Don Quixote del Tokyo

Fantastical knight turned discount department store

In my high school Spanish literature class senior year we read many classics, including the tale of Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel Cervantes. I remember it vividly because it's somewhat of a satire. The saga follows a man who operates under delusions, believing he is a chivalrous knight battling beasts when actually what ensues is a series of misadventures. Even with my non-native Spanish knowledge, I remember laughing and finding Don Quijote to be endearingly comical. 

So, imagine my surprise when I arrived in Japan and saw his name, this hallucinating horseman, plastered on the side of various multiple-story buildings, along with a chubby, animated, blue penguin character in a Santa hat! Well, I was simultaneously flabbergasted, deeply charmed and aggressively curious. 

Don Quijote is the name of a chain discount department store scattered all over the nation of Japan. Just as the Japanese prefer to shorten words (from their own dictionary and even more so with foreign loan words), Don Quijote is colloquially known as “Donki” and pronounced like “donkey”. 

These stores stock similar inventory to Walmart or Target since they span the exhaustive range of home decor, appliances, clothes, tech, grocery, hygiene and even outdoor goods. This barely scratches the surface when attempting to convey the sheer magnitude of inventory. Donki is actually deserving of the motto “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it”. I even saw fireworks there last week! 

Donki is known for discounted items, not that it is explicitly an outlet, but customers understand that they’re getting a great price on decent-to-low-quality items. They have some incredible bargains available! While in many cases the caliber of materials or durability of products is slightly compromised, overall the quality is fair for the price. However, many of the more foreign-catering Donki locations will also house an extensive luxury product collection, offering name brand jewelry, shoes, bags and clothing at unbeatable price points. Apparently another huge draw is that they offer tax-free shopping to foreigners (not something I’ve taken advantage of since I’m not on vacation). 

But for any United Statesian who wanders into a Donki, the first and arguably most notable feature is the overwhelmingly stimulating atmosphere. Donki does NOT mimic the drab white walls, white floors and high ceiling fluorescent lights of Walmart. 

First of all, you’ll probably be able to spot a Donki from across the street because the entrance way resembles a festival aesthetic. There can be flags hanging and sparkly eye-catching signs. Sometimes there is even a food cart outside of the store wafting scents of grilled meat into the unsuspecting nostrils of passersby. Basically, it's hard to miss. 

Upon entering, you’ll immediately notice immense input - noises from music, sound making gadgets or televised commercials, and the brightly colored … everything! There is hardly ever an unused square centimeter of wall space since posters, promos and products line walls from floor to ceiling. Then there’s the ceiling itself, dripping in lanterns, flags and cut-outs of cherry blossoms dangling down to the height of a person around 5 feet tall. Even on the escalator there is a rainbow lining and a mirrored ceiling to keep consistent the chaotic frenzy. 

Most Donkis have at least three floors. Then there’s the “mega donki” locations in highly populated, tourist trafficked parts of the city. These will have five, six or seven floors. Plus there’s the basement! Each floor is accessible by a series of escalators and resembles more of a corn maze than a standard grid of aisles. For example, in order to get to the next escalator and proceed with your ascent, you’ll be expected to wind through multiple dead-end or sharp-turn aisles until you can return to the subsequent escalator. (Almost definitely with the goal of promoting unexpected impulse purchases.)

Depending on the location of the Donki, the inventory will shift to reflect the local demands of customers. For those stores located at tourist hubs and hotspots, souvenirs will comprise much of the first (and potentially second and third) floor. Donki is one of the best places to invest in gifts for those back home while visiting Japan. For those stores most frequented by locals, the first floor (or the underground level) will be a center for snacks, shelf stable foods and kitchen goods. 

Of course, there’s the Hello Kitty section and similar displays for all popular animated personalities. Then there’s the laundry detergent that they mostly sell in bags (that softer plastic compared to the hearty bottles seems to me to be an environmental statement). Don’t forget the entertainment men’s boxers (I’ll keep it family friendly and leave out pictures of the extensive adult section, separated by an 18+ curtain and containing sex toys in droves). 

In the food section there are unique snacks, like this package of candied crab parts or this array of edible insects (silkworm pupae, tarantula, rhino beetle and locusts). They also curate an impressive candy section with kit kat flavors you’ve never even heard of (strawberry, banana, peach, green tea and milk tea).

Then there’s the detailed, realistic FAKE food which is apparently a popular product (according to the self-proclaimed signage). The fake food industry in Japan gets a lot of business since it’s highly common for a majority of restaurants to model their menu visually in an external, street-facing display - almost undoubtedly with the goal of enticing starving pedestrians, but as a foreigner it’s so easeful and joyful to be able to actually SEE what it is I just ordered since my menu translation skills are fairly limited.

Lastly, there’s the adorable Donki mascot. I have no idea why he’s a blue penguin, but he is! He appears all over the store on signs as well as in stuffed form and even occasionally makes an appearance with his lady friend!

What else to say about Donki? It is one of those “you gotta see it to believe it” places, but hopefully these photos capture a sliver of the insanity. The mere fact that this store exists, in its outlandish design, vast inventory, unbelievable prices and hysterical name, makes me very happy. I still wonder though… why the name?