As promised, here is another one of my belated Japan posts.
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One of the few places I visited during my short time in Japan was Okachimachi. It’s a commercial district south of Tokyo and the best place to shop for inexpensive stuff, especially those yummy Japanese snacks that cost a bomb here. As we all know, everything is darn expensive in Tokyo. So, to find a gem of a place that sells stuff at affordable prices is a real find indeed!
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The place reminded me alot of Petaling Street in KL. Very busy, can get really good prices but the only difference being that one does not have to haggle over the prices. Unlike most touristy places in Malaysia, they do not mark up the prices at crazily cut-throat prices and then haggle it down with customers. They pretty much shove their calculators to your face to show the prices of their goods and you either pay for them or walk away. No haggling required.
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Of coz being the Penangite that I am, and unfamiliar with the no-haggling system there, I started to bargain on some product and the man gave me a dirty look before proceeding to ignore me until I took the hint and walked away! Fuyohh…damn embarrassing leh! Learnt my lesson then and didn’t bother haggling after that. Just look for what I like, pick them up, pay for them and walk away.
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I didn’t buy a whole bunch though. Thoughts of having to pack another extra box like how I had to in Austin kept me in check. So, all I really bought were a whole bunch of Japanese snacks (which the folks back home loved!), some yummilicious Unagi (my fav Japanese food!) which cost me a teeny fraction of what I have to pay back home, and that’s about it. I was totally proud of myself for the amount of control I had then. 
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Here’s a picture of a man ‘auctioning’ off a whole bunch of cookies, chocolates, snacks - all for only ￥1000 (about RM 31.50).
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That’s like SUPER cheap, okay. I checked out the prices of those stuff at the airport and at other stores. They cost at least 4 to 5 times more everywhere else!
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Here’s another picture of some Japanese clogs and yellow gum boots made famous by Phua Chu Kang (except that these are not in yellow).
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Shoes, especially boots, are sold all over the place. Not just in Okachimachi but everywhere I went in Tokyo. 90% of Japanese folks wear them to keep their legs warm. So, I guess there is a huge demand to support.
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I started shopping for a pair of boots too - which my Japanese friend didn’t understand and kept going "Eleen, why you need boots in Malaysia? So hot!" - but didn’t find any that was suitable. 
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After I got back to my hotel, I realised that I did not take many pictures that day. Reason being that my hands were too full holding on to the shopping bags (again, I did not shop that much, ya… :p) and also, I was too busy soaking in the ambience. Taking out the camera and attempting to snap pictures would spoil the moments then.
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After a full morning out at Okachimachi, I took the train back to my hotel to meet my Japanese colleague who had made plans to take me shopping at Shibuya. Will post a separate update on my time spent at Shibuya. Now, that, is one experience I will remember for a long, long time.
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While waiting for my train, this pulled up at the station and I quickly snapped a picture of it.
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This reminded me again of how packed Tokyo really is. They even need double decker trains to cater to the millions of commuters travelling daily in and out of Tokyo.
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More updates on my Shibuya and Tsukiji experiences. Stay tuned.
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Now … I’m off to get some late-night drinks with my Irish counterpart. It’s been a looooonnngggg day.
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