ASAKUSA Underground > Don Kihote (don key-haw-te)
There is a chain of discount stores called Don Kihote.
It seems to have nothing to do with Miguel de Cervantes since the company doesn't claim any inspirational tie with the Spanish masterpiece. The word Don Quixote is a little too confusing for a Japanese to pronounce, and local youngsters call it "Don ki"(don key). Don-ki is more easily associated with Donky Kong among the Nintendo generation.
Don Kihote shops sell electronic appliances, clothes, groceries, bicycles, toys, CDs, DVDs, and almost anything. They even have washing machines to sell. If you plan to stay in Japan and live in a flat, looking for everyday electric gadgets, for example, it is certainly recommanded to shop here. At Don Kihote you can find practically everything to start a single life in Tokyo.
# Caution!
Don Kihote claims that it is a discount store, but, in fact, the goods there are not as cheap as it should be. If you really need to economize, we would humbly ask you to go to rather a mega electronic appliance dealer like Bic Camera or a 100yen shop. But still Don Kihote is recommandable because one visit there could almost satisfy your needs without hustle.
# Observation
When you go to Don Kihote, you may often have a close encounter with Japanese Chinpiras. (Chin-pee-ra. Chinpira means juvenile delinquent or young gangster in Japanese. You might recall Yakuzas in Japanese police movies like Black Rain by Ridley Scott with Michael Douglas and a Japanese cult actor, late-Yusaku Matsuda. Chinpira can be roughly translated as wanna-be/would-be Yakuza even though they have not been recruited by any clan yet. For further information see About Chinpira)
At Don Kihote you see plenty of juvenile Chinpira gangsters acompanying their lower teenage girlfriends with too much make-up on. It seems to the author's eyes that the number of Chinpira couples per 10 clients there is exceptionally high, compared to in other shops. A subjective observation, probably.
It can be quite amusing to pay serious attention to insignificant things which an ordinary tourist will definately ignore. "How do Japanese Chinpira delinquents look like?" "How do a Chinpira and his immature girlfirend behave in their process of courting?" If these questions interest you, pop in to a Don Kihote shop. It is a nice hunting ground for sociological discoveries.
Why does Don Kihote attract Chinpiras? Our answer could be two particular characters of Don Kihote chain stores.
1, They are open 24 hours a day.
2, They are situated in the surverbs to which you need a car to go.
Most of the young Chinpiras are nocturnal and adore cars. At least one can say that Don Kihote has two strong points which charm Chinpiras.
You might find this answer neither persuasive nor logical. Your imagination and, possibly, observation on the spot are needed to fill the gap between the question and the answer. You will find your own explanation there. Maybe not.
Still the fact remains.
Every night Don Kihote attracts genuine Japanese Chinpiras, the reserve army of potential criminals.
# Further observation
Inside of a Don Kihote shop you hear one song constantly repeated. The song is called "Miracle Shopping ---the theme of Don Kihote---" sung by a Japanese female singer Maimi Tanaka.
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
Volume manten, geki-yasu jungle
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
Nandemo sorotte, benrina omise Don Kihote
<Translation>
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
Perfect volume, super-cheap jungle
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
You can get anything, a convenient shop Don Kihote
The above-mentioned refrain of the song is inserted between the lyrics and repeated eternally. It is definitely unforgettable even though you may want to forget it. So, after several visits to the shop, you will start humming the melody without knowing it. An American friend of the author, a real Japano-phile, finds this tune amusing and hums it all the time.
---------------Conversation Tips---------------
You may have a chance to take a group photo with Chimpiras in a Don Kihote shop. In that case, remember this.
"Isshoni shashin OK?"
<Words>
isshoni: together
shashin: photo
<Translations>
Can we take a photo together?
Unlike Chinese or most of the European languages, word order is not so important in Japanese. Just throw out Japanese words you know and smile.
---------------Pronunciation Tips---------------
"OK"
This is indisputably the best known English word among the Japanese, but its pronunciation is not the case. Most Japanese pronounce it like;
"Ockeeh"
It is difficult to find an equivalent in English to the pronunciation of "ee." It is like an E for Edison, but much longer.
The locals surely understand your "OK," but you may find it difficult to catch it when you hear it pronounced by a Japanese, especially for the first time.
Japanese girls' favorite expression is "OK desu." (Ockeeh deehs / It's OK.)
Don't miss your best opportunity simply because you don't understand this.
---------------Body Language Tips---------------
The American "OK" hand sign can be understood, but it means "money" locally. On the other hand European bill-counting money gesture doesn't make any sense to a Japanese. He might think you feel itchy on these finger tips.
# Access to Don Kihote
From Asakusa, the closest shop is:
Don Kihote, Ueno-ten (Ueno-branch)
address zip 113-0034
3-38-10 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
tel. 03-5816-0511 fax. 03-5816-0322
business hours 10:00AM - 6:00AM (caution! not exactly 24 hours, here)
shop holidays none
To find out the exact location, use diddlefinger.
The site is your best guide when you work in Tokyo or travel in Japan.
