Setting Up A New Home

Setting up a new home is the very first task you take on, besides finding food for your family, once you arrive in a city overseas. When you move into a rental home, you will probably feel the need to adjust some unfamiliar features in your new home. The challenge always seems to be finding a store to buy all the little tools and items to help organize the house in a foreign country to meet your needs. It’s a daunting task that would cloud over your head.

I am going through that period of setting up a house to make it workable for us at the moment. I need some tools to make changes in our home in Manila. I have been wanting to buy tension poles, fabric, hooks, storage containers and so forth. Fortunately, many store options are available in Manila. Home Centers and Ace Hardware are easy to spot. One of my expat friends in Manila, though, recommended me to go to a Japan Home Center if I need anything around the house.

Japan Home Center

I didn’t understand why my friend recommended me Japan Home Center. One day, though, I spotted one Japan Home Center, so I stopped by. As soon as I stepped my foot in, I understood why because it was such a fun store! It has pretty much everything you need to set up and organize your home. Japan Home Center is basically the same as 100 Yen shops in Japan (like dollar stores in the U.S.). The prices here are set to 88 Filipino Piso for each product which is about US$1.50. There are some exceptions with products that are priced higher and they would have price tags. Their merchandise may not last for many years, but they are good enough to use for quick fixes in the house.

What I like about it is that they offer various options and they are inexpensive. For local Filipinos, it might be a very regular store that it is nothing special, but for me who have not been in a city with a Japanese style dollar store like Japan Home Center in a while, it was such an exciting discovery. If you are new expats in Manila, you don’t need to look further than this store (in my opinion). There are many branches in Manila. I recommend typing in Japan Home Center on google to find a store located near you.

I asked the store keepers if I could take any photos prior to doing so. The first answer I got was no. Then I explained how I would use the photos and it is only for the use on my blog. They allowed me to take a few. I appreciated it!