Kanazawa Eco Town: Op shopping on crack

Michael suggested we check out rural Book Offs and Hard Offs to see how they differ compared to Tokyo in price and variety, so we caught a go taxi out into the sticks to explore the Book Off and Hard Off. These chains are kind of like our cash converters mixed with our op shops in Australia, as everything is second hand.

It was a very wise decision indeed. Prices were outrageously cheaper than Tokyo, and yet, the variety was just... Insane. Crazy stuff. Not only that, but the Hard Off ended up being an Eco Town, which is where a bunch of the chains all combine into one. So we had Hard Off (hardware and electronics), Hobby Off (every knick knack under the sun) and Off House (clothing and homewares) all in one large building!

Michael got himself a 16mm camera lens for $70AUD (score, also, the pic of his current lens shows the size different in how much lighter this lens he bought is), and two original Donkey Kong Game Boy/Game Boy Colour games for around $6 each! Then I got myself five knick knacks for 330 yen (like, $3 AUD, so 60 cents a piece) that consisted of two sensory toy plushies, a coin purse for Michael as his wallet doesn't have one and Japan is loaded with coins, a portable black lace shopping bag, and a cute Kirby shopping bag. I also found a fluffy bumbag for $3AUD, a handbag that I'll use for days where we don't need the backpack for $10AUD, and a Pokemon keychain for $3.

What I unfortunately did not get was the amazing Serena figurine that I found. I couldn't believe it. A Serena figurine- score! Just what I wanted... Until I saw the price. 34 THOUSAND yen (around $300 Australian dollars). Yikes! I looked it up and this particular figurine is extremely rare and sells online for about $450 AUD. So, like, bargain, but also, I'm not spending $300 on a figurine. I have limits. $20 is about the limit bahahaha! And I thought the $130 Serena Pokemon card I found at the last Book Off was expensive... Why girl! Why are you expensive? I know why (it's because she's the best poke girl) but still!

Oh well, I will keep on the hunt for a Serena plushie or a keychain of some sort. We have plenty of Hard Offs to explore. Hopefully something within the price range shows up.

Below are some things we saw that blew him away.

- Zelda A Link To The Past in its original box for just under $30 AUD (a super nintendo game from 1991)
- Actual Super Nintendo consoles in their original boxes for $50 AUD
- Boxed copies of Super Mario All-stars, Super Mario RPG, all under $20 AUD
- large electronic pianos for $150 AUD
- A large Dragonite plushie (that was not going to fit in my suitcase) for 110 yen (basically just over 1 Australian dollar)
- every gaming console under the sun, some super random deep cuts and special editions, all at super cheap pricing
- old school MP3 players for $20 AUD
- large, high quality suitcases for under $40 AUD

We will definitely be keeping our eyes out for these stores through out the trip!Læs mere