Where to shop in Okayama || 岡山の店

Hello! My name is Emily, and I’m majoring in Japanese and Linguistics. I’m currently studying at Okayama University.

Chances are high that you haven’t heard of Okayama, despite it being known for things like the story of Momotaro, and for masking tape (or as it is known in the West: washi tape). I think it’s very easy to mistake Okayama as being nowhere near as convenient as Tokyo and Osaka since it’s such an unknown location and is surrounded by rural areas. But it is actually a very convenient place, especially if you ride a bike! If you don’t, no worries. I don’t ride a bike and I still find it just as convenient.

I would like to take this opportunity to fill you in on the variety of stores that are very near the International Student Share House where all EPOK students stay.

In terms of convenience stores, there’s a small 7/11 on the university campus inside one of the unions. It’s not open 24/7, but it’s nice and close if you want to quickly grab something during the day. Right next to the university buildings on the other side of the road are a Family Mart, then another bigger 7/11 further down.

In the other direction, yet still close to the Share House, is Tsushima Mall. Underground is a supermarket called Fresta, potentially the supermarket that you’ll go to most while staying here due to its convenience. It can be a bit expensive, but it has a wide enough range of things to keep you going. On the ground floor, you can find a McDonalds, a 100-yen shop, a drug store, and a few other stores that sell clothes or miscellaneous items.

On the floor above that, you can find a big Tsutaya with a trading card shop attached. Tsutaya has lots of great stationery and seasonal stuff is changed about all the time. It has a nice study planner that I started using that has a really nice layout. It also has a lot of manga if you want to try and find some simple manga to practice with. It’s also worth considering getting a Tsutaya Card to rent out some DVDs. Though you might not be able to watch the Japanese ones, there are plenty of foreign movies and TV shows that you can rent and watch!

Going to the city centre is also only a ten minute bus ride. From Myozenji, which is right next to the dorms, it costs 240 yen, whereas from Okadai Nishimon, which is right next to the building the 7/11 is in on the university campus, it only costs 200 yen. That’s the price for a trip right to the station.

The station is filled with all sorts of shops, from cafes to clothes shops to an import shop to a supermarket. The underground where many of these shops can be found is called Ichibangai, but there are more shops on the higher floors.

Right next to the station, you can find the Aeon Mall, which is a very well-known mall. It also has a supermarket on the ground floor, a lot of clothes shops, and even a home store on the third floor. You can find a Tokyu Hands inside, as well!

If you stop at the NTT bus stop, you can find NTT Cred Okayama, which is about a ten-fifteen minute walk away from the station. Inside the NTT Cred Building are a lot of very designer shops, and even some shops that specifically sell cloth for kimono. A lot of the things there are very expensive, so you might not go there unless as a treat, but on the fifth floor and with more regular prices, you can find a Kinokuniya! Though not as close as the Tsutaya in Tsushima Mall, it has a section of books for Japanese learners which the nearby Tsutaya doesn’t have.

Near the NTT Cred Building, you can also find Tenmaya, a more expensive shopping mall. I haven’t been there to look around, but you can get a bus straight there. Tenmaya has a big bus station similar to the one you can find at the train station which I’ve been to when on the way back from Korakuen.

There is another shopping centre very near the station known as ICOT NICOT which only opened very recently. That means that a lot of shops still aren’t open in it, but you can find a Tsutaya Books, a variety of cafes and restaurants, and even a supermarket on the ground floor at the current time.

In regards to singular shops, you can find a Bic Camera and a Don Quijote (with an Animate on the 4th floor) very near to the station.

The last place I would like to speak about is the nearby retail park. You can get a bus, again from Myouzenji, to Saiseikai Hospital, which is right next to the retail park. There, you can find a big wholesale supermarket known as LAMU. If you’re willing to go the distance, it’s one of the cheapest and largest variety. You can also find a Daiso, Uniqlo and GU there.

So, as you can see, though not as city as Tokyo or Osaka, you can still find many a shop there - I would give it another think if the only reason you aren't choosing Okayama is because you think it isn't convenient!

岡山について調べたら、「田舎」という印象が浮かぶかもしれません。でも、大阪や東京ほど都会ではないといえ、不便というわけではないです。EPOKの学生になりますから、国際学生シェアハウスに住むことになります。徒歩でも自転車でも行ける色々な便利な店やスーパーがシェアハウスの近くにあります。

まずは、コンビニについて話します。料理のあまり上手ではない人や勉強で忙しい人が一番使う店だと思いますから、ここから始まります。大学のキャンパスでは、７／１１があります。大学の建物の中にありますから、普通のコンビニと違って、小さくて、24時間開いていませんが、例えば、授業が終わって、帰りに晩ご飯を買いたい時は、その７／１１をおすすめします。そのほかに、ファミリーマートともっと大きな７／１１が大学のすぐ近くにありますから、そこにも行っていいと思います。

次は、スーパーについて話します。私の知っているスーパーは６つですけど、他のスーパーもあるでしょう。一番近いのはフレスタという店です。高くないですけど、安くもないです。これが私の一番行っているスーパーです。津島モールというデパートの地下にあって、上の階では、薬局やツタヤや１００均などもあります。バスで行けるLAMUという大きなスーパーもあって、売っている量が大きくて、安いです。その他に、駅やイオンモールや天満屋などの場所にもスーパーもあります。

最後に、デパートについて話します。津島モールとイオンモールの他に、NTTクレドビルと天満屋と高島屋とICOT　NICOT（イコットニコット）があります。特に便利な店がクレドビルの5階の紀伊國屋書店だと思います。日本語の教科書がありますから、留学生にとってはとてもいい店です。ツタヤはシェアハウスにもっと近いですけど、色々な本があっても、残念ながら日本語の教科書がありません。