You have until Sunday, Nov. 29, 4 p.m. to partake of the bargains at the semi-annual Shicchy Charity Fair, which takes place at the Tokyo Ryutsu Center in Heiwajima, Tokyo. The fair offers at rock bottom prices some 100,000 luxury items that have been donated by members of the Jounan Pawnshop Cooperative. The proceeds go to charity, though exactly which charities isn't specified.

How cheap is the merchandise? Well, genuine Louis Vuitton bags start at ¥20,000, which is, I gather, really low. There are a lot of designer bags on sale, as well as fur coats, jewelry, watches, kimonos and accessories.

Apparently, there is less merchandise than at previous Shiccy Fairs owing to the fact that, like everything else in this recession, the pawnshop business isn't doing so well. That may strike some people as being strange. Pawnshops would seem to thrive during bad times, since people who've been laid off or otherwise financially compromised tend to be desperate and thus would be more likely to pawn their possessions for some quick cash. However, the nature of the pawnshop business in Japan has changed over the past few decades.