Daiso Japan

Hmmm...thought I reviewed this Daiso before. Anyway, it's located in the Strawberry Park Shopping Center next to Paris Baguette, Mitsuwa, etc. It's always fun to shop here to get unique items, or drinks and snacks! It's always cheaper here. The staff was helpful and had a good sense of humor.

My family raves about Temu but I have Daiso. Why play roulette when you can pay reasonable prices and get your stuff right away. I tend to head on over to the IKEA when I need to do a massive restock of kitchen expendables. Prices are usually reasonable even if quality can be a bit iffy. Then I realized Daiso probably had everything I needed, prices are reasonable and I could count on reasonable quality too. Well mostly reasonable quality. The Saratoga Ave Daiso is in a shopping center that is just crazy busy. I was happy to be there, this is one of the larger Daiso. But I had to stalk people to their cars and wait patiently as they left to find a parking spot. Once in I went wild. I love kitchen gadgets and with the Japanese merchandise you really have to try to divine the purpose of the item. Cuz I don't read Japanese. And I can't see that tiny font anyway. But figuring it out is half the fun. But yeah, there will always be the odd item that you get completely wrong. And can't be returned. But prices are low enough that I picked up one or two items where I only *think* I know what it does. But most of the stuff I picked up are repeats and I was pretty confident they'd be fine. I've never actually purchased a repeat item where I found the quality had dropped over the years. If it's a dud, it's usually something new. One thing I wish they had more of are steel items. The quality of the steel utensils has been outstanding. Unfortunately, there is just a ton of plastic. However, the quality of the plastics is reasonable. You just have to trust your judgment. If it feels flimsy, don't buy it. Another quirk of Daiso is item size. It's intended for the Japanese market. Items are sometimes so small it started to resemble doll sizes. But I have a small kitchen and that is often exactly what I need. All in all, I had a great time checking out the store. I found organizers that made me wish I hadn't already cooked up a system because the Daiso version is stronger and more efficient. I found some gardening stuff that I totally prefer to buy here instead of Walmart because the Walmart versions have been flimsy. All in all, it was a haul. The store registers have all been updated. They added what looks like self service checkout but I had too much stuff to qualify. The new system definitely has some problems. I inserted my credit card too early and discombobulated the system. It took many tries to convince it to give me a second chance. I still need to go to IKEA but this is one store where shopping online is much more tempting than wending your way ever so slowly through the store. God forbid you should change your mind and have to go backwards. Items I've purchased in the past and deem reliable: Silicone pot holders (mine still working after about 10 years) S hooks - make sure you check the weight limits. 1 kilogram is 2.2 lbs Hair doodads - Asian hair works best with asian hair thingamajigs Clay pots - love those things for reheating leftovers - generally not microwave safe rice/noodle bowls and chopsticks - last forever but not very microwave friendly even if labeled safe - I avoid microwaving ceramic. The steel kitchen utensils - very well made. Mine are 5 years old and looking like new, plus assorted strainers, measuring spoons/cups, etc... Clips for laundry lines - I've got a collection that dates back to the 2000's - generally I lose them, they don't really die. Laundry bags - I still have two from about 20 years ago. These things get tossed into the laundry about once a month. When will they die? Tools - I have a random collection of screwdrivers, scissors, generally good quality. Some of the tool collections (drivers with 20 different tips) have been made of soft metal but still great because the specialty tips get used once every 5-10 years. A plastic citrus juicer - small but mighty - I've juiced 20-30 lemons at a time on this thing. Wish it held more juice but works great. Stationary supplies - very reasonable quality - pens/markers have excellent supply of ink - mine last 2-3 years, don't dry out. Paper comes in small quantities but decent quality. Didn't really work out for me Organizing bags - the Japanese mindset must be different from me. I could never really get these to work Super specialized cleaning tools - tiny broom/dustpans for dusting windowsills, tiny melamine sponges only big enough to pinch, there must be a dozen different bottle cleaners each one designed for a specific purpose. Plastic food storage boxes - a bit on the flimsy side, individual portion sizes. Generally too small for me. I don't microwave plastic so it was just more stuff to wash. Couldn't find any glass storage containers with locking plastic lids.

Daiso is the spot for organizing on a budget! They've got everything--from storage bins to cable organizers--for the low, and it's all super functional and cute. If you're trying to get your space together without spending a fortune, this is where it's at.

I LOVE Daiso. I don't go to malls anymore (and that's where I usually find a Daiso), so it's so convenient having this stand-alone store around. They always have the best little nick nacks and treats I can never find elsewhere. It's the little things in life that keeps me going, and Daiso is one of them

Service and shopping experience goes up exponentially when you aren't there on a busy weekend day. Was able to navigate the story easily and chat with the cashier a little. Always a great value and decent selection, pretty much always have what you are looking for, although today they were out of one thing on our list. You cannot beat them for price.