Saizen: A Store For The Japanophile In You

Is it just in Manila, or is it happening elsewhere in the world, that everyone is loving everything Japanese nowadays?  Several friends and family just made the trip to the Land of the Rising Sun and everyone came home raving about the food and the wild and funky Japanese street fashion.

As for me, I do not need to go board a plane to get my fill of Japan.  All I need to do is head to the Saizen (Daiso) center in Robinson’s Galleria.   There are a lot of Japanese discount stores sprouting all over, but this one at the Galleria is the original Daiso, the same store that has branches in Japan, Singapore, HongKong, etc.

In my latest visit, I filled my shopping basket with things to make a bento box lunch, a planned summer activity with my kids; a few more items to add to my baking paraphernalia, and a lot of other things I don't really need but seemed too good a deal to pass up.  Everything at P85.

There's something here for everyone, scroll down and you'll know what I mean.  (Sorry if the quality of the photos is less than spectacular, all photos are taken with my Nokia camphone.)

For those who might be a little obsessed with organizing their kitchen, there is a long aisle of plastic containers:

 

What else do you expect from a country with a fanatical infatuation with cleanliness...

There are silicone liners, paper cupcake liners, cake boxes, for the happy home baker:

and if you are looking for something to give

origami paper for the creative set:

mini travel kits for the wanderlust