Japan: Day 6b - Don Quijote, Roppongi

We ended up getting Em to drop JD and me in Roppongi (where we were when it occurred to us), while they went back and played in a favourite park. The kids had a ball together, and Em and Hiro had a all-too-rare chance to chat and reconnect.

We stopped for a cuppa, and went for a bit of a wander. As we passed a store, its name rang a bell from my readings, so we ventured in. Don Quijote, Rippongi, is a 24-hour, 6-floor department store, that reminds me of a cross between Dimmeys and a tightly-jammed $2-store. There was some funky stuff there!

All sorts of stuff for your phones (iPhone 5s seem especially popular) - we're not just talking covers and cases, and dangly things to hang off your phone. We're also talking stick on 'home' buttons, and whatsits to plug into the earphone jack.

Stormtrooper "Charapin"

Nigiri pins

There are a dazzling array of earphones - not just pretty colours, but also cartoon characters, including the ubiquitous Hello Kitty, and those critters the kids sat on last night (Gachapin and Mukki, per the box).

You can get earphones in multiple colours that work like zips - no more tangled cords!

Of course I photographed the purple one!

A couple of floors further down was the toys and costumes section, including an adults-only section, which was not restricted at all. In both the regular, and 'adults-only' part, all the costumes seemed to favour very short skirts, and rather too many school uniforms. And there were dozens upon dozens of them.

For example

In the general toy section, there were items that would not normally be included in a regular kids toy store, such as these undies:

Peel a banana! Grow a mushroom! Y1048 (~$11 each - MT, do you need a pair?)

There were masks and hats of all sorts - I don't know whether Hallowe'en or fancy dress parties are a huge thing here, but they're certainly equipped for it.

Come as Michael Jackson!

Or Mount Fuji

Or a kamikaze squid!

Or a birthday cake! (Many thanks to my photographic model, JD)

You might get away with just wearing a birthday cake top hat

There are plenty of other masks to choose from! (Including horse heads etc, not pictured here)

And if you're wearing a mask, you're not fully dressed without a replica fire-arm! (We didn't spot the instructions for 'How to Rob a Bank', but everything else was in the same section of the same floor.)

And no, there's no way on earth we could possibly get these back into Australia. Don't even think about it, Jos!

Next floor down (I think) was household appliances, and personal care items.

A very cute salt and pepper grinder

A rather inexplicable "Eyelid Trainer"

Which was next to the "Bagel Cushion"

We're pretty sure Ky would plotz if he saw these slippers

And all that was before we got to the second floor, which has alcohol and groceries. Wines seem to be all imported, and the Australian wines are not much more than you'd pay in Aus for the same drop. The French wines seem to have top-shelf here. What is eye-opening is the price and range of spirits.

One litre bottles of Grey Goose Vodka for ~$30
(an equivalent bottle in Aus, if it were available would be at least $95)

How about a 2L bottle of French Cassis for around $20?

Anyway, that's enough for now. We've been home, given the kids their toothbrushes, ventolin and spare jocks; done a load of washing; and we're about to head back to Roppongi for a dinner for two somewhere around there.