#140 Cheap Japanese Souvenirs 2016!

I wrote a short post about this all the way back in October 2012, but since it's now one of my most popular posts on this blog I've decided to write an update here.

Daiso in Harajuku

So, having lived in Japan twice, I can now confirm the absolute best and cheapest place to look for souvenirs is at the Japanese dollar store equivalents - the most popular being Daiso, but there are tons of other chains and smaller stores that can offer other great products too (such as Watts and Seria).

All 100yen store prices are set at 108yen (including tax), with a very small selection of products 216yen or more (but they will be very clearly labelled as such, and the cashier will remind you when you checkout too so there's no surprises).

Maneki Neko (lucky cat)

Some of the great things you can buy here includes chopsticks, lucky cat statues, keyrings, Japanese fans, flags and head ties, green tea sweets, Japanese stickers, Japanese socks, fancy Japanese paper, traditional Japanese games etc. I've gotten so used to some common Japanese household objects that I don't even see them as special anymore so it surprised me when my sister visited and picked out some Japanese household items we don't have in Ireland to take home with her, so I'm sure you'll find something weird too! Some stores have more souvenir type goods and the best place in Tokyo for these is in Daiso in Harajuku, but all stores around the country will have something you can find to take home with you.

Japan is probably the most expensive country in Asia, and pretty far up the list in the world too, so buying souvenirs can really empty your pockets here if you're not careful. Therefore, the worst places you can shop is at any of the main tourist areas - sure they look great and they're better quality, but you will be paying up to ten times the price for similar items. Some of the worst tourist shopping areas in Tokyo are at Akihabara (the electric town) and the narrow street approaching Asakusa Sensoji Temple (the one with the giant lantern). I would say you should shop around at the 100 yen stores first, and if there's an item you absolutely must-have or need then splash out on that item there.

Obviously you are limited with 100 yen stores as you're not going to find a katana sword or kimono clothing or something more spectacular - but then my next piece of advice is to find a recycle store (second hand shop). These places will only take high quality goods so you can be sure of getting something decent, but then it may not be as cheap as some charity/second hand stores you're used to in your country. Another good place to look would be at flea markets, we accidentally found a very good one in Osaka at Shittenoji Temple and got some very cheap kimono (a little old and a little stained but this didn't bother us) but this is unfortunately only held about once a month so you would need to check the dates before you plan your trip.

Green tea Oero

Japanese paper

Japanese masks and flags

Japanese stickers

Japanese traditional games

Special goods for Rio Olympics

#55 Gothenburg

This week I left Stockholm and took a day trip to Gothenburg, Sweden's second biggest city. Located about 3 hours away by train from Stockholm, it's an ideal place to visit while you're in Sweden. Gothenburg is a lot more open and peaceful than the capital city, and it just had a nice atmosphere in general.


Most of the key locations in Gothenburg are within walking distance from the central station, but if you want a travel card costs 75kr for one day. We had about seven hours before our train home left and had limited time to see everything, so we chose what we thought were the highlights.

 They have lots of trams! Super cute

The first thing was 'Skanskaskrapan' aka. Lipstick, which is a sky scraper with red on top. You can see it from outside central station, and really isn't that remarkable. The next location on our list was 'Tradgardforeningen' which is a park and greenhouse located 5 minutes from the station. You can go inside the greenhouse for free and see the exotic plants too which is nice.

If you walk through the park you will get to Kungsportsavenyn, which is a main shopping and retail street. It is a wide street and much more open than you will find in Stockholm. At the end of this street is Gotaplatsen, which features a statue of Poseidon and is one of the main symbols of Gothenburg. It is quite small but worth getting your picture taken beside it.

 Gotaplatsen

 The next location we found by accident while walking by. Skansen Kronan is a fort on top of a hill in the Haga district. It takes some energy to get to the top, but when you do there is a great view of Gotheburg that makes it worth it.

