Hello everyone!

After having the opportunity to travel to Japan 3-4 times, we've discovered some interesting stories about buying things there that we think would be beneficial to share with others. Let's dive in and see what they are! ^^



The first topic is "buying on behalf of others".

There's no denying that we Thais tend to buy souvenirs for others whenever we travel. And sometimes, the people around us ask us to buy certain items in the countries we visit because the prices are much cheaper than in Thailand, or because the items are simply not available in Thailand.

The problem lies right here. Some people are very shy, some people don't know what to do. The thing is... I want to get it because it's cheaper, cheaper, or it's so hard to find in Thailand. But I'm also very shy about my friends. What should I do to get things without ruining the relationship? Today, Mr. "Wife finds, husband uses" would like to introduce some simple techniques or processes for buying things without making the other person feel uncomfortable.

  • Start by asking the person you want to buy from what airline they are traveling with. Sometimes they may be traveling with a low-cost airline, which requires them to purchase additional baggage weight. Or some airlines have very little baggage allowance. Their clothes and personal belongings alone may be almost full. In this case, I personally would not ask them to do it, unless they volunteer or insist that it is very easy and they are happy to do it.
  • Ask them how they plan to travel. Are they traveling to many cities? Because some people have a very tight travel schedule, carrying backpacks and changing beds almost every night. Some days they may even have to leave their belongings in a locker to go sightseeing before checking into their accommodation. If this is the case, they may not be very comfortable accepting the deposit. ^^
  • Tell the product details clearly, the model name, color, bottle shape, if there is a picture or a clear purchase location, please inform them completely. And the most important point is the price. We should tell them that "If the price is not more than this baht, this yen, you can buy it without asking them." And please do not specify a price that is too low, like the one we have seen other people buy. Because sometimes the price we see may be an old price, a promotion price, or a special price for a particular store. The person we ask to buy may not have time to go around looking for us like that.
  • Money If possible, you should deposit money with them from the beginning, either in baht or yen. If it is in baht, you should inform them in advance, as the person you are asking to deposit will have to go and exchange the currency. And you should deposit a little extra. Or if they say they are comfortable swiping their card, don't deposit any money yet. Let them swipe first and wait to see the exchange rate. We should also give them the right to decide.
  • The items to be purchased should be small, not large, not easily broken or damaged, and should not be heavy. Oh... and it would be better if the price of the item is significantly different from what you can buy in Thailand. Some items are not expensive and are less than 20 baht different from Thailand, which may stress the recipient. T____T
  • Finally, whether the person we ask to buy gets the item we asked for or not, we should say "thank you" to them. Some people can't find the item for us, and not only do they not say thank you, but they also get angry and sulky with them. - -" And in the case that they buy the item for us, when we receive the change or settle the expenses, we should calculate the fair exchange rate and round it up for them. Rounding up to a round number should be rounded up, not down......ha


Up to this point, many people who don't know us might think that we are both cold-hearted, unkind, and petty. But I want to say that this is not the case at all. ^^ We are both happy to help buy things for others as much as we can. And we have also had people ask us to buy things for them from abroad. We think that doing this would make the people we are buying for feel more comfortable. This idea may be right or wrong, as it depends on the personality and character of each individual.


Alright, let's move on to the second topic. The second topic is about the "Top 5 Most Popular Souvenirs from Japan." These 5 items are based on our personal experiences from our 3-4 trips to Japan each. The requests for these souvenirs came from people around us, including our siblings, close relatives, friends, and colleagues.


I didn't arrange these 5 items in order of frequency or quantity of purchase requests, but the group agreed that these 5 items are the ones that people often ask to buy. Okay, let's see what they are, why people like to buy them, and how much they differ in price from Thailand.

Note: The prices shown are exclusive of 8% tax, as I have already claimed a tax refund. However, some items may have been slightly cheaper when I actually purchased them, as some stores offer promotions for credit cards. The exchange rate I used for this calculation is 0.32, or 100 yen equals 32 baht.



#1 Shiseido Anessa Sunscreen (Gold)


This is the ultimate water-based sunscreen that Thai people love to buy in bulk. So much so that the Takeya department store has had to put up a sign saying that customers can only buy a maximum of 10 bottles each. Of course, this is because it's much cheaper to buy it there than in Thailand. As far as I can see, there are two sizes available: 25ml and 60ml. The size that people usually ask me to buy for them is the 60ml one. The latest price I found was 2,480 yen, which is about 800 baht. For those of you who are wondering why I bought it so expensive, I asked my friends in Japan and they told me that this product has recently been rebranded. You can tell the difference by looking at the bottle. On the left is the old bottle, and on the right is the new bottle. The position of the lettering and the sun symbol is different from before, and the new version has the words "Aqua booster" added. I haven't tried it yet to see how it differs from the old version, but the new version has been on the market in Japan for a while now at the full price of 2,480 yen per bottle (excluding 8% tax) and there hasn't been any discount yet. The old version, which I used to buy on previous trips, was around 2,000 yen per bottle, or about 640 baht, which is much cheaper than the 1,100-1,300 baht they sell it for in Thailand.



#2 Shiseido Perfect Whip Facial Foam

The last time I went there was in April 2016, and this product has also been revamped. Now there is no word "Shiseido" on the package, and the price has also gone up. To be honest, I'm not sure if the product itself is still the same. I'll let you know when my wife tries it out, because I bought one for myself to try as well. As for the original formula of the Perfect Whip, it's great because the thick, white foam creates a soft, fine texture when mixed with water. It cleanses well and doesn't leave your face feeling tight. The usual price you can easily find is 398 yen/tube, or about 127 baht. But the last time I found it for as low as 322 yen, or about 103 baht/tube, which is much cheaper than in Thailand where they sell it for 290 baht per tube.



3rd Place: Bifesta Cleansing Water


The cleansing water comes in various colors, including green, orange, and pink. The green one is the most popular among my customers, especially those with oily or acne-prone skin. It's usually sold in bottles, but I recently found a special edition that comes with free cotton pads at the same price as the regular version. The price is 699 yen, which is about 224 baht. In Thailand, it usually costs around 390 baht per bottle.



4th place: Wasabi peas


This snack is a popular choice for both buying as a gift and being asked to buy as a souvenir. It's delicious, with a slight spiciness from the wasabi, and it's easy to eat and disappears quickly. The price is 880 yen, or about 280 baht per pack. As far as I've seen, the price in Thailand is around 400-450 baht per pack.



5th Place: Nissin Cup Noodles


This instant noodle brand isn't very popular in Thailand, but whenever I go to Japan, I always get asked to buy this curry flavor back. I was curious if it was really that good, and after trying it myself, I got hooked and started buying it for myself too. Not only does it taste good, but it also comes with meat. For this latest round, I saw that there was a curry cheese flavor, so I decided to try it out. I'll let you know how it tastes after I try it. The general price for this item is around 100-135 yen, or about 32-43 baht per cup. The price in Thailand that I've seen is around 70 baht per cup.


Okay, that's the end of the two stories we wanted to share with you. Please let us know if you liked them or not. If you have any information that is incorrect, please let us know. We welcome all feedback. ^^


For this article, we both wrote from personal experience and referenced data from April 2016. Thank you all for following us to the end, and see you again. And for those who want to ask any further questions, you can follow and ask here. https://www.facebook.com/amazingcouples/ Hello.



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