Ikea Japan

We finally visited Ikea Japan in Minami Funabashi today. We figured the crowd will be crazy the first month or so but I'm so glad we didn't wait longer! Ikea holds a special place in my heart! Even today, more than two months after it opened, Ikea Japan was still crowded... the shoppers didn't want to go home even an hour after closing time!

An Ikea is an Ikea and for branding consistency, the one in Japan doesn't look different from the one in Malaysia. The difference lies however in the customers. What I saw this evening was fascinating... everyone was either carrying a huge bag or carting out those HUGE Ikea carts overflowing with stuff they bought! People here have purchasing power! Unlike Ikea in Malaysia, Ikea Japan (even the cafe) is relatively inexpensive, especially when comparing with the other furniture retailers here.

This is Minori's second time at an Ikea (the first time was in Malaysia). It's a lot more fun for her now that she can walk. She ran around and laughed like a broken Energizer rabbit. I highly recommend this place to any toddler who wants a change from going to the park, especially if he or she loves running in wide spaces and playing hide and seek with daddy. Or like Minori, waving and nodding to people around her as though she is the shachou (CEO) of Ikea.