We then walked to Slottsskogen, a big park which is a little further away than everything else. There is a big playground here for children, as well as the Natural History Museum which is 40kr (but closed on Mondays so we couldn't enter!). The main attraction here is a type of free zoo, including a childrens petting zoo and pony rides (which are closed until summer) and I think also some seals and penguins (also closed). In the middle of the park are the main animal pens, which featured ponies, deer, ducks and geese, goats, sheep, peacocks and elk.

 We were luck to see him with his feathers up!

 Elk!

From the park we walked back towards the city and the Haga district. This is like the old town of Gothenburg, and it has one main street with cafes and boutique shops. After seeing the old town in Stockholm, this place isn't that remarkable but it is still nice to walk around. Also here you can get a giant kanelbulle (cinnamon roll) for 40kr. It isn't the best I've ever tasted, but it's not bad, plus it's fun to take a picture with it! I think one of these kanelbulle can definitely feed at least three people! You can get it at Cafe Husaren or another cafe beside it down the street.

And then finally we walked back towards the station. We walked as far as the quay side and the Gothenburg opera house, which was also quite nice. Back at the station, there are lots of shops and restaurants in the area and it's a nice place walk around.

Central station

So, to conclude, I would definitely recommend a trip to Gothenburg. As I was getting on the train I wished I was staying longer and could see more of the city, which doesn't happen to me very often. It is an open, clean city with a great relaxed atmosphere.

Gothenburg City coat of arms

#39 Shopping in Sweden

Even though we can often find familiar brand names, being in another country can be confusing at first if you don't know where to shop or eat. So, here's a post about the most common shops and chain stores in Stockholm and Sweden, as well as the best places to shop!



My biggest shopping shock in Sweden was this: They have no euro/pound/dollar store!
I thought every country had one of these, it seems Sweden is the exception. There is a shop called Clas Ohlson that sells a variety of electrical and household goods, but it sure isn't priced at 10kr! While it could be cheaper than other stores, most things are at least 50kr up to 1000kr (for the electrical items). Shops like LagerHaus and TGR are good for some novelty household items, as well as gifts. TGR is very cheap, some things are 10kr, while most things are around 20kr-40kr. It is probably the closest you will get to a dollar store in Sweden.





For groceries, the popular Swedish shops I've seen are Hemkop, ICA, Pulssen and Coop. The prices in these stores vary depending on what you buy, but generally they're all pretty similar. Pulssen often has massive savings on one or two products. There is also Lidl, which is familiar for many Europeans, and is cheap (also, Lidl products usually have English on the packaging which is useful!). Finally, there's another shop called Willys. I've heard it's one of the cheapest shops, and also here you can bulk buy things like rice and pasta, but this will only benefit you if you're staying here for at least a few weeks. The  most common corner stores are Presbyran and 7-Eleven, but items in here are usually expensive, so try to avoid going unless you have to. The grocery and smaller local run stores are often better value.

The popular chain coffee shops are Espresso House, Coffehouse by George, and Waynes - which has a massive mug of coffee for around 30kr. They are more reliable than local cafés, which can be very expensive and offer small amounts of coffee. [Fun fact: there are only three Starbucks in Sweden: one in Stockholm Arlanda airport, and one each in Gothenburg and Malmo central train stations!]

If you're looking to eat out,  your best option is a buffet. Buffets are really common here and if you're hungry, are much better value than anywhere else. Prices are usually 100kr for lunch time, and then 150kr for evenings and weekends. Sushi and Asian buffets are the most common, but Pizza Hut also have a lunch buffet. Otherwise there are the same food places you might expect (McDonalds, Subway and Burger King, but no KFC). The McDonalds menu is pretty much the same as every other European country, and a Big Mac meal costs about 60kr, while any of the special edition items or bigger burgers cost about 80kr. They have a saver menu too. Sweden's national fast food chain, Max, has meal prices at about 70kr, and is a tasty change from McDonalds. If you really need food on the go, there are also lots of fast food venders on the streets, selling things like kebabs and hot dogs, which are really popular.

