Costco: Machida
Deep in the western suburbs, a world away from the bustling shopping streets of central Tokyo, you'll discover a landscape of wide highways, sprawling outlet malls, and garden-supply stores the size of airplane hangars. This is the exotic setting where you'll find Costco, a wholesale super-store that sells everything from frozen pizzas and disposable contact lenses to gasoline-powered lawn mowers.

Costco is set up warehouse-style - with towering stacks of consumer goods stretching off to the horizon - creating a dizzying effect that seems to trigger a primal shopping response in the human brain. Even if you think you don't need anything - you're just here to help a friend pick up a new pup tent or barbecue set - once you start pushing your double-size shopping cart down those miles of aisles you're bound to spy something that demands immediate purchase.

Exercise bikes, down comforters and plastic trees are half the price you'd find in Tokyo department stores. Imported appliances - from America, Europe and Korea - are especially well represented, with good deals on freezer chests, washing machines (with both hot and cold water intakes), and coffeemakers (an 8-cup machine from Philips for under Y4000). You'll run across oddly random but still-browse-worthy selections of cookbooks and children's books (all in English), DVDs and software, clothing and furniture. If you happen to own a kennel you'll find bags of dog food in the appropriate sizes. Just be careful lifting them.

The huge grocery department targets the budget end of the spectrum rather than gourmet interests, but you may still be tempted by the prices of fresh sushi and rotisserie chicken, custom-decorated birthday cakes and cases of champagne. Most customers seem to arrive by van, but Costco also offers delivery service via takkyubin - just Y500 for up to 30kg. You can ask for help in English - most staff members are bilingual. You will need to pony up for a membership card (Y4200); it's valid for one year at any Costco in the world, and members can bring along one or two guests when they shop.

If you're feeling adventurous and want to sign up for the full-immersion suburban shopping experience, Costco is just one train stop from Minami-Osawa, where La Fete Tama outlet mall houses dozens of discount shops run by Nike, Adidas, Benneton, OshKosh, Franc Franc and the like. Minami-Osawa is also the home of an Outback Steakhouse, where you can enjoy amusingly named dishes like Toowoomba Pasta and Boomerang Cheeseburger while you review your day's purchases.

by Robb Satterwhite



Costco

042-798-6001

Costco is near Tamasakai station on the Keioh Sagamihara line (one stop before Hashimoto), about 45 minutes from Shinjuku station via express train. From the station, turn right at the turnstiles, go up a flight of stairs and past a bicycle parking area to the main road (there's an enormous store called SPA Members Club across the road). Turn right on the main road and walk about 8 minutes, past a small McDonald's, a bunch of empty fields, a gigantic pet-supply center, and a humongous housewares and garden-supply center.

Minami-Osawa is one stop before Tamasakai on the Keioh line, and La Fete Tama and Outback Steakhouse are right at the station. Check the train schedules to make sure that express trains are still running when you head back to town; the local takes much longer.

Costco is open 11am-8:30pm M-F; 11am-6pm weekends.
Outback Steakhouse: 0426-53-0351
La Fete Tama website: http://www.lafete-outlet.com/index2.html