TsukuBlog » Shopping

7th Anniversary events at You World

RrFish — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:37:55 +0000

(No, Tsukuba You World doesn't pay me for doing this, in case you are wondering!)

Tsukuba You World is currently celebrating its 7th Anniversary, and you can take advantage of their special offers and events.

Cineplex Tsukuba
1) 1000yen admission day - July 8, Sunday
2) Meet Picachu and Shrek - July 7 and 8
11:25AM, 13:30PM, and 15:40PM on both days.
(Expect the chaos!)
3) Quiz rally

Spa You World
1) Special drama performances from July 1 to July 30
2) 1050yen admission day and free gifts to first 250 people - July 8

For You World's free bus services, please read this post:
Parking at You World & Free bus service
Shrek 3 Schedule:
Schedule for Shrek3 at Cineplex Tsukuba

Repsa Mall, a strip mall along Route 354, just minutes from You World will also be holding their big summer event this weekend, so it's not hard to imagine how horrible the traiffic on that stretch of Route 354 will be this weekend.

A big preschool bazaar today

RrFish — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:43:52 +0000

A preschool called Matsubokkuri Hoikuen will hold its annual summer bazaar in Namiki today. There will be a lot of children's clothes, women's clothes, household items, swimwear, and I hear there are some food and some activities for kids as well.

Bazaar location: Namiki Kinrin Park
http://map.livedoor.com/map/?ZM=10&MAP=E140.8.43.9N36.3.42.8&SZ=740%2C450
Time: 11:00AM to 1:00PM
Parking: Use the parking lot on the east side of this park
*Do not park in the Namiki Shopping Center's parking lots.*

Get there early!

A visit to the Umezono House

RrFish — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 07:19:29 +0000

I checked out the Umezono House yesterday for the first time since last summer. There are always some brand new clothes, plates, and other whatnots, but you don’t see a big, brand new Doraemon talking alarm clock there that often. I don’t think you can get it for 800yen anywhere else, so please visit the Umezono House next week if you want to take a look at this Doraemon. It was quite big.

Other “unusual” findings are a black elementary school bag (probably the same one I saw last summer), a karate uniform, bicycles and tricycles, and brand new frames for commendation certificate.

If you are going to stay in Japan for a short period of time and are planning to visit local secondhand shops, please look into the Umezono House first. It may not have a lot of stuff, but please remember that this shop is for a good cause ;-)

Asian Friendship Association’s information in Japanese
http://www.tsukuba-swc.or.jp/circle/ajia-yujyo-kai.html
The Umezono House’s new store hours http://blog.alientimes.org/2006/07/the-umezono-houses-new-store-hours/

Annual Ibaraki Artifact Exhibit at Seibu

RrFish — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:21:23 +0000

* Exhibit *
The 22nd Ibaraki Artifact Exhibit (茨城県郷土工芸品展) will be held again at Tsukuba Seibu from August 10 to 15. Please also see my post titled, “Ibaraki Artifact Exhibit at Seibu” from last year for reference.

Selected artifacts from all over Ibaraki will be on display/sale, and you’ll have chances to talk to craftspeople and watch them work on their handiwork. Please see "popular attraction” page on Ibaraki Travel Information website (English). All the artifacts on this page, except Kagami Crystal, will be coming to Seibu this weekend. This year, there will be free tea ceremonies that you can participate in every 30minutes between 11am and 6pm on Sunday.

There will be lots of sightseeing brochures and flyers that you can pick up, so if you are trying to decide where to go & what to do this fall, don’t forget to stop by at the tourist information table.

* Books! Books! Books! *
What’s exciting is that Libro’s new and used book fair will also be held on the same floor during this exhibit this year! They usually have a good selection of English and other foreign language books and some videos, so I think it's worth a look if you are not in a hurry.

Another Gigantic Shopping Mall

Shaney — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 01:08:54 +0000

Does Tsukuba need another gigantic shopping mall? We already have Tsukuba Center (Q't, Creo, Seibu, Jusco), Lala Garden, Gran Stage, and all sorts of stores in Sakura and on Route 354. However, the answer to this question, in some people's minds anyway, seems to be a resounding YES.

The Tsukuba Shopping Center Project is bringing a new, as yet unnamed, mall to Tsukuba that is going to be 145,000m2, making it the largest shopping center in the northern Kanto region. It is going to be just north of Kenkyu Gakuen Station (on the west end of Kita Odori), making this quiet area of Tsukuba a rather bustling hub of activity. It will have stores, a movie theatre complex, a game center, and even community facilities in its 3 storey (plus parking levels) building. The parking areas will be able to hold 4150 cars and 1500 bicycles. They are expecting 12,000,000 people to visit this mall per year. The mall is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2008. Click on the link to see an image of what the completed mall might look like.

4 Comments

At September 26, 2007, Ben Bullock wrote:
Is this the area opposite Gran Stage Yamashin? They recently cut down a forest there so I guess something is going up.
At September 26, 2007, Shaney wrote:
Yes, the loss of that forest hurts. I just noticed it this past weekend. Very sad.

I don't know what they are planning on putting there. The new shopping center referred to in this article is not going to be there. It is going to be on the same street as Torisen, the bakery, and Kenkyu Gakuen Station, but on the opposite (north) side of the road.
At September 27, 2007, Dan Waldhoff wrote:
My long term guess is that Tsukuba will develop in that direction with or without a new mall. It would not even be considered without having some idea of future growth - a surrounding population supports a mall most effectively. There are also the "communities" at stops #3 and #4 on the TX Line which could easily commute and most likely by car.

