
Maria: *prepares blow torch*
Me: *dodges* Hah hah I’m just joking, really! REALLY!
But WOW that is retarded with the price conversion. Maybe they jack it up so bad because of import costs and stuff. I mean, the stuff does come all the way from the other side of the globe…and also retail prices are always ridicoulous because that’s how they make a profit. But that doesn’t help us consumers feel any better. XD
But it’s true that raw material and transport costs are making everything expensive :/ Just mailed a box of peeps with a letter to Tokyo, and it cost twenty f*ing dollars (regular mail, no added frills.)
UNIQLO’s winter selection’s not too bad, although their weekend dressing room lines are a nightmare. Things like their thermal t-shirts are worth it, I think. They really do retain body heat, while being soft and flattering.
It’s weird how Muji is given brand name treatment when it was originally created in the spirit of designer-anonymity to curtail the image and price inflation incurred by labelling.
H&M and Forever21’s got smaller-than-size-7-denim up the buttloads.
Although, they too have started to take on higher pricing. . .