Yokoso Hokkaido – Chitose

Rera Factory Outlet is located just outside the Hokkaido – Chitose Airport. It is a large area with shopfronts of many International and Japanese brands retailing their past season’s wares. The space is larger than that of HarbourTown in Perth, Australia. It certainly can keep many shopaholics occupied for a good half day. Other than shopping, there are also cafes (eg Tully’s) and F&B outlets.

As the shop space is available for rental for short period of time, eg 3 months, the number or type of brands may change every few months or so. During our visit, a big store space for Gap has just closed. Currently, the brands available include Coach, Swatch, OZOC, Indivi, Timberland, Adidas, Levi’s, etc.

It is also the sale season for the Outlet mall. There are further mark-down on the reduced price. For eg, a Seiko watch can retail at less than 40,000 Yen (S$52) while a Levi’s T-shirt can retail at 1,500 Yen (S$20). According to our tour guide, the best buy is Timberland shoes because the price range is around 60,000 Yen to 70,000 Yen (S$78 to $9`). Of course, some of the designs can be outdated or it may not be available in your desired size or colour.

Lunch at the seafood market offers both hot boiling steamboat with lots of cabbage and salmon. Looking out of the windows, I am mesmerized by the Pacific Ocean waves smashing against the shore.

The seafood market also offers many local seafood (eg king crabs), fruits (both rock melons and black watermelons) and snacks (corn chocolates).