I'll go out on the same limb I've been on since coming here ... again. Tsukuba will eventually be the Seat of Government, the Capital, of Japan. That was, after all, the original plan in putting Tsukubua where it is.
At September 27, 2007, Shaney wrote:
It certainly seems to be heading in that sort of direction. I wouldn't be surprised to see that come true in 20 years or so.

Any passionfruit lovers out there?

Vivian — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:16:21 +0000

Though you can find tropical/specialty fruits at UNAGI-YA fruits market in Takezono (near Terashima drugstore and Kasumi), I just wanted to inform you of some passionfruit on sale now (100yen each...they just starting selling them today and will continue until the inventory runs out, I think - they look really beautiful with shiny firm purple/red skin!) at Yao-kane supermarket. If you want to go, hurry and go now because inventory often changes. I was also thrilled to find white asparagus there recently.

That particular shop is a typical friendly local supermarket selling mostly regional produce at prices often lower than typical major supermarkets. The seafood there is QUITE fresh (my housewife friends all praised the quality of the seafood there) and the man behind the counter is happy to clean the fish for you. Special fish at the moment: saba (mackerel) and sama (saury)...saury is best eaten salted and grilled while mackerel is really tasty simmered in sweet miso sauce and ginger! Assorted sashimi fish packs are reasonable and fresh there too.

How to find the place: Go SOUTH on NISHI-odori...turn right (West) on the Andersen Bakery/Doho Park road...and you can see the supermarket just one block down. The place is easy to miss but often you can see tons of cars parked along both sides of the street, mostly customers!

UPDATE: I was told that "tonari no yasai" shop (along Nishi-odori...near Onogawa area and the Coco's around there) also sells passionfruit. Apparently someone is growing passionfruit in Tsukuba these days, hoping it will spark a demand for it.

INFO: Passionfruit is tasty when cut open and eaten as is...though it is INCREDIBLY sour. Many people choose to open it up, put the insides of the fruit into a glass, mix it up with some water and sugar for a tasty passionfruit juice cocktail. Orange juice can be used instead of sugar, too.

Bargains at Masuda

RrFish — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 10:36:36 +0000

Masuda grocery store in the Namiki Shopping Center has marked down many of their goods today. I went there around 6pm after work, and a lot of shelves were already empty. I think the store is open until 9pm today if you want to hunt for real bargains. Cashier told me yesterday that the store will be open until Sunday but it may close early if it runs out of things to sell, so it's possible that tomorrow will be the last day of business before its reopening.

Blomster Anna

Shaney — Sun, 04 May 2008 21:00:13 +0000

A nice way to say "thank you" to a woman is to give her some flowers. If you want to say "thank you" to Anna Hamakoji, however, you might want to buy some flowers FROM her instead.

Anna is a 33-year resident of the Tsukuba area who has a long history of helping people in the community. Her family has recently opened a new flower shop, called Blomster Anna, in the Sengen area of Tsukuba. Anna is from Sweden and "blomster" means "flower shop" in Swedish.

The shop is in a unique building that has a tree through the middle of the awning roof. In addition to flowers and potted plants, the store includes a Swedish corner where Anna displays some of her family's Swedish paraphernalia. Some of it is for sale and some is just for show. There is also a table in the Swedish corner where you can get a drink and a free cookie or chocolate from Sweden.

The shop has a wide selection of bouquets and potted plants that would make a perfect Mother's Day gift. You can have a look at their Mother's Day flyer on the shop's website.

Blomster Anna is located just off Higashi Odori, behind the red and yellow Chinrai ramen shop in Sengen, one block south of Minami Odori (map). Stop by sometime and say hi to Anna!

Casolea

Shaney — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 10:28:00 +0000

A new store opened across from Ninomiya House on Nishi Odori on November 23. It is called "Casolea" and apparently it specializes in "organic cotton items". Casolea means "house of light" and the concept is that the store wants to bathe its visitors in light and warmth. Their products include clothing for women and infants, items for interior decorating, and other household goods.

The store is located at Ninomiya 1-1-10 and it is open from 10am to 7pm. It is closed on Wednesdays.

Here is Casolea's website and the phone number is 029-861-7752.

Costco’s new hours

RrFish — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 01:09:48 +0000

Costco is open until 8PM on weekends and on holidays starting today. I went to their website just to be sure, and yes, they are open from 10:00 to 20:00 everyday now! I don't know if the new business hours will bring more people or even out the crowd, but hopefully this will bring order to chaos on weekends.

Fastest way to get there is by train. Take TX train from Tsukuba, and switch to JR Musashino Line at Minami Nagareyama Station. Makuhari Station is only about 30minutes from MinamiNagareyama. It takes about 1 hour and 15minutes, and costs 1250yen each way. The buses are leaving from Makuhari Station to Costco and other stores every 10-20minutes, and costs 100yen per ride.

Costco Makuhari
related article: A new costco store scheduled to open in Saitama

2 Comments

At May 13, 2007, Anonymous wrote:
in costco's website they say nothing about there store hours
At May 14, 2007, RrFish wrote:
No, they don't, and I wish their website offers more useful information to us, their customers.

I got this new store hour information from the signs posted inside the Costco store in Makuhari, FYI.