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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Ukay-Ukay: Japanese Style

Known for their affluence, it is hard to imagine the Japanese being practical - or frugal. They may not all be filthy rich, but their average incomes are much higher than many other nationalities. That they have always been among the top targets for expensive branded merchandise simply confirms the thickness of their wallets.

It is thus interesting to find flea markets in some areas here. I'm not sure if the recession has in some ways contributed to their proliferation, but as I was told, this scene has been going on for some time. There were many "shoppers", i tell you. And while some sellers are regular businessmen, many seem to be there just to clear their closets.

Last Sunday, I was brought by a friend to Sendagaya and was immersed in a sea of second-hand goods. Some were actually still pricey, but if one's patient enough to search around, he could actually get some astonishing bargains. My friend snatched two original Levi's jeans (still in good condition) for Yen 500 or about Php 250.00. I saw a pair of Armanis worth Yen 800, only that they were a little too small for my post vacation waistline.

Some items however could make one smile as they are already cousins to garbage. But then again, "buyers beware" remains as a primary market principle, so it really is up to the market players to decide whether an item get sold or thrown to the recycling shops.



Note: "ukay-ukay" is Filipino slang for second-hand merchandize (disaster relief items actually) being sold in specialty stores.

26 comments:

pepe M. said...

hahaha! at least japan ukay ukay na yan...although i havent experienced yet the pinoy version...

sayang naman yun armani na yun :)

poging (ilo)CANO said...

sa japan may ukay ukay?.....pinoy na ba sila?...hahahah

owenandbenjamin said...

I am surprised. I thought Japanese did not like to buy used stuff.

atto aryo said...

pepe: i actually regretted not getting the armanis. pwede ko naman sanang ipang regalo. kainis.. heehhe

atto aryo said...

sosyal nga ukay nila. nilalagay lang nila yung paninda sa gilid ng kanilang magarang sasakyan! :-)

atto aryo said...

tornadoes: i thought so too. things must have changed. majority of the patrons there were unmistakably japanese.

Anonymous said...

attorney wala bang nagbenta ng 2nd hand na aliw?

totomai said...

oh i like ukay ukay japanese style. lol. i can still remember how i was able to grab one of my fave books, Angela's ashes (hardbound) at 100 yen only.

japanese like 2nd hands too. they have lots of 2nd hand shops, from cds / furniture to PCs, gadgets.

aajao said...

atty. ok na sa akin pampasalubong mo yang isa sa mga nabibili dyang items sa JAPAN-UK :)

Anonymous said...

Parang "garage sale". We also have that kind of place here in Riyadh. It's called "Haraj", where you can shop for 2nd hand things from cars to washing machine and of course clothing. Kung maaga-aga ka at swerte, makaka jackpot ka ng mga original signature items.

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pamatayhomesick said...

magandang post toh..tama si blogusvox meron din dito garage sale (haraj ang tawag) mga antique o kahit anu basta second hand mabibili mo..hahalukayin mo rin!

Anonymous said...

so then these items would be called "japayUKAY", right? haha.

it's wise to be able to profit from unwanted items and at the same time help the environment this way by reducing waste.

fortuitous faery said...

any interesting finds? here in america, "garage sales" are commonplace, especially during spring when people do their "spring cleaning."

Ely said...

Kala ko mga PInoy nagbebenta. hehehe. Sa Dubai din daw kasi, daming UK. mga Pinoy din may ari.

x said...

i could never imagine the japs doing ukay-ukay... cool to know, though. armanis for $800 sounds like a great deal.

atto aryo said...

anonymous: secondhand na aliw? ano yun? me gumamit na tapos ipapasa sa yo? he he

atto aryo said...

totomai: sosyal talaga. pati sa ukay, books ang trip! intellectual masyado. :-)

atto aryo said...

aajao: sige, ihahanap kita ng pasalubong. yun yung exchange ng binigay mong one year supply. heheh

atto aryo said...

blogusvox: me arabo din bang bumibili? he he. surprisingly, karamihan japanese yung bumibili dito. although me nakita kaming bumbay na grabe tumawad. halos 10% percent lang yung bid price niya lagi. heheheh

escape said...

same as what the others noticed. may ukay ukay din pala dyan? siguro yung mga naiiwan dyan yon yung pinapadala rito.

atto aryo said...

dong: yun nga rin comment namin. yung talagang basura na, mukhang mamasyal pa ng pinas. he he

Anonymous said...

ang sarap naman dyan sa japan may ukay-ukay din sa kl wala e hehehe... ang dami ko pwede bilin...

Sprechtrel said...

Dude, big-screen laptop sa ukay-ukay? Paraiso 'yun. -____- Pati ukay-ukay nila ay high-tech, huh?

ScIoN said...

I got my TV (analog), 2 sets of books, and a lateral thigh trainer (what? haha, though I don't use it) for free; just paid for shipping. Try to join the yahoogroup: tokyofreecycle.

Atty, all year round ba yang flea market na yan?

Anonymous said...

tsk. i tend to buy a lot of white elephants at these bazaars ;-( heehee. sayang eh!