#17 Japanese Souvenirs

For a 2016 update please visit my more recent post here: Cheap Japanese Souvenirs

Although I live next to Tokyo, and work there most days, I haven't come across many souvenir shops! I mean you can buy lots of Japanese things that are cool and maybe you can't get in your country, but it's difficult to find shops that sell things like postcards and keychains, the usual Westerner souvenir! I found in many places the goods are often focused on Japanese tourists and not foreign travellers, so there are huge phone charm and biscuit selections but no fridge magnets or keychains! In addition, any souvenirs I have found aren't exactly cheap, and if I'm to bring things home for my family and friends at Christmas I need them to be a little more reasonable! So I'm on the hunt to find some of Tokyo's best souvenirs!

I went to Harajuku recently, and situated there is one of the biggest Daiso's (100yen store) in Tokyo. Although it seemed to have alot of what I've seen elsewhere, I did find some well priced souvenirs for 105-210 yen! Among these I bought two fridge magnets and a phone charm of a kokeshi doll, a japanese flag and fan, two packets of Japanese stickers, a Japanese headband, socks used for the traditional japanese sandals, and the carp flags used to celebrate Children's Day.

Here's some of my booty

I have also seen things like shot glasses, green tea pots and mugs etc in other Daiso shops, as well as other 100 yen shops. Sometimes you will find a wonderful selection in other 100 yen shops that aren't part of the Daiso chain. You can often get things with Hello Kitty on them (I got a rubix cube), as well as Doraemon, AnPanMan and Ultraman (all Japanese childrens characters). I've also found Disney items too. Most 100 yen shops have a food section, and here you can probably pick up pasta with Pikachu on the box, dried squid tentacles to frighten your friends, or some Hello Kitty themed chocolate!

Akihabara Electronics District also has some good tourist shops on their upper floors and basements. They aren't cheap, and be sure to shop around because you will easily find 500 yen difference in lots of goods between shops. Some of the items on sale here are "I love Japan" t-shirts, sake shot glasses, kimonos and yukatas, key chains, fridge magnets, fans, umbrellas, and lot's of other souvenir items! These shops also say things like "tax free" but you must have your passport, and it usually only applies if you spend at least 10,000 yen.

DonKi (in Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara) has lots of weird Japanese items but I found it wasn't particularly cheap.

So, as a basic rule, enter every 100 yen store you see. You're likely to find something super cheap and really cool that will amaze your family and friends!

[Update: Head to Asakusa. There's a whole street there in front of the big shrine with nothing but tourist stalls and shops. Also see my blog post #21 Ginza and crazy Japanese souvenirs! for some Harry Potter and Star Wars Chopsticks and sushi candles!]

#14 A Quick Update from a Tokyo Tourist

So I have visited Tokyo Dome, Akihabara, Tokyo Tower and Shibuya (in that order too). And I have noticed a pattern emerging - they're boring. Well not the attractions, just going by yourself. My plan is to go alone and check it out, and then to go back with a group. While at Tokyo Dome I didn't go on any of the attractions, I didn't go up Tokyo Tower and I didn't buy anything in Akihabara or Shibuya. This has kept costs down while allowing to wander freely around these places without having the annoyance of only doing what the group wants. It means you get more of what you want done, but it also means it can get boring. It's just not as exciting as if there was someone beside you you can share the moment with. Nonetheless, here are some quick updates of what I've been doing:

Tokyo Dome - suprisingly big (Credits: ME!)

I thought Tokyo Dome was just a big concert area, plus a ferris wheel and rollercoaster. When I got to the entrance it said 'Tokyo Dome City' - and by god is it a city! There's a big shopping area, arcade games, children's amusements, a haunted house, an aqua centre, restaurants. . .the place is big, and it is good. The nice part is you can walk around without spending a yen, but then again if you do decide to go on the amusements you could be forking out about 10,000yen per attraction.

Akihabara (aka Electric Town)

The only thing I bought in Akihabara was a little travel  iron for about 1000yen. And it doesn't really work. On another note, the lights at night are great and the people shouting at you to come in and buy something is fantastic. There is a wonderful selection of just about every electrical item ever invented from lighting to fans to cameras to rice cookers. From the cameras I looked at I could tell that most of the models weren't available in Ireland, and these were more advanced. I'm planning on going back so I'll research the prices then - but from what I'm told most items are only up to 10% cheaper than at home, which isn't the massive discounts some people think are available.

Tokyo Tower, like the Eiffel tower except with a temple

I've been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. And Tokyo Tower is a carbon copy. Nonetheless, it is a fantastic structure and well worth a visit. It is situated in Shiba park, and right behind a massive temple, Zojo-ji. On the evening I went, there were film trucks and crew tidying up after filming there for some upcoming Japanese movie. So you can see it's a pretty cool place. Also around there is a Japanese graveyard (surrounded by cats, it was a little creepy) and, also creepy, were hundreds of statues covered decorated with wool hats and scarves. These Jizo dolls represent all miscarried, aborted and stillborn children in Japan.

At Tokyo Tower, just in case you  get bored of the amazing view or the fact you're at Tokyo Tower, is an aquarium, wax museum and amusements centre.

Shibuya shopping district

Shibuya is pretty expensive. While it does have massive shops like H&M, Forever 21 and Uni Qlo, you'll find these once again have similar stock and prices to at home. The Shibuya 109 centre is great for a look to see what's going on with Tokyo fashion - but that's all. The little boutiques in there aren't for those on a budget, to say the least. There are lots of little market type shops around the streets selling things such as shoes, but I still found they weren't cheap. If you're interested in fashion it is a great place to go, and if you're not it's still a good way to fill in a day, looking at all the shops and wandering through the winding streets. The famed Shibuya crossing - the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world apparently - isn't that exciting. After being in Tokyo for a few days you get used to the masses of people surrounding you everywhere. So when you're walking across a road with another 800 people it doesn't feel particularly special. However, if you were looking at it from a height it would probably look good. At the train station you can also see the statue of Hachiko, the dog who waited at the station for 9 years after his dead owner failed to return.

Note: I picked what places to go purely out of convenience of location as opposed to real desire - there is so much to see and do in Tokyo it is hard to make a list. I also want to save things that require an entry fee (such as Ueno Zoo and Skytree) for when I have friends with me. 

I happened to be on the train to work when I looked out the window and noticed the top of Tokyo Dome so the next day I decided to get off the train there, the same with Tokyo Tower. Akihabara is a popular place to transfer between train lines, so I was already in the area and decided to stay a while. I was meeting a friend at Shibuya so that's how I ended up there. Other locations such as Shinjuku and Harajuku have their own stations so they are convenient to find on the maps.