Aug 21, 2019

Amazon hits and misses

Most of my purchases on Amazon have been household goods and groceries. Kitchen equipment, rugs, laundry and bath stuff. For food, mostly whole bean coffee, condiments, and dried or canned foods. So my question is, for kitchen, bath, and laundry, what purchases have you made that were good value for money? What grocery items do you get?

0 8

TonetoEdo

Living between the Tone and Edo Rivers in Higashi Katsushika area of Chiba Prefecture.

8 Answers

Best Answer

genkidesu

on Aug 22

We actually bought our fridge and washer/dryer off Amazon! Brand new, and they even installed the washer in our house for us! Most surprising part was that they were actually cheaper on Amazon than in electrical stores like K's Denki out here. I don't use Amazon Pantry as much as I used to when I moved to Japan. They increased the delivery fee per box only about a year(ish?) ago, from 290 to 390 yen, and it used to be easier to add enough items to negate the delivery fee. We do still often buy the basics (laundry liquid, dishwashing detergent, baby wipes, toilet paper) on there when the deals are good. My most random splurges are crunchy peanut butter and gnocchi on pantry. Things that I love but are hard to find locally.

0

TonetoEdo

on Aug 24

@genkidesu Thanks for your answer! Wow, I hadn't thought of purchasing appliances through Amazon. Good tip, as my fridge needs replacing. How do you prefer to stay on top of the deals Amazon offers? Browsing the website or email notifications?

0
genkidesu

on Aug 24

@TonetoEdo Usually I just browse! I find that it's easier to get a better picture of offers that way (the emails are a little limited at times) but I also find browsing for good deals oddly therapeutic! It's my relaxation time when I'm scrolling on Amazon!

0
TonetoEdo

on Aug 25

@genkidesu Haha! I also just browse. I know there are Costco fan magazines and fan sites that describe products and rate them. I wondered if anybody here does Amazon "zakka" lists or something.

0
genkidesu

on Aug 26

@TonetoEdo I imagine there probably are resources like that out there - just probably not in English! If you do find any good Amazon-related ones let me know...the parts I don't understand I could always Google Translate!

0
TonetoEdo

on Aug 27

@genkidesu If I find any websites or magazines for Amazon shopping, I'll post them here. Thanks for your responses!

0
ReishiiTravels

on Sep 11

I bought my blender and my weight scale from Amazon! It was a good deal and they both work really well! I tend to stay away from food because I can purchase everything cheaper at my local super market!

0
JapanRamen

on Sep 26

For kitchen appliances, going with big names like Zojirushi and Tiger would never be wrong. You can almost always look at them in store then find them online lol. Other than that, it is all about the reviews and how short term I plan to use the item. Cheap is best, unless I plan to use it for over a couple of years.

0

Awaiting More Answers

3 Answers

Which pronoun do you use in Japanese to refer to yourself?

Are you 私 either watashi or atashi? Or are you 僕 or 内? Do you vary depending on who you're interacting with?

TonetoEdo

on May 22

7 Answers

Pubs yay or nay?

Have you had great experiences at approximation of "your local"? Found a gem of a British or Irish pub that bridges cultures?

TonetoEdo

on May 20

2 Answers

Taking the bitterness out of Goya?

Today is "Goya Day" and as I wrote in my post about it, my MIL is growing some this year so no doubt we'll be given some to cook. I am not a big fan, because I find it unpleasantly bitter. So, following in the same vein as tonetoedo's mentaiko / karako question - what way do you serve goya? Have you any tips for taking the bitterness out of it?

BigfamJapan

on May 8

5 Answers

Your 2026 food omiyage / souvenir picks?

I know this question has probably been asked several times in the past, but it is also the kind of question to which the answer changes frequently! So, I am curious - what are your top food souvenir picks for 2026? I am going home again soon, and I want to get food omiyage for several people, including the school where my son is about to finish a one-year exchange. I would love to hear your thoughts on the BEST Japanese food omiyage around this year! And / or the food omiyage you buy each and every time you are going home because it's always a big hit? I just had the photo in this post to hand, and it is not a recommendation per se, it's not bad and fits well into a suitcase, but it's not the best strawberry daifuku I ever had.

BigfamJapan

on Apr 24

5 Answers

What's your favorite 'kushiyaki'?

Just for fun; what type of skewered food do you like best in Japan? Or, if you feel like sharing, what are your top 3?

BigfamJapan

on Apr 11

2 Answers

Movie locations near you worth visiting?

The live action version of テルマエ・ロマエ Thermae Romae (2012) was shot at Nokogiriyama, Kyonan Town, Chiba Prefecture. It's one of my favourite getaways for hiking, the temple complex, and catching sea breezes. The movie is hilarious and heartwarming. Which Japanese live-action movies do you recommend, and are the filming locations worth a visit? Tell us the original title, English title, the year, and the location.

TonetoEdo

on Mar 23

4 Answers

Recent vending machine discoveries?

I always get a little kick out of finding a vending machine that dispenses something other than drinks or ice-cream. I have been seeing an increase in vending machines that sell religious items lately. I also like finding vending machines with unusual or attractive wrapping. Have you come across any unusual vending machines lately? Either vending machines that sell something other than the norm or a vending machine with eye-catching wrapping?

BigfamJapan

on Mar 21

5 Answers

What are our consumer rights in Japan?

Do you know your consumer rights in Japan? And if so, would you be willing to share anything about them? For example, what is the policy on returns? I am very familiar with my consumer rights in my home country, and they are very widely publicized back home, but information doesn't seem to be as transparent or readily available here. Or is that just me?

BigfamJapan

on Mar 15

18 Answers

What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture?

Today, February 20th, is Ehime Prefecture Day. What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture, what is the very first thing that comes to mind when I say "Ehime Prefecture"!?

BigfamJapan

on Feb 20

8 Answers

Do you have a favorite mascot?

The other day, on "Strawberry Day" I wrote about "Yoshimin", the strawberry mascot of Yoshimi. I thought it might be fun to introduce a few others, so I've just written about "Tokimo" the mascot of Kawagoe. And I plan to introduce a couple of my favorites. It begs the question, do you have a favorite mascot? And how about writing a post on City-cost about your favorite or a local mascot? Pictured "Umerin" who I plan to write about next!

BigfamJapan

on Jan 17

7 Answers

Growing Mushrooms

Here's for a weird hobby. I just saw a video by an American Youtuber that I plan to watch about growing shiitake mushrooms. From what I've seen, it probably needs a bit of space. There was a local market in Fukuoka Prefecture that had a "mushroom room" where they grew and sold mushrooms like maitake and eringi. I also saw a video of a couple in Paris that built a mushroom growing shower room! The local hardware store sells "seeded" logs and shiitake mushroom growing kits. I have seen the logs around people's homes on occasion. It seems like a very odd, but sustainable hobby. Has anyone tried it, or is anyone interested to try this? I wonder how involved or beginner friendly it is.

helloalissa

on Dec 29

6 Answers

Hair Color Treatments for Greying Hair

For those of you who have colored grey hair, I'm curious about the hair color treatments available in most drugstores. They seem simpler to use than box dyes. It's been many years since I've colored my hair. It's a chestnut brown and my grey is more silver. I don't hate it but the grey is dry and making me feel like I look older than I am. I'm especially interested in the natural brands that are non-permanent. For example Rishiri Kombu sounds like a decent option. Looking forward to your recommendations and experience.

helloalissa

on Aug 3

Amazon hits and misses

8 Answers

Best Answer

Awaiting More Answers

Share Your Experience