Find Thrift Shops in Japan: Be eco-friendly, Save up wisely

I’m gonna pop some tags-….oh, hi there! It’s Mr. Wada back on duty. It seems that many visitors at our blog are interested in the post that features second-hand stores, so I will share a way to get recycled stuff at thrift shops in Japan this time.

About Thrift Shops in Japan

Almost every city in Japan has a recycle center owned by the city and some places sell recycled stuff as a thrift shop. Mostly items are from the residents but fixed, cleaned, reusable, and super cheap! By the way, items are usually sold by raffle.

How to Find

Basically search on the city’s official website and most probably you will find the page for recycle center in your city. For me it’s Okayama City. However, it may or may not display if you search in English, so here are little tips by Mr. Wada. Let’s see how it goes.

Sample (in case of Okayama City)

Below is  the Okayama City’s website. You see a search window around in the middle section? Type in there リサイクル or リサイクルセンター (recycle/recycle center) and click the 検索 search button.

OK, it is now showing a list of pages that hit the keyword I entered. Take a look at the search keywords on the list. If you aren’t sure, open pages from top and see what comes.

This is the recycle center in Okayama City. Click the link and move to its website.

So this is the one I am looking for. It seems to be available in Japanese only, but no worries. Take a look at it and find the word リサイクル on the menu.

Alright, now we are at the recycle-items-for-sale page. Scroll down and click the button at the bottom to go to next.

A list of recycle stuff for sale is displayed. Check it out, a Yamaha acoustic guitar for 1,000 yen? What a deal.

Well, that’s all for finding a thrift shop through the city’s website. Now, let’s proceed on how to bid.

How to Bid

It depends on the place. Some places accept online bidding. Bidding period is scheduled usually. Make up your mind before items are taken. My advice is you should check them in person since it’s really hard to tell what the condition is like through the small photos on the web.

Sample (in case of Okayama City)

On the detail page of the item, click the button to move to the application form page (a folding bike for 2,500 yen huh?)

Type your information, click the confirm button and done. You will get a message if you win the raffle.

Notes

Many places apply to these conditions below. Please check before bidding, or visit the place and ask the staffs.

– Available for residents of the city only.
– Personal use only (not for re-selling).
– No delivery service (you need to pick items up yourself)
– Numbers of items that each person can bid is limited.

Lastly

How do you find it? There are many thrift shops in Japan. The ones that I introduced this time are owned by city, so it may feel safer anyhow and prices look great as well. Hope it helps.

If you have a hard time looking for one in your city, ask me for help in the comment form. I will try (don’t expect a quick response though).

Reference
http://okayama-west-recycle.com/

See you around!

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