One of my favorite shops in Japan and Manila is adding another store to its list! Saizen — the official Philippine franchise holder of the Japan Daiso group, has opened a branch in Robinsons Manila Padre Faura wing (next to Goldilocks Bakeshop)!

At Saizen-Daiso — everything you will ever need: from household goods to cosmetics and from toys to snack items, comes in one affordable price of just PhP 85!

Saving up for a trip to Tokyo? These Maneki Neko (Beckoning Cat) coin banks are cute and can hold several thousand pesos worth of PhP 10 coins! At the next con, skip those ubiquitous Angry Birds hats and show up in a frog cap or a luchador mask instead.

Keep tiny toys and keepsakes in these small acrylic cases that protect them from dust and water spills. Last but not least — keep your cosplay make-up picture perfect with a wide variety of foundations and mascara bases.

Saizen is also a great place to gear up for your upcoming trip to AFA 11 — scribble notes or collect autographs in these cute panda notebooks, or stock up on disposable colored light sticks that you can wave with gusto at the I Love Anisong! concerts.

Saizen-Daiso also has an extensive Japanese food and snack aisle. Some of the gems I found in the Robinsons Manila stacks include Sakuma Drops (made famous — or should I say infamous, by Hotaru no Hakka or Grave of the Fireflies), and the microwaveable rice that fellow Filipino scholars in Japan had a love-hate relationship with (we loved the fact that it was cheap, but hated it because it did not taste the same as “real rice”).

If hosting pretend tea parties is your idea of a good time, Saizon-Daiso also has you covered. You can stock up on Cream Pies and Chocola Pies (which are not really pies but are crispy biscuits almost like otap) and Royal Milk Tea powder. Don’t forget to bring your frilly doilies and oversized hats.

Last but not least, glug down some Crayon Shin-chan-brand lamune or traditional Japanese lemon-lime drink, or some Naruto-brand (Kakashi-flavoured?) milk coffee. There’s something for everyone at Saizen-Daiso, so drop by and turn your daily shopping into an adventure!

Thanks to Ms. Josette and Ms. Rose of Saizen-Daiso.