An annual tradition. This year, narrowing to physical "things" was difficult, so the scope has expanded to include services I paid for. Hence the title change from "things worth buying" to "things worth paying for."
A One-Year Review of the 2020 List
Before getting to this year's picks, I want to do something I've always wanted to see in posts like this: look back at how last year's "best buys" actually held up twelve months later.
(Evaluation table omitted — grades assigned: A, B, or C.)
Summary: 3 A grades, 2 B grades, 5 C grades or below.
Best pick of 2020: HARIO glass-lid rice cooker. Used nearly every day. Quality, flavor, and ease of care all remain exceptional.
Worst pick: Smart band/smartwatch. A perennial cycle — I consider buying an Apple Watch a few times a year, but I can't build the habit of wearing anything on my wrist, and the use case never clicks for me. No more deliberating. Not buying another one.
10 Things Worth Paying For in 2021
Here we go, ranked in ascending order.
1. Nihonbashi Chuo Seikotsuin (Orthopedic Clinic)
I've been pushing this on Twitter constantly, but it deserves the undisputed top spot.
In March 2021 I threw out my back while training. A nearby clinic made it worse with careless massage, and I was at a loss. Nihonbashi Chuo Seikotsuin not only rescued me from that state, but the practitioner diagnosed every issue in my body through touch alone and provided root-cause treatment. That's the only word for it: essential.
I've recommended it so persistently that apparently people around me have been showing up in significant numbers — and the head practitioner told me "new patients have been coming in explosively because of you." LayerX's CEO/CTO Matsumoto-san was recently saved by them too.
Anyone with back pain, knee pain, neck pain — I recommend this unconditionally.
2. Massage Gun
Fighters and training-focused YouTubers I follow kept getting gifted these. I asked the Nihonbashi clinic practitioner for advice and bought one to try. Major find. You can work out any part of your body easily while holding it, the battery lasts well, and it's now part of my pre-sleep routine. The only problem is competing with my partner for it.
I use one in the ~¥20,000 range. Amazon's search results for massage guns are a swamp of questionable products — at least I can personally vouch for mine after nearly a year of daily use.
3. Blue Microphones Yeti USB Condenser Microphone
My first purchase of 2021 — January 1st. I'd been recording the podcast on and off since 2020, but with terrible equipment. After receiving complaints about audio quality, I finally upgraded. Easy to set up, noticeably improved sound. Recommended to me by Autify CEO Chikasawa-san.
4. Poppin Aladdin 2
An all-in-one Android-powered home projector that also serves as a ceiling light. Connect to WiFi and you can watch YouTube, U-Next, or anything else on a large screen. Installed in our bedroom; the kids use it constantly. Also serving as a morning alarm, sleep music player, and general household routine anchor. One note: the WiFi connection introduces lag that makes action games unplayable — stick to video viewing.
5. FamilyMart Outer T-Shirt
I wear white plain T-shirts year-round. The "Outer T-Shirt" that FamilyMart (a major Japanese convenience store chain) started carrying this year was a small revolution. The weight is substantial (reminiscent of Hanes), the fit is right, and the experience of being able to buy it at the convenience store near your house — or at a location you've never been to — beats anything Uniqlo or Amazon can offer. I bought nine this year and wear them constantly.
The line socks at ¥390 are also surprisingly good quality. I've had matching days with colleagues.
6. Pants Hanger + More Hangers
I used to manage hanging tops on hangers while folding T-shirts and pants separately. Mentally draining. I decided to abstract the whole system: hang everything. Acquired a dedicated pants hanger set and a uniform supply of MAWA hangers. The pants hanger in particular saves space, and I'm very happy with this solution.
7. Skinfinity Clinic — Spot Treatment
Since wearing masks consistently through COVID, a large dark spot appeared on the left side of my face and became a source of low-level daily stress. I visited the same clinic someone I follow on Twitter mentioned, had laser treatment, and the spot has faded significantly. The procedure takes minutes and is barely painful. (That said — my first time, I was nervous.)
8. App "Strong"
For eight years I'd been logging workouts in iOS's default Notes app. Inefficient — setting up each routine was tedious, and tracking strength progress over time was annoying. Switched to Strong and it's dramatically better. Charts are clear, the UX is intuitive. Will use it again next year.
9. ZONR LIVE — Nippon Budokan & Yokohama Arena
I got to attend my favorite artist's biggest shows twice this year — both times invited by SmartHR CEO Miyata-san, who shares this obsession. Grateful doesn't begin to cover it.
A live DVD was just released. It should legally be required viewing for anyone who couldn't attend in person.
10. ZOZOTOWN on PayPay Mall
Neither my partner nor I have time to shop for clothes, so since the kids were born we've done essentially all clothing purchases online, especially at seasonal transitions. I've used various platforms, but this year I started routing everything through ZOZOTOWN's storefront on PayPay Mall. The search UX is worse than ZOZOTOWN proper, but the inventory is fully synced at the same prices. ZOZO VILLA (high-end brands) recently launched there too, which is genuinely surprising. And the cashback rewards can be remarkable — with the right combination of SoftBank membership, balance payment, and campaign timing, I've seen over 30% return on purchases. The earned points go straight into an investment account.
Services dominated the list this year. Next year, I'm seriously considering LASIK or ICL (implantable collamer lens) surgery. We'll see.
