One of the most popular hobbies in Japan is shopping. Shopping as a hobby? Although shopping includes "window shopping" (you don't apparently have to buy anything to be "shopping"), there is a large contingent of those who purchase such "material" things for themselves.
And it does seem to qualify as a hobby when you consider that people amass large collections of things such as jeans, high heels and sweaters. You could almost consider this hobby akin to hunting when you look at some of the items in the collections: snake skin boots, rabbit fur vests, and cow hide purses.
But there is so much Japanese culture to be learned when shopping, even when shopping for something as mundane as a pair of jeans. Here, shopping has been elevated to an art form. Whereas such a transaction would amount to a clerk ringing up of the item at a Walmart in the United States, here in Japan the purchase involves bows, smiles, giggles and tatemae flattery. Oh, and of course, warm hearts.
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