Hyakuen Shop - The famous 100 yen shops of Japan

The 100 yen shops or Hyakuen Shoppu [100円ショップ] are typical stores in Japan that resemble the old 1.99 stores in Brazil. In them, you buy everything for the price of 100 yen, which corresponds to approximately one dollar.

In these stores, you can find an enormous variety of products. From household items, stationery, clothing, electronics to edible products. Normally, everything offered in the store costs 100 yen.

However, smaller items are sold in multiples of 2 or 3 for 100 yen. Some stores also sell items for more than 100 yen, but these are clearly marked. Generally, these more expensive items are still cheap compared to other stores.

The 100 yen shops in Japan

The stores can also be nicknamed Hyakkin [百均], most of their products are processed foods, cosmetic accessories, dishes, kitchen utensils, daily necessities, stationery, and others.

Low-priced products, such as small drinks and sweets, are sold several pieces for 100 yen. The store is elaborately designed to encourage impulse buying. A large part of its products are manufactured in China or other countries.

They range from simple department stores in small corners of the city to multi-story stores in shopping malls. There are even chains of stores that adopt certain standards. Four of the main ones are Daiso, Can-Do, Seria, and Watts.

Just from the 4 giants, there are more than 5500 stores available in Japan, varying in size and options. Only in the fiscal year 2012 did these stores generate more than 550 billion yen.

In 100 yen shops, you can find stationery items, tools, clothing, towels, household items, kitchen and garden utensils, toys, and leisure products. There are thousands of options for you to redecorate your house or apartment!

100 Yen Shop - The economical and gigantic stores in Japan

What are the best 100 yen shops?

The Daiso [ダイソー] is the largest chain of 100 yen shops in Japan. There are over 2900 stores in the country and 1,400 abroad. If you are looking for a wide variety of products in one place, Daiso is the right place. Many even say that everything necessary for human survival can be found in this chain of stores.

Another franchise of stores is Can-Do ( キャンドゥ) with more than 930 stores in Japan. They are well-known for being easy to navigate, greatly facilitating the lives of customers and tourists. The products of the store brand “Do! STARS” are very popular and praised. Another relevant factor is the elegant atmosphere and the wide variety of new items displayed weekly.

The last one we will mention is the chain of stores called Seria 100-Yen Shop (セリア). This chain of stores has a strong reputation among 100 yen shops. Much of this is due to its layout, organization, and beautiful products. Its concept is to offer a variety of products aimed at more refined and demanding tastes.

There are other 100 yen stores and chains like: Le Plus, Natural Kitchen, Lawson, and Meets. Besides the 100 yen shops, there are other variety stores that sell at different fixed prices like 300 yen. We can mention stores like 3coins and Asoko.

The 100 yen shops are everywhere in Japan, where you can find an infinite variety of items, trinkets, and even food.

History – How did the Hyakuen Shop come about?

The idea of “selling products at a uniform price” was popular in the Edo Period between 1722 and 1723 in Japan. Over the years, some food and other product stores like Bunmise, Hachibunya, Shibunya, and Matsuya Kuremonoten (now Matsuya) emerged.

Before the 100 yen, during the Meiji Period, we had the “10 sen store” expanded throughout Japan by Takashimaya. It is believed that this store was inspired by the “10 cent store” in the United States. 10 sen was the fractional version of the yen, meaning 10 cents.

Over the years, various stores emerged, raising their prices to 20 sen and 50 sen. At that time, 10 sen was equivalent to 180 yen today. To understand more about this subject, we recommend reading about the history of the yen.

After the war in 1952, stores like Takashimaya and Marutaka were relaunched, but over time their names changed and their fixed price format ceased to exist. It was around 1960 that the fixed price of 100 yen was established.

At that time, purchases for 100 yen were limited to special events that occurred weekly. These events were successful just like they occur in supermarkets and other stores. Nowadays, there are still special days in the 100 yen shops that offer some discounts like a reduction of the 10% tax.

In March 1985, Akira Matsubayashi, the founder of Life Co., opened the first fixed 100 yen shop in the city of Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture. After that, Hirotake Yano, the founder of Daiso Sangyo (“Daiso”), opened the first permanent store in 1991.

After the bubble, with the recession and deflation, the number of stores increased rapidly. In the 2000s, convenience stores of the 100 yen type centered on groceries emerged. Among them were Kukyu Plus and “SHOP99“.

Daiso – The largest 100 yen store

Daiso has about 3,300 stores in Japan and around 2,000 stores in 26 countries and regions around the world. It is quite popular among tourists due to the ease of finding them. At Daiso, you can find everything, utensils, tools, stationery, and food.

Initially, it operated a mobile outdoor store in the parking lot of a supermarket. The products were purchased from wholesalers for 70 yen and sold for 100 yen. After complaints from a customer, the founder changed his focus.

After this complaint, Hirotake Yano decided to focus on the quality of his products, even buying products for 98 yen and selling them for 100 yen. Daiso gained a reputation for quality among others, which made the company the largest in the industry.

Other 100 yen Stores

There are several other hyakuen stores besides the 4 famous ones we saw earlier. Even the convenience chain Lawson has its Lawson Store 100, in addition to having integrated the famous SHOP99.

We also have stores from am/pm and from 99ichiba called minipiago. There are 300 yen stores like 3COINS, CouCou, Illusie300, Lattice, and THREEPPY. There was even a 1000 yen store called Senkin World.

Of the 4 giants, some stores were named Silk, Watts, and Meets, which were bought by Watts. Le Pru joined Can-do in 2007. Daiso has partnered with Aoyama, Speed, and Orange. There must be other mergers and stores that we are not aware of.

Local 100 yen Stores

There are small local stores that bear the name of 100 yen, but there are also regional local stores that can be found in certain areas of Japan. Here are some of these popular local stores:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table sideways with your finger >>

Japanese	Romaji
ワールド企画	wārudokikakun
なんじゃ村	nanjamura
100円ショップポピア	100-en shoppu popia
THE 100 STORES	THE 100 STORES
100えんハウスレモン	100-en hausu remon
百円コンビニユーエスマート	hyaku-en konbiniyūesumāto
ナチュラルキッチン	nachuraru kitchin
ひゃくえもん	hyaku e mon
FLET’S	flet’s
得得屋	Tokutoku-ya
ダイコクドラッグ	daikokudoraggu
100きんランド	100 kin rando
100円ショップサンボックス	100-en shoppu sanbokkusu

What to buy in a 100 yen shop?

The stores have an enormous variety of unique handcrafted products, various gift packaging, household items, confectionery, among many others. All 100 yen shops in Japan offer many practical and elegant products. So many products for the home, to make daily life easier or to fill your bag with souvenirs.

By Kevin: When I was in Japan, I visited several 100 yen shops and can recall some things I bought or that caught my attention:

Headphones;
Phone cases;
Sweets and snacks;
Stickers, stamps, and seals;
Socks, ties, and belts;
Shoes, envelopes, and containers;
Spices, hats, and bags;
There are so many things that I even got confused trying to make this list..;

The stores presented in this article offer similar products, but each has a different style, so it’s worth visiting all of them if you’re taking a stroll around Japan. But of course, there are many, many other stores distinct from these. Have you visited any of these stores? Would you like to visit? Let us know in the comments about your experience.

When visiting a 100 yen shop, you will feel completely lost and indecisive about what to buy. You will spend hours choosing products and will quickly empty your wallet. Check out other places in Japan that will make you get lost with the incredible varieties: