Japan is a shopper's paradise, offering a unique blend of tradition, innovation, and style in every store. During our recent trip, I had the chance to explore some of the best shopping spots across the country and pick up a few unforgettable items. From quirky souvenirs to high-quality fashion pieces, here's a list of the top 10 things I bought in Japan-each one a perfect reflection of the country's incredible craftmanship, culture and creativity.
#10 Gashapons
The moment you arrived at the airport, these things would immediately catch your attention since they would be lined up in rows. We're not talking 5-10 machines, but 20 or more. And these are cheap, ranging from 200-500 yen. And there are hundreds to choose from. Only downside is, you get it random. If you don't like to gamble, then just stay away.
#9 Omiyage
These are souvenirs that something you bring back as a memento from your trip for the people you left behind that did not travel with you. As a Filipino, we also refer to these as "pasalubong". Typically, they're food from the region, location or city that you were in. These can also be purchased in most major train stations, that can be very convenient but can be bulky to pack in most cases.
#8 Cord organizer
Very specific on this since I find this very useful in our travels. This was very cheap as well, costing me only 196 yen which I bought at a Lawson store. I only opted to buy one because I was skeptic at first, but then when I went back to buy some more, it was all sold out. We even had to go to several one's, but there were none.
#7 Nail cutter/clippers
This was on our top list to buy. We made sure that we're going to hunt this down. We bought one on our previous trip and regretted to only buying one. Even though these are available in any store, try to buy the one's from the combini stores such as 7-11 or Family Mart because they turned out cheaper (around 600 to 800 yen). Don't bother buying these at Donki or pharmacies because they range from 1100 to 1500 yen.
#6 Starbucks Been There Series Merch
It's not for all peeps but these Starbucks tumbler's and mugs are making a killing for any tourist in any country that they visit that has a Starbucks store. We are coffee drinkers, and suckers for these merch. Japan has the best designs and you can't turn your back and go home empty handed. We actually bought more than ten because we travelled all over Japan. And this made it difficult to pack coz these take so much space in our suitcase. These are priced at 4800 yen but you get a free drink.
#5 Japan toys and figures/collectibles
I'm a toy collector and Japanese toys are top of the line. These things are usually expensive in the US and it maybe readily available online, it's still way cheaper buying it there. They even have a whole city which is Akihabara dedicated for all anime/collectible merch, a mecca for any toy lover. I made a mistake again this time, since I only allotted a day. Anna suggested next time, we should book a hotel in the area so we don't have to travel and the kids would love it too.
#4 Bag clips and tags
Again not for all, but during our entire trip, whenever we rode the trains or walk around the city, people would wear several of these on their bags. It doesn't matter if you have a simple canvass tote or an Hermes Birkin, they would have one or even several of these clips hanging on their bags. I saw an old guy on the Metro with his LV Speedy that had a Godzilla and Demon Slayer hangin on the side, and that's trendy. The one pictured is a Tokyo Station exclusive Pikachu Train conductor priced at 2400 Yen.
#3 Uniqlo's Regional Canvass Tote Bags
Almost similar to Starbucks Tumblers that are only available on specific cities. These totes boast the designs of local merchants and restaurants. The designs are so cute and priced at 2400 Yen each. We actually used one all through out our trip. It can also be a good "pasalubong" for people back home. We did not purchased any from Ginza just because the designs did not appeal to us.
#2 Shoes
Anna bought a pair of New Balance shoes. Yes I know, they're not even Japanese made/brand. But the specific pair she bought are way cheaper compared here in the US. And when I say cheap, I mean 50% cheap. And not like the one's you can buy in an outlet here that are last season or a few years old. These were current models that you can purchase on retail stores that would range from $150-$200. But buying 3-4 pairs would hurt luggage space.
#1 Rimowa
You can go to any Don Quixote store and buy any cheaper brand of luggage but as I said in a previous post, Rimowa luggages are game changers. Europe would still be the best place to buy Rimowa's, but Japan has the next best price to buy them. We stayed in Shinjuku and had to go to Ginza to buy one. I wanted the check-in Classic, but Anna was not ready to get emotionally damage to have it banged/dinged during the flight. So just opted for the poly. We still saved $300++ and again, that's buying it from a Rimowa store.
Going to Japan is not just shopping, but its unavoidable. I would say, we saved thousands of dollars if we would have bought all of the stuff we brought back. We enjoyed our trip but even spending almost 3 weeks there, we still feel that we still missed a lot of items that we could have bought. If you have money to throw around, spending $50k in items is possible without batting an eyelash.