Why Japan might actually be the perfect place for "Thriftmas"

I still read Australian news sites almost every morning, even after years of living here in Japan. It keeps me connected, and every now and then I stumble across a trend that makes me stop and think. Recently it was an article about "Thriftmas" taking off back home. Parents were proudly showing the second-hand gifts they'd found for their kids, and honestly, I love the idea. Obviously it's great from an eco-friendly standpoint, but I also think it's completely in tune with how people are coping with the cost of living.

Reading it from here made me realize something I hadn't really appreciated before, that Japan might actually be the best place in the world to celebrate Thriftmas.

Second-hand culture here is on another level, which many of you probably already know if you've taken a wander through Hard Off, Book Off, Mode Off, Hobby Off, and various other "Off" stores that are basically treasure troves. The quality blows me away every time, and since people here on the whole such good care of their belongings, things show up on shelves looking close to brand new.

Especially when my kids were younger, I'd head to those kinds of stores for all kinds of baby goods and pay only a fraction of retail price. I'd never really leaned in to doing Christmas shopping there, but I think maybe it could be worth exploring more. 

How do you feel about the idea of "Thriftmas" for festive season presents?