Have you ever wondered what it’s like to shop in a bustling, old-fashioned Tokyo shopping district?
The Shimaura Discount Chocolate Shop webpage will give you a taste (including a very loud WAV file) of what it’s like to stand in front of their stall in the alleys of Ameyoko near Ueno station.
Frenetic showmen, they work as a team—one man on a platform, surrounded by candy, takes handsful of chocolate bars, boxed candies and seasonal treats and holds them aloft then thrusts them into a plastic bag held up overhead by his assistant on teh ground. 4000 yen’s worth of candy for only 1000 yen! Not a bad deal. It’s chocolate that’s almost reach it’s sell-by date or overruns of special promotions.
They’ve been featured on TV and in print and for good reason. They not only give you candy, they give you a performance, too.
We stumbled across Shimaura a few years ago at the New Year and visited it again this week. You might like to see it for yourself if you’re in town, or virtually if you’re not.
Posted by kuri at January 04, 2003 05:40 PM