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fit Japanese Household Products in Houston

I read about "fit" Japanese Household Products before visiting and was fully prepared to be disappointed. Some reviews on sites like Yelp criticized the store for selling products made in China and passing them off as Japanese, like this one.

"People, this is nothing more than a store selling China-made products as "Japanese".  The only things authentically Japanese here are the snacks and that is about it.  90% of the other stuff here is made in China and sold everywhere else in Chinatown."

Well they are wrong, just plain wrong, despite the fact that there are many products made in China. I'll explain.

fit Provides a Mostly Authentic Japanese Shopping Experience and Here's Why

Browsing the crowded shopping districts of Japanese cities like Tokyo you start to notice a pattern. The prime street level real estate is occupied by brightly lit and richly decorated stores selling fashion accessories, designer clothing, electronics, even auto dealers, and of course restaurants. But the real adventure lies beyond the window displays, up the stairs, down the hall, and into the depths of the impossibly crowded small shops that occupy every square inch of the $1000 per square foot retail buildings.

This is where you find shops that cater to every possible niche: Specialty book stores, wedding cards, herbs, traditional medicines, vintage computer parts - I can't even begin to list how many odd shops I have seen in these places. Then comes the real fun - the Japanese household product shops, and they are everywhere.

I have never called them "household product stores" though that is a great way to explain them. A Japanese version of a dollar store (They are often named 100 Yen stores) is what I might have said but that doesn't really capture what they are. They specialize in things you use around the house: Cleaning supplies, kitchen gadgets, office supplies, writing implements, and cute home decor galore. Not the surplus/overstock/discontinued stuff I still enjoy in dollar stores, but a more purposeful inventory of things that Japanese city dwellers gobble up for their small living pads and personal enjoyment.

And yes, much of that stuff is made in China but for the multitudes of Japanese impulse shoppers standing in line at the checkout counter with baskets of stuff they didn't want until 10 minutes ago, "Made in Japan" is the last thing on their mind. This may seem odd for a quality-comes-first culture known for spending too much on things that are too small, but this is about convenience and fun.

Japanese Consumer-Centric Shopping at its Best, for Houston

This Japanese convenience shopping experience is exactly what fit in Houston offers up. Except that in Japan all of this stuff could be made to fit into a space the size of my bedroom. There are signs of Engrish everywhere you turn and things that really matter to Japanese like washing machine cleaning tablets. It is also bright, friendly, neat, and clean, very clean.

There is a small section for snacks and drinks but Daido is located only minutes away and the two store compliment each other well. Buy your Japanese groceries and snacks at Daido then blow $20 on kitchen or office knick-knacks at fit in one trip.

As for the common comparisons to other shops in Houston Chinatown, I disagree. fit is a decidedly Japanese store. If you're just looking for cheap fun things then sure, any number of stores up and down Bellaire Blvd. or Harwin Dr. will do. If you are native Japanese or just dig their stuff the fit is for you.

Location and Contact Information

fit Japanese Household Products
9889 Bellaire Blvd. (2nd Floor)
Houston, TX 77036
281-201-1360
www.fitjpstore.com

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