If "shop till I
drop" is your mantra, Luna Delphian has the goods for you at two
recently opened paradises for the shopaholic in all of us
Venus Fort
Finally - a new theme park catering to women has opened up right alongside Palette Town in
Odaiba, the fastest-growing consumer paradise Tokyo has seen in a long time. The theme is
simple: A shop-till-you-drop complex for girls that makes us feel like we're in
seventeenth century Rome.
Venus Fort boasts over 137 shops and restaurants, from a makeup photo studio to the
biggest bathroom in Japan (with 64 stalls and complete baby rooms, mirror rooms and
waiting booth), where they guarantee that you'll never have to wait in line. Just the
ticket for the new woman of the twenty-first century who still wants the opulence of the
seventeenth.
Lest the gentlemen think they've been completely forgotten, there are plenty of events to
while away the hours. A Christmas illumination show runs from November to December, daily
street performances and laser illumination shows as well as frequent events and shows to
liven up the holidays.
Best of all, Venus Fort boasts (finally!) a Sagawa takuhaibin (express delivery) service
so that you can ship your shopping home - no more worry about carrying tons of shopping
bags on the crowded Yurikamome line.
Venus Fort is open 11am-10pm daily, restaurants 11am-11pm. Palette Town 1-chome, Aomi,
Koto-ku (03-3599-0700).
How to get there: From Hamamatsucho, take the Yurikamome line to Ome station. Follow the
crowds.
Sports Authority
On the first floor below the hubbub of Venus Fort lies Sports Authority, newly opened this
summer. A second branch is scheduled to open in Yokohama on October 14 at the Yokohama
Jack Mall in Minato-Mirai. Sports Authority is one of America's largest full-line sports
equipment chain stores. It's got everything for every sports buff, from fishing to team
sports to X-Treme outdoor activities and all your favorite brands. All goods are imported
directly from the US, a relief for the girth-challenged Westerner who has trouble finding
larger sizes here in petit wonderland. Sports Authority has an admirable return policy -
if you don't like what you bought, just return it.
The Odaiba Palette Town Branch is open 11am-10pm daily. Palettetown 1-chome, Aomi, Koto-ku
(03-3599-2101).
The Yokohama Jack Mall branch shops are open 10am-9pm daily. Yokohama Jack Mall East
Tower, 4-8-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama (045-680-0261).
How to get there: About 7 minutes from Yokohama station east exit; follow the sign for
MM21. Or from Sakuragicho station, walk towards Yokohama Museum, pass the Landmark Tower
(about 13 minutes from the station).
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