No trip to Japan would be complete without a trip to the country's greatest discount store, Don Quijote!

Hearing the name "Don Quijote," you might imagine that this store's mascot looks something like this:

Wrong. It's a penguin:

Because Japan.

Lovingly referred to simply as "Donki" (ドン・キホーテ → ドンキ), this store sells just about everything.

Just off the top of my head, I've seen them selling clothing, jewelry, TV's, body wash, rice crackers, beer, video games, sex toys, costumes, and bedding sets.

Don Quijote was essential in stocking my apartment when I was living on the cheap as an English teacher in Japan back in the day.

The main reason that I recommend visiting Don Quijote on your next visit to Japan is that the store is just a bit... well, ridiculous.

Here's just one fantastic thing you can do at Donki:

They have an English website that lists the locations of their stores. Apparently they also own a few differently branded stores in the U.S.

I haven't been to the vast majority of their stores (they're all over the country, after all), but I can tell you that the one at the entrance to Kabukicho is so jam-packed with random merchandise that you feel like you've stepped into another world of wacky products.

Walking a bit further east from there is the Donki in Shin-Okubo, which is spread out across a single floor. Look for a street vendor nearby selling hotteok, a sweet Korean pancake with a brown sugar filling:

I like the maple one. The Japanese sign will say ホットク, and probably 호떡 (← Korean), also. I tried making these at home once, and they were about 1% as delicious as the ones in Shin-Okubo.

Lucky for you, I snagged a picture of it off Google Maps:

I also recall that the Donki in Akihabara is quite large:

Rei and I used to go to the Don Quijote in Susukino in Sapporo for delicious 焼き芋 (やきいも // roasted Japanese sweet potatoes):

These would sell out uber-fast. And there was a sign that said how much time was left until the next ones were available. One time Rei and I waited like 15 minutes to get one of these, but while we were off being distracted by Don Quijote's massive selection of merchandise, all of the new batch sold out in a couple of minutes!

You'll find that most branches of Don Quijote sell these delicious potatoes in the fall and winter. Here's an article (in Japanese) with some more pictures.

Speaking of pictures, click on any of the links to specific stores above to see hundreds of them on Google Maps.

Or you can check out these articles:
- 10 Must-Buy Items at Don Quijote in Japan! (← Some good souvenir/gift ideas.)
- Don Quijote – Japan’s Best Discount Store
- Don Quijote - The Most Awesome Discount Store in Japan
- 5 things to know about Don Quijote, Japan's popular discount chain store

Or these YouTube videos:
- Japan's Greatest Store | Don Quijote
- Top 10 Things to Buy at Japanese Discount Store Don Quijote | Japan Shopping Guide
- Awesome Japanese Stuff: Donkihote
- Shopping in Japan: Don Quijote in Akihabara, Tokyo

Oh, and don't forget to memorize the Don Quijote theme song:

ドン・キホーテの歌 Theme of Don Quixote

It's a classic.

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Useful Japanese:

ドンキの焼き芋おいしいよ。
ドンキ　の　やきいも　おいしい　よ。
Donki’s yaki-imo are good.
Literally: “Donki + の + yaki-imo (=roasted Japanese sweet potato) + tasty + よ.”

新大久保でホットクを食べました。
しんおおくぼ　で　ホットク　を　たべました。
I ate hotteok in Shin-Okubo.
Literally: “Shin-Okubo + で + hotteok + を + ate.”

すみません、ドン・キホーテはどこですか？
すみません、　ドン・キホーテ　は　どこ　です　か？
Excuse me, where is Don Quijote?
Literally: “excuse me, + Don Quijote + は + where + です + か?”