DAISO – The AWESOME 600 Baiza Store in Ruwi, Oman!

Daiso Entrance My gorgeous wife, Che, with Henry and Ansu who came all the way from Ibri to visit Muscat. (Seeing my reflection in the door reminds me of that scene from Liam Neeson’s movie “Taken“, ha!ha! But I digress…) Che and Henry browsing Apparently, these “Japanese 100-yen shops” (Japan’s #1 Value Store) are blossoming in the Middle East. The 1st ME Daiso store opened in Dubai, UAE in 2004 and I only recently came to know about this shop here in Oman which opened on Dec 8, 2005. There are at least 15 of these shops across the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. They are similiar to the “$1 store” or ”Looney Stores” of Canada. Shampoo hat, anyone?! ha!ha! Okay…some of the items for sale here are just RIDICULOUS! (but that’s what makes it all the more interesting! A Japanese store in Oman?!) I like how some guy described these stores saying “You can stand in the aisle for 15 minutes wondering if the product you have in your hand is for eating or something for washing your armpits!” LOL! Daiso shelf 1 Just look at those cute little piggy-panks! I bought one of the pandas! Remember-EVERYTHING in this shop is only 600 baisas or $1.55 US/$1.90 CAD. What home would be complete without “the animal magnet“?! (And YES, I did buy this one!) Some of the products here are cute-others are outright hilarious! (Let’s not forget that Japan is the country that gave us “Hello Kitty”!) The English errors on some of the packaging are worth the trip alone, ha!ha! To enjoy other Japanese attempts at labeling products in “Engrish”, check out this site: www.engrish.com (CAUTION! You may crack a rib from laughter!) kitty teapots If you live in Oman and end up in Muscat, you HAVE to check out this store. It’s located in Ruwi next to Khalijana Supermarket and has over 3,200 ft²(300m²) of shopping area. Daiso shelf 2 The opening hours of this store in Ruwi, Oman are: Sat-Thur 9:30am-1pm, 5-10pm; and Friday 5-10pm. safety plugs For any of you Canadian viewers out there, there is one daiso store in Canada. It’s located in Richmond, BC. http://www.daisocanada.com/contactus.html Che in aisle If you are reading this and pouting due to the fact that there is no Daiso store in your area, take heart, dear reader, for there is an on-line site! http://www.daisojapan.com/ Daiso shelf 3 There are friendly employees ready to help you out in this store…but they are cautious as there have been reports of “cultural problems” – “”We have tried saying ‘Irasshaimase’ (Welcome) when customers visit the shops, but this annoys some people. And in Kuwait, where there is fairly strict adherence to Islamic principles, I made a man angry when I was explaining to his wife how to use our products. I think he thought I was ogling her or something,” he said. (from http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20070609a4.html) Daiso shelf 4 More info on Daiso found here: http://www.daiso-sangyo.co.jp/english/about/about04.html Daiso shelf 5 So if you are ever in Ruwi with some extra time on your hands, why not check this shop out?! You will have a good laugh, find some interesting products you might not find elsewhere and you will feel as if you have taken a “small trip to Japan” as an escape from the desert heat!

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17 Responses to DAISO – The AWESOME 600 Baiza Store in Ruwi, Oman!

Maria | July 29, 2010 at 9:01 pm | Reply

Hello there Andy!

How r you doing?
Lovely to see a beautiful couple like you and your wife.
If I read correctly, you said your wife Che works for Oman Air.
I am keen on working there, so could she help me out with the same .

Regards,

Maria
andydbrown | July 31, 2010 at 5:35 am | Reply

Hi Maria!
(That’s officially my wife’s 1st name too! “Maria Chyrell!) Thanks so much for your sweet words regarding me and my wife! It’s not my wife that works for Oman Air. It’s a friend of ours that we met through this blog and then had the pleasure of going to church with here in Muscat. I’ll ask her about how to go about working there and get back to you. All the best!
Maria | August 1, 2010 at 7:33 pm | Reply

Hello Andy!
That’s great to hear ‘n’ your welcome!
Oh that would be amazing, I could use some kind assistance.
Looking fwd to hear from you.

Regards,

Maria
andydbrown | August 2, 2010 at 6:13 am | Reply

In the meantime, Maria, what’s your email address so we can send you the relevent info? Cheers!
Maria | August 2, 2010 at 12:34 pm | Reply

Hello Andy!

How r you doing?
My e-mail address is ddollz@hotmail.com.

Regards,

Maria
Noora | July 5, 2011 at 4:26 pm | Reply

Diaso looked so cool with the pink sign now it looks so dull X|
And most of the cuteness is gone ={ wish I had known about it when it first opened…still love it though!

Thanx for the fun pix!
andydbrown | August 18, 2011 at 1:31 am | Reply

Noora,
Thanks for stopping by the blog and commenting! Nice blog you’ve got there! Take care!
Anonymous | February 18, 2012 at 8:44 pm | Reply

I used to go to Daiso in Dubai but try as I might I cant find the one in Muscat.. I’m new here so help me out with some directions & a road number please …
- andydbrown | February 21, 2012 at 11:56 pm | Reply
  
  I’m sorry, but I don’t have the road name and it’s hard for me to remember the exact location. If you go to the Ruwi Church compound and drive in the direction of the Golden Oryx, it’s the first street on your right past the streetlights. After 2-3 minutes, you should see the Daiso shop on your right not far from a mosque on the left. I hope that helps.
Abhijit | February 23, 2012 at 3:47 pm | Reply

That’s Al Noor Street (earlier known as Rex Road).
- andydbrown | March 3, 2012 at 10:27 pm | Reply
  
  Abhijit,
  Thanks for the helpful info! It obviously helps to know the name of the street!
coolzzz | August 22, 2012 at 12:10 pm | Reply

where is it located in ruwi????
- shallicomparethee | August 22, 2012 at 3:39 pm | Reply
  
  this looks fab, just what I need some ‘retail therapy’ to soothe the ‘back-to-school blues’, have to wait til payday though ha ha!! Long vac. . .long vac!
  - andydbrown | August 22, 2012 at 9:23 pm | Reply
    
    The word on the street is that a new Daiso store is going to open soon in Muscat Grand Mall!
    - shallicomparethee | August 23, 2012 at 2:37 pm | Reply
      
      Yihaai! a stone’s throw from my humble abode!
      - andydbrown | August 25, 2012 at 10:34 pm | Reply
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