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JAPANESE SOUVENIRS - YOUR TOP 10 BEST BUYS
Visiting Japan? Here are my tips for the top 10 best buy Japanese souvenirs to help you remember your trip. Searching for them as you travel is half the fun!
1. Chopsticks
Chopsticks are used all over Asia and there are many different types you can buy.
Chopsticks come in various lengths depending on the country of origin. Chinese chopsticks are the longest – designed for reaching into a central sharing pot. Japanese chopsticks are shorter and often have tapered ends – good for picking up small items. Sometimes, there are different sizes for men and women too. Korean chopsticks are the shortest.
Different materials are used to make the chopsticks for example: wood, plastic, bamboo, metal, porcelain, animal bone and ivory. Disposable chopsticks in their own wrapper are also very common in restaurants.
They are often beautifully decorated and so make the perfect souvenir. I found a wonderful selection at the Red Brick Warehouses in Hakodate.
You can also have fun making your own gold leaf chopsticks at the Sakuda Gold Leaf Company – Higashiyama in Kanazawa. They hold workshops there, so checkout the website and time your visit to catch one if you are interested. Even if you are not gilding your own chopsticks, the gold leaf shop is fascinating – even the toilets are gold plated! You can even buy a gold plated iPhone case!
2. Origami
Origami is an ancient Japanese art form. It is amazing what you can make with just one sheet of paper. Perfect, precision folds are required to make the best 3D models. The Origami Museum in Tokyo is a great place to buy an Origami kit you can take home with you – surely the perfect Japanese souvenir? It is light and easy to pack too.
The 4 floor Museum holds workshops and has some fabulous displays of origami to admire. There are also lots of papers and kits available and – best of all – it is completely free to visit! What’s not to like?
3. Chef's Knife
Souvenirs are great, but sometimes, they just sit on a shelf and gather dust or remain buried in a drawer never to see the light of day again. If you fancy investing in something that will last forever, what about buying a top quality chef’s knife? Japan is famous for making the best knives your yen can buy – and they are beautifully decorated too.
The Byakko Knife Shop in Kanazawa has a huge selection. Just make sure you don’t carry it in your hand luggage or you may have to leave it behind in Japan! The shop is located at 1 Chome-11-7 Owaricho, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-0902, Japan
4. Kokeshi Doll
Originating from the northern region of Japan, the name “kokeshi” translates as “small wooden doll’. Kokeshi dolls represent little girls and are usually beautifully hand decorated and lacquered.
The original dolls date back to the early 19th century (late Edo era). Traditionally, kokeshi dolls are symbols of hope for bountiful harvests, wishes for good luck and fortune. They make a lovely Japanese souvenir – representing an appreciation of art, culture and tradition. Traditional Kokeshi dolls are now made only in the Tohoku area in the northeastern part of Japan
I found a shop with a lovely selection on Miyajima Island. The UNESCO World Heritage sight is very popular – but you might consider it worth braving the crowds to see one of the most famous shrines in Japan – and the souvenir shops are also fabulous!
5. Rilakkuma Bear
If you are looking for a present for a child/grandchild, then a Rilakkuma Bear has to be towards the top of your Japanese souvenir list. These soft toys have been very popular in Japan for many years now. They are always in relaxed mood, helping to ensure tranquility in your child. Well – it has to be worth a try doesn’t it?
Tokyo Station is a great place to hunt for a Rilakkuma Bear. More like a city than a railway station, the vast array of shops and restaurants in the station complex is pretty bewildering until you get used to it. The Rilakkuma Bear shop kind of stands out though – not difficult to find at all.
6. Sake Set
A sake set is the term used for the jar and cups used for serving Japanese alcohol. Sake can be served in many different shapes and sizes of cup and it is fun looking at all the different types before making your choice. The sake “server”, included in the set, is called tokkuri and is traditionally shaped like a vase with a narrow neck.
Sake sets are widely sold all over Japan, so this is an easy one to tick off your shopping list. I found mine at one of the many souvenir shops on Miyajima Island.
7. Japanese Lacquerware
Lacquerware is another traditional Japanese handicraft. You can find all manner of objects made using the lacquerware techniques – everything from Bento boxes to statues of Buddha. I rather like the traditional boxes useful for holding all sorts of things. They make a decorative and practical Japanese souvenir.
To create Kanazawa and Wajima lacquerware, decoration is applied to luminous black lacquerware through maki-e (painting) or gilding. Artists must take great care that dust does not settle on the final product.
Kanazawa is a good place to shop for authentic lacquerware. Try Nosaku – 1-1-60 Hirosaka Kanazawa Ishikawa.
8. Manekineko Cat
The Japanese are a very superstitious people. You only have to visit a Shrine or Temple to observe how they love to have their fortunes told and leave gifts and prayers for good luck and better fortunes if they don’t like the prophecy they receive first time around.
Maneki-neko translates literally as “beckoning cat”. The traditionally upright held paw beckons good luck for the owner, so buying a manekineko cat is investing in a lucky charm for your intended recipient. Many shops sell them – I found this one in a shop on Miyajima Island.
9. Yunomi Tea Cups
Yunomi are ceramic teacups made for everyday tea drinking, not for tea ceremonies. They are taller than wide in appearance and have a trimmed or turned foot. When sold in pairs they are called meoto yunomi – “married couple”.
A good place to shop for Japanese souvenirs – including yunomi tea cups – is the Oriental Bazar in Shibuya, Tokyo. There is only one downside – you need to navigate your way across the famous Shibuya Crossing (15 seconds into the video below) to find the store.
Don’t worry – it’s not as bad as it looks. Japan is a very orderly country and you will find red and green traffic signals just like in the UK (well almost) – but with much longer time delays – plenty long enough to get you from one side of the Shibuya Scramble Crossing safely.
10. Kanzashi Flowers
Kanzashi are traditional Japanese hair accessories that were widely in use during the Edo period. There are several traditional kanzashi styles that follow complex flower and seasonal arrangements, but these days. the kanzashi flowers are mainly decorative – although maiko (apprentice geiko/geisha girls still follow all the traditional rules.
Kazurasei Roho Gion Honten – 285 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0073 is a good place to buy kanzashi flowers. They have been selling wigs, hairpieces, headdresses and hair accessories since 1865 and still sell Kanzashi flowers today along with hair oil products made from camellia.
If you don’t have time to visit the store while you are in Japan – or you are an armchair traveller – it is easy and fun to make kanzashi flowers yourself at home from scrap materials.
If you are interested, take a look at my other website – Heart UpCycling – for instructions on how to make them.
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