I had something funny, the other day. When I was in Japan in August, I decided to raid the Hanshin Tigers' Shop on the 8th floor of the Hanshin Department Store in Osaka, picking up some
Hanshin Tigers (
wiki) memorabilia.
I also picked up a HT-jersey like they wear during home games. The store was kind enough to have one of each size unwrapped on the shelf, so I was able to see whether my western body would fit a Japanese 3L, and it did.
So I got one and paid 6300 yen (at the time, that was about 35 Euro) for it. Perhaps a bit steep, but hey; you only live twice, the yen was cheap in August and it would make a fun addition to my wardrobe and all that.
I shipped it home by slow surface mail, and put the pack with the jersey in my linen closet so that it could wait for an opportune moment.
That moment is near and so I unwrapped it to see how to wear it and finally discovering why the jersey had cost me 6300 yen without thinking about it for very long in the first place.
You see, it turns out that the 6300 yen I spent on the jersey also bought me a matching pair of sweatpants, something I totally overlooked when trying to figure out the sign in the shop. :D
So, why didn't I apparently bat an eyelash at the somewhat steep price? Quality and/or branded clothing can be quite expensive, especially in Japan, especially when it comes to larger sizes. Add that to the fact that the average soccer shirt in the Netherlands easily sets you back fifty Euro, and it all seemed to be on par with each other.
I won't wear the pants that often, I reckon, but it's a nice surprise nonetheless.
Now I'll only have to get me a baseball cap in order to look the part at
Anime 2009; luckily, the next trip to Osaka isn't that far away.
Cheers, K.