Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan
1. Candy & snacks
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
Japanese snacks are so good that they’ve started to infiltrate supermarkets worldwide. You probably know about Pocky and Pretz and where to get them where you live (if you can). But going to Japan is an entirely different experience. You will forget about Pocky and Pretz – at least the regular chocolate flavors. Your eyes will glitter at the expanse of cakes and chocolates and cracker candies in SO MANY DIFFERENT FLAVORS that you don’t even know where to begin.
2. Kendama
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
A kendama is a ball-and-string toy that came to Japan in the 1700s and is popular with children. Nowadays, it’s also popular worldwide, especially among b-boys in California who hold kendama competitions in the middle of the sidewalk. There are even kendama associations around the world.
3. Nice quality folding fans (Sensu)
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
I say “nice quality” because I don’t mean the cheap folding fans you can get at Asian supermarkets everywhere. I mean real folding fans made out of genuine Japanese fabrics and wood. These are common in Japan, although a bit pricier than what you might be used to seeing. Worth it, though!
4. Yukata sets
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
Yukata sets are very common in tourist areas like Asakusa and Akihabara. They are exactly what they sound like: a set that contains a yukata, an obi, yukata strings (himo) and geta (the shoes). Some come with the small bag as well. These are especially nice for kids, and the kids’ sets are cheaper. Also they will look super cute.
5. Electronics
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
People are not lying when they tell you that Japan is a mecca of electronics and that Akihabara is the place to go for them. Do you want a very nice rice cooker? Go to Akihabara. Do you want an entire wall full of headphones? Akihabara, or a Bic Camera or Yodobashi Camera electronics store. Not only is the selection hard to beat, but the prices are often very good as well. Or you can buy a $300 rice cooker.
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
The good thing about shopping in Japan is that, depending on where you go, you can find entire stores dedicated to cute and cheap accessories. Even the hundred yen shops have worthy items. Of course you can always go for the nicer, more traditional accessories–which can probably be found in the same stores as the nice quality fans mentioned above. But popular areas like Takeshita-dori have MANY stores dedicated to giving the average high schooler with a monthly allowance her accessory fix, and you are welcome to shop there too.
7. Ceramics
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
Japanese pottery and porcelain (陶磁器, Jp. tojiki; also 焼きもの, Jp. yakimono; 陶芸, Jp. tōgei), one of the country’s oldest art forms, dates back to the Neolithic period. Kilns have produced earthenware, pottery, stoneware, glazed pottery, glazed stoneware, porcelain, and blue-and-white ware.
Japanese ceramic history records distinguished many potter names, and some were artist-potters, e.g., Honami Koetsu, Ogata Kenzan, and Aoki Mokubei. Japanese anagama kilns also have flourished through the ages, and their influence weighs with that of the potters. Another characteristically Japanese aspect of the art is the continuing popularity of unglazed high-fired stoneware even after porcelain became popular. Since the 4th century, Japanese pottery and porcelain was often influenced by the Chinese and Korean. Japan transformed and translated the Chinese and Korean prototypes into a uniquely Japanese creation, and the result was distinctly Japanese in character. In the 20th century, a ceramics industry (e.g., Noritake, Schimid Kreglinger (Kelco), and Toto Ltd.) grew up.
8. Cat goods
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
Are you buying a souvenir for someone who loves cats?
You are in the correct country.
Cat. Things. Are. Everywhere. Cat watches. Cat bags. Shoes with cats. Coats with cat patterns. Cat mugs. Cat porcelain. Cat socks. Cat earrings. Cat hats. Cat plates. Cat tissue holders. Cat wallets. Giant cat plushies. Small cat plushies. Cat keychains. Cat charms. Cat lingerie. Cat phone cases. Cat earphones. Cat tumblers. I could go on.
9. Omamori
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
Omamori (御守 or お守り omamori) are Japanese amulets (charms, talismans) commonly sold at religious sites and dedicated to particular Shinto deities as well as Buddhist figures, and may serve to provide various forms of luck or protection.
10. Fake plastic food
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| Top 10 Must Buy Souvenirs from Japan |
Yes, you can buy plastic models of food to take home, whether as keychains or paperweights or full-on models. This is definitely a souvenir people might not expect, which is why you should give this to them and watch their faces go from questioning to even more questioning.
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