Q5:100-YEN SHOP

100-YEN SHOP is a Japanese variety store where you can buy almost all of the goods at a hundred yen(about a dollar).

DAISO, the largest 100-yen shop franchise, has more than 2,400 stores in Japan and also has more than 300 stores outside the country. The number is higher than the number of local governments in Japan. And there are many other franchise chains and independent stores. So, it would be safe to say that all the Japanese cities has a 100-yen shop.

Link to the Japanese Wikipedia:"100-YEN SHOP"

Almost all items, except some big items or hi-grade ones, in the store are priced at a hundred yen. But actually you have to pay 105 yen for a item because of the value added tax(5%). You can buy necessities, electronic devices, stationery, cookwares, party goods, even some CDs and books there.

Some stores also sell fresh foods and drinks at all hours, like a convenience store. In fact, some convenience store franchises have been interested in that kind of business, and opened some stores for market research a few years ago. That kind of stores, 24-hour 100-yen shop with fresh foods, are very popular and common in big cities recently.

Link to a Japanese site:"Shop 99"
- A example of that kind of stores -

Despite the very low price, the quality is good. Most items are made in China, where the average wage is lower than Japan by more than ten times. It means that you can buy a item which is worth more than a thousand yen at only a hundred yen. And the low price induce people to buy things they doesn't really need. That's the secret of this business. When you go to a 100-yen shop you should take care not to buy too much, or you'll regret afterwards.



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Q3:SYOTEN

SYOTEN or HONYA is a Japanese bookstore where You can buy hardcovers, paperbacks , magazines, and so on. In addition, almost all bookstores sell various kinds of comics(MANGA), and some of them sell CDs and video games.

Unlike US and some EU countries, all bookstores in Japan sell a book at exactly the same price because of the Resale Price Maintenance Agreement. It means that wherever you buy a book, you can't get a discount. But some bookstores have a membership program that bring you benefits. So you should select a bookstore not by the price of a book but by their locations, assortment of books and a membership program they have.

There are some famous bookstore chains such as

Kinokuniya Syoten
Sanseido Syoten
Junkudo Syoten
Maruzen


And there are some famous used bookstore chains such as

BOOK-OFF
Furuhon Ichiba


Bookstore sales have been declining in this decade dramatically as more and more people buy a book at convenience stores and online shopping sites like Amazon. So many bookstores, especially local bookstores, have been driven into bankruptcy in recent years.

However, it doesn't necessarily mean that the Japanese have lost interest in reading books. In fact, more and more people read novels and comics on their mobile phones lately. In Japan, Mobile Phone Novels are considered as a kind of literature. It may be just a temporary fashion, but it may be the evolution of writing.




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