Don Kihote (don key-haw-te)
There is a chain of discount stores called Don Kihote.It seems to have nothing to do with Miguel de Cervantes since the company doesn't claim any inspirational tie with the Spanish masterpiece. The word Don Quixote is a little too confusing for a Japanese to pronounce, and local youngsters call it "Don ki"(don key). Don-ki is more easily associated with Donky Kong among the Nintendo generation.
Don Kihote shops sell electronic appliances, clothes, groceries, bicycles, toys, CDs, DVDs, and almost anything. They even have washing machines to sell. If you plan to stay in Japan and live in a flat, looking for everyday electric gadgets, for example, it is certainly recommanded to shop here. At Don Kihote you can find practically everything to start a single life in Tokyo.
# Caution!
Don Kihote claims that it is a discount store, but, in fact, the goods there are not as cheap as it should be. If you really need to economize, we would humbly ask you to go to rather a mega electronic appliance dealer like Bic Camera or a 100yen shop. But still Don Kihote is recommandable because one visit there could almost satisfy your needs without hustle.
# Observation
When you go to Don Kihote, you may often have a close encounter with Japanese Chinpiras. (Chin-pee-ra. Chinpira means juvenile delinquent or young gangster in Japanese. You might recall Yakuzas in Japanese police movies like Black Rain by Ridley Scott with Michael Douglas and a Japanese cult actor, late-Yusaku Matsuda. Chinpira can be roughly translated as wanna-be/would-be Yakuza even though they have not been recruited by any clan yet. For further information see About Chinpira)
At Don Kihote you see plenty of juvenile Chinpira gangsters acompanying their lower teenage girlfriends with too much make-up on. It seems to the author's eyes that the number of Chinpira couples per 10 clients there is exceptionally high, compared to in other shops. A subjective observation, probably.
It can be quite amusing to pay serious attention to insignificant things which an ordinary tourist will definately ignore. "How do Japanese Chinpira delinquents look like?" "How do a Chinpira and his immature girlfirend behave in their process of courting?" If these questions interest you, pop in to a Don Kihote shop. It is a nice hunting ground for sociological discoveries.
Why does Don Kihote attract Chinpiras? Our answer could be two particular characters of Don Kihote chain stores.
1, They are open 24 hours a day.
2, They are situated in the surverbs to which you need a car to go.
Most of the young Chinpiras are nocturnal and adore cars. At least one can say that Don Kihote has two strong points which charm Chinpiras.
You might find this answer neither persuasive nor logical. Your imagination and, possibly, observation on the spot are needed to fill the gap between the question and the answer. You will find your own explanation there. Maybe not.
Still the fact remains.
Every night Don Kihote attracts genuine Japanese Chinpiras, the reserve army of potential criminals.
# Further observation
Inside of a Don Kihote shop you hear one song constantly repeated. The song is called "Miracle Shopping ---the theme of Don Kihote---" sung by a Japanese female singer Maimi Tanaka.
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
Volume manten, geki-yasu jungle
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
Nandemo sorotte, benrina omise Don Kihote
<Translation>
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
Perfect volume, super-cheap jungle
Don don don donkey Don Kihote
You can get anything, a convenient shop Don Kihote
The above-mentioned refrain of the song is inserted between the lyrics and repeated eternally. It is definitely unforgettable even though you may want to forget it. So, after several visits to the shop, you will start humming the melody without knowing it. An American friend of the author, a real Japano-phile, finds this tune amusing and hums it all the time.
---------------Conversation Tips---------------
You may have a chance to take a group photo with Chimpiras in a Don Kihote shop. In that case, remember this.
"Isshoni shashin OK?"
<Words>
isshoni: together
shashin: photo
<Translations>
Can we take a photo together?
Unlike Chinese or most of the European languages, word order is not so important in Japanese. Just throw out Japanese words you know and smile.
---------------Pronunciation Tips---------------
"OK"
This is indisputably the best known English word among the Japanese, but its pronunciation is not the case. Most Japanese pronounce it like;
"Ockeeh"
It is difficult to find an equivalent in English to the pronunciation of "ee." It is like an E for Edison, but much longer.
The locals surely understand your "OK," but you may find it difficult to catch it when you hear it pronounced by a Japanese, especially for the first time.
Japanese girls' favorite expression is "OK desu." (Ockeeh deehs / It's OK.)
Don't miss your best opportunity simply because you don't understand this.
---------------Body Language Tips---------------
The American "OK" hand sign can be understood, but it means "money" locally. On the other hand European bill-counting money gesture doesn't make any sense to a Japanese. He might think you feel itchy on these finger tips.
# Access to Don Kihote
From Asakusa, the closest shop is:
Don Kihote, Ueno-ten (Ueno-branch)
address zip 113-0034
3-38-10 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
tel. 03-5816-0511 fax. 03-5816-0322
business hours 10:00AM - 6:00AM (caution! not exactly 24 hours, here)
shop holidays none
To find out the exact location, use diddlefinger.
The site is your best guide when you work in Tokyo or travel in Japan.