nishimark

If in Osaka, I recommend duck and cover.

Q Shoe Guy

7&i !

BuildingMyBento

Maybe in regards to konbini bread. But I'll be shucked if I haven't seen a crowded DONQ, Chococro or even a Russian pelmeni place (that last one was somewhere in Ginza this year).

However, there must be a market for them, seeing as there are more varieties out than colors of hair on a Sunday in Yoyogi Park.

cardesigner2000

Always wondered why the staff in japanese shops/ food halls speak in such an artificial high pitched voice? Often repeating standard phrases even with no customers nearby Never encountered this in other countries.

mjm

The high pitched phone/service voice that women (and men to a certain extent) use here is a form of politeness. It comes across as false and contrived to me but that is just an opinion. It is often combined with a form of breathless style speaking which is intended to show obsequiousness. The grammar forms often used in conjunction with this voice are more polite than that used for normal "talking to friends" grammar.

The repetition of phrases is often a call to come look at wares or to try somethi8ng that is currently being pushed. At convenience stores for example, they will often have a nonstop stream of "try the chicken" or "how about some of this/that". All part of a market style approach to gett8ing customers to look at or consider goods.

alphaod

Any chance of getting some tax back in Tokyo?

I want to pick up a snowboard... right now I'm in China for a few months. The problem is what I want is like $300 more than the US. At least saving on tax would help me on this front? Obviously it makes no sense to fly to the US and back just to buy a snowboard.

msb0b

Tax exemption must be declared at the time of purchase, and the retailer must support it. In Japanese it's 免税 pronounced "man-zay". You then have to present your passport to the store clerk, and the clerk will complete a form and staple it to your passport. The consumption tax will be deducted at the point of sale. The form will be collected at or before the exit passport control, but I'm not exactly sure where.

FAQ on Tax Exemption Procedure

gnaget

The passport agent just yanks out the tax receipt from your passport. He never even looks at it. With a snowboard it would be impossible to present the item to him anyway.....

I wouldn't be surprised if a snowboard is much more expensive in Japan than in the US. I heard that skis were 2X when the yen was around 75-80.

alphaod

I will look into the exact procedure, but based on your link it would seem not all merchants offer tax exemption (or refund) to foreigners. I will of course look into this and thanks for the link.


Oh it is.

Based on US prices I would be looking at paying about 25% more in Japan. But at the same time it's probably cheaper to buy in Japan than in China… (how sad is that?!)

I will be checking the board that I'm buying, so I wouldn't be able to present the representative with the item.

Ryvyan

OH MY GOD YES. So many different bins, even in McDonalds! And the pictures don't even show all the bits and pieces that come with the meal itself It's all good for the Earth though, which I appreciate.

I have been known to carry trash around in a plastic bag in my handbag the entire day because I don't know how to dispose of it and the recycle bins I see were emptied out recently/not see-through... Basically until I reach my friend's apartment and ask for her help, and she would be like "WHY" even after I explain the stress levels in recycling. Also, not a very good human being who told me to "just chuck it anywhere". LOL.

-

Mayo is awesome. There is this Japanese brand with a baby (?) on it and it's superior to all other mayo brands IMHO. ^

5khours

men-zay not man-zay

Depends on the brand, model and year and time of year. Japan used to be the biggest ski/snowboard market in the world so over-supply sometimes leads to incredible bargains.

Most stores don't support tax exempt purchases.

I never separate. (Apologies to PC eco-nuts). Ecology is all about conservation and efficient resource use and it's a hundred times more efficient to have trash professionals at the treatment plant separate garbage than to get consumers to do it in their kitchen or trash bins.

-Kewpie - Looks like you missed the Mayo Mini Poll earlier in the thread.

msb0b

Was this in Yokohama? Where it seems as if they have a separate bin for each plastic numbers.

You're right. I know the romaji is menzei, but I tried to over-correct for the great vowel shift, when the English words men and man are close enough to the intended pronunciation.

My favorite dipping sauce for fries has to be mentaiko mayo. Tried it once and i'm hooked. It has to be made from Kewpie sweet mayo. Western mayo won't do.

jib71

My irse.

mjm

If you like that try a cup (not bowl because the cylindrical shape cause the goodness to get down to all fries)) of wedge fries with a dollop of mayo (preferably homemade not the crappola sold in stores in Japan) and a drizzle of Thai chili sauce. Had this at Roti one night with a few beers and it amazing.

cardesigner2000

The best area to buy snowboard gear is in the Kanda district, and especially a small discount shop called London Sports (sign in Japanese ロンドンスポーツ and just looks like a junk shop from outside, but wander inside to the back to see discounted equipment). http://www.nisekoz.com/tokyoshops.html You won't get a tax refund, but you'll save more shopping there. After my first purchase they gave me a coupon for 10% off my next purchase, so you might want to just buy something cheap the first time, and then use the coupon for something more expensive. There are lots of other bigger stores around so there is plenty of competition.