With Christmas drawing alarmingly near, I finally decided to get started on my holiday gift-shopping. Saizen, which is located at the third level of Robinsons Galleria, was definitely one of the shops I planned to visit as I was making my shopping list because there you'll find really quirky stuff you won't see anywhere else.
Best of all, you won't have to worry about picking off any price tags--Saizen follows the tradition of Japanese hyaku-en stores, wherein all items are sold at one price. These establishments are really popular in Japan--in fact, the term hyaku-en is derived from "100 yen." Hyaku-en stores carry everything from stationery to kitchenware to garden tools. (If you plan on entering one in the hopes of finding high-quality but low-priced dry goods, beware; the cheap price makes it tempting to buy whatever you lay your hands on.)
As for Saizen, everything goes for P85 apiece. Most items in the inventory are definitely a steal at that price, but there are a select few you wouldn't want to pay even P85 for. It's really a matter of picking the gems. All right, on to my favorite finds.
My associate editor likes writing his to-do lists on old envelopes and folders, and for the longest time I've been itching to find him a proper whiteboard. What I found was this (1) magnetic blackboard that's going to be handy in our office, since we each get magnet walls in our cubicles:
The surface is really like that of a whiteboard, so I got a (2) neon-green whiteboard marker which would provide a good contrast to the black. There was another kind of marker that already had a small eraser conveniently attached to the cap, but unfortunately, it only came in yellow.
I also came across (3) a cool calendar that would work for any month of any year, which means you wouldn't have to buy another desktop calendar ever again:
Now for the bookish among my girlfriends, I found a number of (4) fashion-statement bookends in the stationery section:
I've always thought bookends could exist only in boring designs, but isn't this pretty?
For this particular kind, there are several other designs featuring different headpieces, which I'd like to collect myself. Meanwhile, other interesting gift ideas for book lovers are (5) paper book covers that come in a variety of sizes and prints. They're perfect for protecting the cover of whichever volume you're currently reading. Cute and functional.
Speaking of cute stuff, here are two standouts from all the loot that I got:
I love how it says "Improve the manners of smokers" on the ashtray lid!
The (6) bear-face measuring tape definitely has Cosmopolitan editorial assistant Beam Mariano's name on it, since she's the most craftsy person I know. I'm actually thinking twice about giving the (7) ashtray to a friend who smokes because it would mean I'm condoning the habit, so I might reserve it for a non-smoker who can use it as a container for small items.
In typical hyaku-en store fashion, Saizen carries a huge selection of (8) bento-style meal boxes with insulated packs. I found a small one that would be just about the right size for kids or really light eaters, and also purchased a (9) slip-pack separately:
Color- and pattern-coordination freaks will adore the matching items.
And since we're talking about everything Japanese, it's only fitting that these three items are saved for last:
I like to call this the "make your own sushi" set. You can't get any more Japanese than that.
I love sushi but I've never tried making it before, so I'm sorely tempted to keep the (10) sushi maker for myself. At the back of the package are simple instructions in English ensuring that--if all goes well--you can enjoy your sushi in about five minutes' time, not counting, of course, the prep time for sushi rice and other ingredients--which you can cut to exactly the right size using the (11) chopping board.
The (12) stainless steel "soap" was probably the most random item I saw in the store, which was why I just had to go ahead and buy it. Supposedly, rubbing your hands on a stainless-steel surface removes the smell of fish, onions, and garlic. Leave it to the Japanese to make a special "soap" for this very purpose.
Saizen gave me quite a decent haul, but unfortunately, my Christmas shopping is far from over. See you at the shops--and hopefully, you were able to get some ideas that would help you with your shopping from reading this.
Best of all, you won't have to worry about picking off any price tags--Saizen follows the tradition of Japanese hyaku-en stores, wherein all items are sold at one price. These establishments are really popular in Japan--in fact, the term hyaku-en is derived from "100 yen." Hyaku-en stores carry everything from stationery to kitchenware to garden tools. (If you plan on entering one in the hopes of finding high-quality but low-priced dry goods, beware; the cheap price makes it tempting to buy whatever you lay your hands on.)
As for Saizen, everything goes for P85 apiece. Most items in the inventory are definitely a steal at that price, but there are a select few you wouldn't want to pay even P85 for. It's really a matter of picking the gems. All right, on to my favorite finds.
My associate editor likes writing his to-do lists on old envelopes and folders, and for the longest time I've been itching to find him a proper whiteboard. What I found was this (1) magnetic blackboard that's going to be handy in our office, since we each get magnet walls in our cubicles:
You'll be able to stick the blackboard on any magnetic surface, such as the fridge and ‘steal' doors.
[readmore]The surface is really like that of a whiteboard, so I got a (2) neon-green whiteboard marker which would provide a good contrast to the black. There was another kind of marker that already had a small eraser conveniently attached to the cap, but unfortunately, it only came in yellow.
I also came across (3) a cool calendar that would work for any month of any year, which means you wouldn't have to buy another desktop calendar ever again:
Now for the bookish among my girlfriends, I found a number of (4) fashion-statement bookends in the stationery section:
I've always thought bookends could exist only in boring designs, but isn't this pretty?
For this particular kind, there are several other designs featuring different headpieces, which I'd like to collect myself. Meanwhile, other interesting gift ideas for book lovers are (5) paper book covers that come in a variety of sizes and prints. They're perfect for protecting the cover of whichever volume you're currently reading. Cute and functional.
Speaking of cute stuff, here are two standouts from all the loot that I got:
I love how it says "Improve the manners of smokers" on the ashtray lid!
The (6) bear-face measuring tape definitely has Cosmopolitan editorial assistant Beam Mariano's name on it, since she's the most craftsy person I know. I'm actually thinking twice about giving the (7) ashtray to a friend who smokes because it would mean I'm condoning the habit, so I might reserve it for a non-smoker who can use it as a container for small items.
In typical hyaku-en store fashion, Saizen carries a huge selection of (8) bento-style meal boxes with insulated packs. I found a small one that would be just about the right size for kids or really light eaters, and also purchased a (9) slip-pack separately:
Color- and pattern-coordination freaks will adore the matching items.
And since we're talking about everything Japanese, it's only fitting that these three items are saved for last:
I like to call this the "make your own sushi" set. You can't get any more Japanese than that.
I love sushi but I've never tried making it before, so I'm sorely tempted to keep the (10) sushi maker for myself. At the back of the package are simple instructions in English ensuring that--if all goes well--you can enjoy your sushi in about five minutes' time, not counting, of course, the prep time for sushi rice and other ingredients--which you can cut to exactly the right size using the (11) chopping board.
The (12) stainless steel "soap" was probably the most random item I saw in the store, which was why I just had to go ahead and buy it. Supposedly, rubbing your hands on a stainless-steel surface removes the smell of fish, onions, and garlic. Leave it to the Japanese to make a special "soap" for this very purpose.
Saizen gave me quite a decent haul, but unfortunately, my Christmas shopping is far from over. See you at the shops--and hopefully, you were able to get some ideas that would help you with your shopping from reading this.
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