Is everything super expensive in the Land of the Rising Sun? Sort of. Shopping here is different, too, because Japan has so many unique products that you would fork out more for something of great quality.

But there are good deals to be had beauty-wise in Tokyo and if you are determined to have a retail binge, here are four excellent places to check out:

Don Quijote

If you’re Singaporean, this “everything” store would remind you of Mustafa (a shopping mall that is 24 hours and stocks everything from electrical appliances to perfume to dietary supplements). Their products are stacked from floor to ceiling without any logical layout.

I’ve heard a lot about how revolutionary this idea is — the shopping style here has that “grab it while you can” sentiment because everything is in a mess and you might not find it again. Looking at the chaos under harsh fluorescent lighting does make everything look cheap and the countless for-sale signs are very tempting.

I think you could get some very good deals here for toiletries and cosmetics, and even if some items aren’t marked down, they will probably be at market price. The best thing is you can shop for beauty stuff at midnight!

Matsumoto Kiyoshi

This is the most ubiquitous pharmacy chain in Tokyo — the bright yellow signs are unmistakable and two to three storey mega store layout make for comfortable browsing. The shelves of supplements, makeup, and toiletries make this a beauty haven.

Kokumin

This pharmacy is not as cheap as the two mentioned above but you could score some on-sale products and some stores even put a bargain bin outside.

Tomod’s

I think this chain is quite expensive but I frequent this one a lot because it’s the nearest one to my apartment. But they do have a sales shelf where you can get excellent three-in-one hair product sets. Their loyalty card makes me a repeat customer because it’s a stamp system, as opposed to a points one, where you get 500JPY off your purchase once it is full, and they still give you stamps for the purchase that was discounted. I suppose it all levels out at the end of the day.

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