On my way out of the Tokyo Metro's Iidabashi Station, I was drawn to a shop with the intriguing name "3 Coins." I have heard of the expression "one coin," often referring to affordable meals that are equal to or less than ¥500. It turns out that the shop's name is a reference to the price of most of the items in the shop, ¥300 + tax (and thankfully not ¥1,500!).
The storefront is bright and inviting. Immediately visible to passers-by is an attractive display of household goods. There's a chic glass container with a well-designed bamboo cover made for easy stacking in the fridge. It was, as the shop name promised, only ¥300 + tax. The bigger sized glass containers were slightly more expensive but still pretty reasonable.
3 Coins appears to be more upscale than the ubiquitous Daiso. The products here are of a higher quality than the hundred yen shops and would make fairly decent presents.
Despite the relatively small shop size, I was impressed by the variety of household, interior goods, fashion accessories, accessories for digital devices, and even clothing items available. I found some durable charging cords for smartphones and an LCD writing pad at ¥500 only. I also spied reversible umbrellas that close inside out (to prevent water from pooling where you place it down) for only ¥1,000. These normally retail for twice as much. 3 Coins will definitely be a place to shop for Christmas presents.
3 Coins hopes to bring you "ちょっと幸せ," (chotto shiawase), "a little happiness." Many of the people who dropped in the shop left with something that they picked up, and I suspect not all purchases are planned.
