Shopping on an online Japanese shopping site can feel like opening a treasure chest. The variety of products, the unique atmosphere of each product, and the small details that are hidden in the corners turn it into an adventure itself. It has some of the most mysterious snacks and the cute plushies resembling a character in a Studio Ghibli film, and is an online paradise to all those who need a slice of Japan.
Did you ever have that sensation of clicking buy after discovering something that you did not even know you needed? It is as though you are on the hunt, and you were not even aware that you were seeking treasure. The next thing, you are purchasing the newest Japanese skincare item, and the next moment you have a new set of kitchen knives, which have a design of a ninja. Admittedly, it may sound like a coincidence, yet that is what is so great about these Internet stores. They drag you down this wonderful rabbit hole where everything is possible.
I recall the first experience when I visited an online store in Japan. It was too late in the night, and I was browsing inexhaustible pages of weird domestic items when I happened upon a ramen bowl glowing. It was lit in the bottom, as in a science fiction movie. I did not even know that I had to have a light-up ramen bowl, but I could not see that it had been a mistake. That was my “eureka” moment. It is magic how these sites can make one feel that he or she has found a completely new category of goods that he or she did not know he or she could find. It is finding some lost street in a new city.
I am also surprised by the prices which are offered on these sites. I guessed I would pay an arm and a leg to get my product shipped or to pay some tax, but there are a number of stores which charge fair shipping fees, particularly when you are located within the same area. The products are also very well packaged such that they may be used as gift wrapping. Actually, it is even more thrilling to wrap than to gift. It is another type of experience, receiving a package that is perceived as being of a different dimension.
Japanese online stores also do something that other places do not: making you feel that you are a part of something larger. It is not merely a purchase of a product, but a piece of culture. It is a miniature of Japan in the palm of your hand regardless of where you are located all over the world. Be it a collection of vintage tea cups, the collectors edition manga characters, or a snack that has a flavor unlike anything you would ever find in reality, it is an opportunity to experience Japan without having to leave your place.
I ask myself at times whether online shopping sites realize they are creating magic. They have perfected the skill of creating thrill. It is not about perusing through an ever-ending list of products but it is about the thrill of unfolding with each and every click. The expectation of what you are going to next is a massive portion of the amusement.
And there are the bizarre and the wonderful things that make you want to come back. Feeling like having a Kit Kat with a matcha flavor? Done. Need a Hello Kitty toothbrush container in the form of a sushi roll? You’re covered. It is as though these shops know that there are times when you want something unusual to an extent that you smile when you even think about it.
Concisely, it is not only the acquisition of rare products in a Japanese online store, but it is the experience. The wonder of discovering a new and exciting thing, the euphoria of a cheap acquisition, and the pure happiness of having got a thing that seemed like a small step of Japan.