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  • (funky techno music)

  • - Good morning, ladies, gentlemen, and cheapos.

  • Today we're coming to you from Shimokitazawa,

  • which is a veritable cheapo's paradise.

  • We have second-hand, vintage, thrifting, hipster hangouts,

  • live bars, cheap restaurants, it's all here.

  • Isn't that right, Angela?

  • - Yes it is. Why don't we go check it out?

  • - Let's go!

  • - Let's go!

  • Shimokitazawa is a bohemian neighborhood just

  • a few stops from central Tokyo.

  • It makes a great close getaway from the

  • hustle and bustle of the big city,

  • so if you want to experience a different side of Tokyo

  • this is the place.

  • The narrow streets of Shimokitazawa are filled

  • with vintage clothing shops, hippie cafes,

  • live houses and much much more.

  • So let's go explore that today.

  • - Looking for our first cheapo shop,

  • and I found a, uh, furugiya,

  • "Furugi" meaning second-hand clothes,

  • so let's go check it out.

  • So, we found a stick out store, 700 yen store.

  • Everything in there, only 700 yen, which is, uh,

  • pretty cheap!

  • Let's go and have a look.

  • - [Angela] So this shop not only sells second-hand clothing

  • but it also has new clothing all for 700 yen.

  • So let's go inside and take a look, but first

  • here are the opening hours.

  • When you first enter the shop, you will notice

  • the shop is very clean and tidy.

  • Everything is sorted into categories

  • so it makes it easier to find what you are looking for.

  • The condition of the clothes are also in very good condition

  • and quite up to date with fashion trends.

  • They also have a good variety of women's wear and men's wear

  • so let's go see what Chris has found.

  • - [Chris] Lee, Wrangler, these are all decent jeans.

  • - [Angela] For 700 yen.

  • What size is that?

  • - You're putting me on the spot now actually.

  • (Angela laughing)

  • - [Angela] Tell everyone your size.

  • - Oh, this is size M, a medium.

  • Let's try these.

  • - [Angela] So after you've picked a few pieces

  • you want to try out,

  • it's time to head to the changing room.

  • Let's see what Chris has chosen.

  • Now, it's starting to get a bit cold in Japan,

  • so Chris has picked out the sweater and jeans

  • all for a total of 1,400 yen

  • and he's all ready for Autumn!

  • Not only does this shop sell clothes,

  • it sells a lot of accessories as well.

  • (door opening)

  • - Well, I bought a belt.

  • - [Angela] 700 yen for a belt? Great find, Chris!

  • - Marvelous!

  • - [Angela] And right there is a very happy Cheapo.

  • Let's head back to the streets

  • and see what else we can find.

  • Now don't be surprised if you find a lot of these

  • vintage second-hand clothing shops every corner you turn

  • because that is what Shimokitazawa is well-known for.

  • And it doesn't stop just at clothes.

  • You can also buy second-hand DVDs, comics, books,

  • and even used kimono.

  • - So this is a proper 100-yen store.

  • You might know that there was a tax increase recently

  • so all the 100 yen stores are really 108 yen stores.

  • Not this one, this one's a 90 yen, 96 yen store.

  • When you include tax, it's exactly 100 yen.

  • This is a cheapo-friendly, true 100 yen store.

  • - So next we have come to the Shimokita

  • Garage Department.

  • This shopping area is packed with around twenty

  • fashion, art, and general merchandise stores.

  • The condition when setting up a store here is that

  • your store must be a store that contains hand-made

  • original products, which makes this department store

  • filled with unique and one-and-only items.

  • And of course, there are many second-hand stores

  • and bargains to find in here.

  • So another thing about Japanese second-hand shops

  • are that the quality is fairly good,

  • so even if the price is just 600 yen,

  • so that's around 6 dollars US,

  • the quality is still pretty good and it's really clean.

  • You just have to dig around and find something

  • that you like.

  • So while I have a shop-around,

  • let's go see what Chris is up to.

  • - So um,

  • this is Danny.

  • - Yes. Hello.

  • - We dragged him off the street.

  • Let's talk about Shimokitazawa.

  • - Mm.

  • - In

  • five words, sum up your--

  • - Five words, huh?

  • - five adjectives.

  • - Well, it's quaint, that's an adjective.

  • Um, it's skinny.

  • It's very bohemian.

  • I probably read that in Lonely Planet.

  • Um, but it does have a hippie vibe,

  • and it sorta reminds me a bit of parts of Naremburn,

  • - Right right.

  • - With all the sort of little winding bits and

  • sort of, you lose your orientation.

  • I don't know how many times we've been up and down

  • the same street, and thinking that we haven't seen it.

  • And it just seems to constantly change.

  • Just fresh, fresh people and fresh looking shops.

  • - And have you bought anything yet?

  • - Oh we bought a lot of weird junky stuff.

  • What else is it? It's calm, it's really calm.

  • Coming out of Shibuya or Shinjitsu, it's um,

  • Shinjuku,

  • - Shinjuku, yeah.

  • - Uh, it's incredibly calm and laid back and um,

  • I think I've covered all my adjectives.

  • - [Angela] So if you get a little bit tired

  • from all the walking around and shopping,

  • there are a lot of cool cafes to check out.

  • And a lot of them have outdoor seating as well,

  • even Family Mart.

  • And if you wanna try out some good coffee in Shimokitazawa

  • then definitely check out this shop.

  • (espresso machine whirring)

  • - Oh, amazing!

  • - [Angela] Also check out the free art gallery

  • on top of this cafe.

  • - So um, what can we say about Shimokita?

  • I suppose, we've voted it the number one place to live,

  • the number one district in Tokyo to live on Tokyo Cheapo,

  • because it's a combination of being cheap, obviously,

  • the district itself, the neighborhood.

  • As you see in this video, there's lots of stuff going on.

  • Cafes, bars, you know, it's a pretty

  • self-contained, interesting place.

  • And it's walking distance from Shibuya, Nakameguro,

  • it's like right in the heart of Tokyo,

  • so it's a really good neighborhood.

  • - It's really central.

  • - But it's um, it's a good place to base yourself

  • if you're just living here long-term or

  • if you're just visiting for a week,

  • it's a really good place to have as a base.

  • It's not too busy,

  • - No, it's not.

  • - It's not like living, you know, if you stay in a hotel

  • in Shinjuku or something, you're right in the hornet's nest.

  • It's total, people everywhere.

  • This is, you know, it's a more quiet neighborhood.

  • There's no high-rise buildings.

  • - No there isn't.

  • - You don't really feel like you're in the heart of Tokyo,

  • but you're so close to the center of Tokyo.

  • - Yeah, and that's what I love about Shimokitazawa,

  • is that it's so close to the center, it's only, I think

  • 5 minutes, 10 minutes away from Shibuya?

  • - I think it's 3 minutes.

  • - 3 minutes? Okay, - Something like that.

  • - By express?

  • - The Inokashira line, the express.

  • It's literally one stop.

  • - But when you get off, it feels, the environment's

  • completely different from Shibuya.