For clothes, from what I can see, they have none of the UK high street stores like New Look, River Island etc. No Primark either!! Their main store is (you guessed it) H&M. It's familiar and has nice clothes but like most things in this country, I'd prefer something cheaper. There's also a shop called Lindex, which I think is pretty similar to H&M, except it seems to cater a bit more for an older market. The same goes for Ginatricot. For something more fashionable perhaps, Bik Bok is quite reasonable, and has some really cool clothes.

For shoes, there's a shop called Din Sko. I'd never heard of it before but it's really popular here. The prices seemed average enough, though at the moment is a 70% sale in which I got some very nice boots for 200kr down from 700kr! So maybe look out for a big sale like that before you buy. There is also Euro Sko and Nilsson Shoes, but these both seem to be more expensive.


And of course for all your household furnishing needs (as well as some delicious meatballs), there is only one place to head in this country:

#29 Odaiba

This was one of my favourite places in Tokyo. And I had a lot of amazing places to choose from! Located across the bay (and the rainbow bridge) it consists mainly of a group of like 4 shopping centres. I didn't have much money to spend in Tokyo so I never bothered with shopping, but for some reason I really liked it here. It's really spacious in comparison to the rest of Tokyo, and coming from a pretty unpopulated country like Ireland it could be something I'd subconsciously missed. On a bright sunny day it is really pleasant to amble around and if you're not planning on shopping it can work out at a cheap day out. Although it's not one of the best known places in Tokyo, I would highly recommend a trip!

The main shopping centres are Palette Town, Diver City, Decks and Aqua City. Each features clothes shop and cafes and restaurants, pretty much the usual for Tokyo. There's also a maritime museum and a science museum, and Tokyo Big Sight convention centre isn't too far away. Of the shopping centres, Palette City was my favourite, it features a big Ferris wheel, views out into the sea, the Toyota showroom for those interested in cars, and a great Hello Kitty shop. But the highlight is inside the Venus Fort - what looks like a warehouse on the outside is the most fantastic shopping centre I have ever seen.

See? The inside has a fake sky ceiling, and is laid out to feel like you're in an old town in Venice or somewhere romantic. While the shops were pretty expensive, the décor is just so beautiful. At the end of the corridors (or streets?) is a big open area with a high ceiling and a large water fountain. Palette City really is one of Tokyo's hidden gems!

As well as the multiple shopping centres, Odaiba is home to the following:

The giant Gundam robot:

 Located outside the Divercity shopping centre, the giant robot is a great photo op! There's also a small shop and a cafe for those who are interested (I wasn't).


The Hello Kitty store:

"Hello Kitty's Kawaii Paradise" is the name of the Hello Kitty store located in Palette Town shopping centre. Kawaii means cute in Japanese, and the shop lives up to its name. On the day I went Hello Kitty herself made an appearance for the children. The shop is decorated like something out of Disneyland, it feels like you're in a cartoon world. There's also a Pancake cafe, but it was closed when I went.

 The Statue of Liberty. . . .Japanese style:

I don't know the origin of this mini Lady Liberty, but it makes a nice backdrop against the Rainbow bridge and the rest of Tokyo. From this vantage point you can also see Tokyo Tower.

The Fuji Television Building:

The ball at the top is actually an observation deck! It costs under 1000yen but I didn't bother because I wasn't sure if the views would've been particularly worth it. There's also a cafe and shop with products related to the TV station and some of the shows they air. But really it's only famous for its architecture.

To get to Odaiba it's probably easiest to get the Rinkai line to "Tokyo Teleport" and then all the centres are pretty obvious once you exit, with Palette city and the Ferris wheel right in front of the station. Or you could get the Yurikamome elevated train from Shinbashi, it's probably not as convenient and is a little more expensive, but it takes you over the Rainbow Bridge and offers good views of Tokyo you can't get from the ground, so it could be worth it!