Based in Osaka, Realize focuses on lifestyle goods and cute accessories for young women. You'll find things here you'll wish you'd found ages ago!

The "kitchen" in the name gives away the focus of this ¥100 chain. Why shop here and not at a big chain like Daiso? The quality of the goods! Here you can find nice wooden spoons and bowls, as well as well-made ceramic dishes. Do be careful, though, as some larger items are ¥300—but well worth it! You can find branches in Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Fukuoka, as well as in various locations around Kanto and Kansai.

Competing with Natural Kitchen is Kitchen Kitchen, which offers a café-chic style and products made from natural wood. Branches can be found around Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.

Located in chic shopping areas of Tokyo like Omotesando, Ebisu and Kichijoji, this is another kitchen-and-lifestyle shop, this time focusing on chic, unique products with a natural style.

Vita goes for a simple, eco-friendly image, with prices at ¥105, ¥210 and ¥315 including tax. You'll also find a variety of garden tools on-site. The first Vita store was opened in Iwate Prefecture in 2003, and branches can now be found in Aomori, Yamagata, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa.

Lawson Store 100 is a variant of the Lawson convenience store chain that focuses on ¥100 goods and cooking ingredients. The products on offer are actually fresh and of decent quality—to keep prices low, they're just sold in small, one- to two-person portions. Great in a pinch after the grocery store closes!

Discount drug store Daikoku Drug has a ¥100 section in many of its shops—and that price includes tax! However, be aware that part of the shop is also a regular drug store, and while prices are cheap, they won't adhere to the ¥100 label.