From kimono to kitchenware, character goods to cleaning sponges, can we fill a basket and get our money’s worth?
Secondhand shops can sometimes appear to look like mounds of junk, but to the intrepid explorer, a careful perusal can occasionally turn up some hidden gems. For our Japanese-language reporter Takuya Inaba, secondhand shops have become something of a hobby, such that whenever he has free time, he enjoys meandering down to a store and combing through their inventory, almost as if he is on a little treasure hunt. He loves the rush of dopamine that floods his brain whenever he finds something remarkable. So, when Takuya heard about a shop in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prfecture, where you can buy almost everything in the store using a tsumehodai (“stuff-in-as-much-as-you-can”) system, he caught the whiff of a good deal, and decided to head out immediately.
About a 15-minute walk from Zengyo Station on the Odakyu Enoshima Line, the shop is located in a section of a shopping facility called Zengyo Danchi Market.
Its name is Tsumehodai no Mise Recycle Gallery (Stuff-Filling Shop: Recycle Gallery).
According to the explanation written inside, the price varies depending on the volume of items you put into the basket, and even if you pack the basket to the brim, it still only costs 1,000 yen (US$6.30), so it’s reasonably cheap.
▼ Up to the blue level it’s 250 yen, the gray 500 yen, and the pink 750 yen.
According to the clerk, any items with price tags are excluded, but everything else is up for grabs. Plus, the basket is quite large, so you’ll be looking at taking home a fair few items.
▼ Takuya’s adventure begins!
▼ “No way… the sheer amount of things is insane!”
Doing a quick visual check, only a very small fraction of the items have price tags, so Takuya reckoned that about 90 percent of the store was eligible for stuffing in baskets, and he couldn’t wait to dig through everything to see what he unearthed.
The first thing that caught Takuya’s eye was the massive amount of tableware. A little unexpectedly, there was a good selection of items in beautiful condition that, if washed, should be usable without any problems.
On the opposite side to them, there was a wide variety of handy items like notebooks, envelopes, cleaning supplies, and various electronics and charging cords.
He stumbled across some unused sponges and tawashi (traditional Japanese scrubbing brushes), which seemed like they could genuinely be useful too.
There was even unopened aluminum foil and cooking paper. Thinking that these could be a pretty good deal, Takuya popped them in his basket.
Exploring further, Takuya found a large drawer labeled as tsumehodai, which was giving off some treasure vibes, so he opened it and…
▼“Used… pens?”
▼“Who would even want them?”
However, thinking that “a deal is a deal,” Takuya took some just for the fun of it.
Heading over to the space on the other side of the store, Takuya came across a ridiculously well-stocked area filled with clothing.
Being mostly women’s clothes, Takuya declined to make a purchase, but the condition of them looked pretty good.
Takuya even discovered some kimono, which are items that can get pretty expensive, so there might be some really valuable items mixed in there, too.
There were also many nice-looking shoulder bags.
Further back, Takuya also discovered some books.
Takuya decided that he’ll throw a book into the basket that looks like it’ll improve his English conversation skills.
What really got Takuya hyped up, though, were the DVDs. Despite there being a sign saying that they were 100 yen each, the shop staff said that it was fine to include them in the tsumehodai deal, and so Takuyha did.
It was with this mindset that Takuya got overly absorbed in the treasure hunting and had soon filled up his basket.
So, now it’s time to review all the great finds Takuya came across, and to figure out whether it was worth the money or not.
First, an unused donabe (clay cooking pot) measuring 18 centimeters (7.1 inches) across. With these pots probably costing close to 1,000 yen if bought normally, Takuya already felt like he had got his money’s worth just from this.
Next, the aluminum foil and cooking sheets, which are always handy to have.
Takuya also grabbed a mug and bento box set, completely unused, featuring SoftBank’s popular mascot character, “Oto-san” (Dad).
Then, a handkerchief with a picture of Suiteki-kun, the mascot for Tokyo Waterworks that even has its own song. Takuya found it quite cute, so he’s pretty happy he picked it up.
▼ Suiteki-kun’s theme song
After that, there were two DVDs: Speed Racer and Scooby-Doo, both of which were without scratches and played without a hitch.
Takuya also found a Little Bobdog coloring book and brought it home. Little Bobdog was a character originally created in 1988 for the confectionery company Orion.
Seeing his happy little face again brought back some nostalgic feelings for Takuya. It’s these types of items that make him fall in love with secondhand shops all over again.
Adding on to that, there were also some small items like pens and toothbrushes for cleaning, making for a total of 16 items acquired. For Takuya, he felt that getting all of this for just 1,000 yen was a fantastic deal.
▼ The pens actually worked… surprisingly well.
One thing to remember though, is that all goods purchased are non-refundable, so double-check your chosen items before making your payment.
However, Takuya is convinced that if he were to explore the inside of the store even more thoroughly, he might discover some insanely rare gems hidden away, so another visit may well be on the cards in the future.
Searching through items for ones that genuinely catch your interest from among the enormously piled-up goods was a thrilling experience for him, so why not pull out a 1,000 yen bill and go and try it out for yourself?
Store information
Tsumehodai no Mise Recycle Gallery / 詰め放題の店 リサイクル ぎゃらりー
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Fujisawa-shi, Zengyodanchi 3-15-3
神奈川県藤沢市善行団地3-15-3
Open noon-5 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday)
Closed Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, and holidays
Photos ©SoraNews24
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