I got an X-rated surprise in Japan

They tend to be a labyrinth with everything from gorgeous linen to painfully cute pencil cases and mysterious snacks.On a pre-pandemic trip to Tokyo, my travel companions and I spent a silly number of hours wandering the department stores of that fair city.We’d buy snacks with no idea what was in the packet. We’d marvel at the fact there were 18,764 different types of Kit Kats to choose from. We would jump out at each other wearing large Hello Kitty hats. It was a gentler time. The store that blew our minds the most was Don Quijote, or “Donki” as it’s known to locals. It’s an absolute riot the moment you walk in the door. While other department stores tried to promote a chic, peaceful shopping environment for their customers, that was not Don Quijote’s M.O. There was blaring music and noise coming from TVs and mechanical toys. Lurid sale signs crammed every square inch. It was like some Tetris-master had seen just how much product they could fit into one department store. We were in shock for the first five minutes of our visit. It turns out store layouts are designed to be as illogical and confusing as possible, to maximise the time shoppers spend in there. Touche, Don Quijote.Through the labyrinth of crammed shelves they have every item you could possibly want, and a bunch that you didn’t know existed — like nose hair removal wax, edible bugs, Pokemon-themed face masks and a lavender scented tape for taping your mouth shut while you sleep:We rode the escalator from linen to beauty to gardening supplies to novelty footwear. As we alighted at one floor we were suddenly confused. The sound of giggling children had evaporated and you had to step through a red plastic curtain at the top of the escalator. It was then that we realised we had arrived at an entire floor devoted to sex toys. It was like ambling through Myer and being teleported to Sexyland. It was thrillingly unexpected.The costume section was particularly entertaining.The beauty of Japan is — in many ways — they are pretty evolved when it comes to sex. Items from Tenga, one of the country’s biggest manufacturers of sex toys, can be purchased in pharmacies and convenience stores. It’s a bit liberating to be in a society that is not up tight about this kind of thing.Which is why a visit to Don Quijote is on my list of absolute must do things in Tokyo. Because surprise and cultural differences like this is what travel is all about.Absolute must-do things in Tokyo1. Go to whatever exhibition teamLab is putting on. It’s a huge artistic sound and light installation in a warehouse space on the outskirts of Tokyo and it’s so beautiful it made my friend cry.2. Go to Don Quijote and come out armed with a bunch of seriously confusing souvenirs for your pals back home.3. Go to a Kaiten sushi restaurant. Food is ordered on a touch screen and it comes zinging along to your on a conveyor belt, arriving with perfect precision in front of you.4. Go to the Robot Restaurant. Don’t eat there because the food is rubbish, but the show involves lasers and loud music and ridiculous costumes and it’s a fun place to meet people if you want to make travel pals. 5. Have a sunset cocktail at the bar on the top floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel. It’s where they filmed Lost in Translation and the views are epic. Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au