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Touring Yokohama & Bringing the Best Souvenirs Home from JOINUSThe huge mall has plenty of popular shops, selling everything from high-end and fast fashion to beauty products, and even groceries. Muji? Gap? Diesel? Sure, you'll find them in JOINUS. But this time we went on a search for stores selling what you might call ~variety goods~, the kind of Japanese items that make perfect gifts and souvenirs for everyone from your parents to your best friend. We found fun items of all kinds, both decorative and useful, all with a little Japanese flavor!,This shop's name comes from a mix between "love" and "library", and you'll find a variety of lovely items and a few interesting books inside. Loverary comes from German brand Feiler, and the goods available have an atmosphere somewhere between European fairytale and Japanese kawaii culture.,Loverary
JOINUS - 3rd Floor
10:00 - 21:00
Official Website (jp),Francfranc
JOINUS - 3rd Floor
10:00 - 21:00
Official Website (jp),3 Coins
JOINUS - Basement Floor
10:00 - 21:00
Official Website (jp),Got all your shopping done? We recommend you spend the morning at JOINUS, and then grab some lunch there, to avoid some of the startling AM sunlight while you're wandering Yokohama. Once you're ready to hit the streets, though, we've got a plan for the rest of the day! It's time to see the city.,Yokohama English Garden
6-1 Nishihiranumacho, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa
10:00 - 18:00
Admission varies season to season.
Official Website (jp)#kanto#shopping#yokohama
Buy Souvenirs in Japan Like a Local: The Best Gifts from Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido & OkinawaJapan is home to the excellent tradition of bringing back snacks and food gifts as souvenirs, a habit that leaves few disappointed. Souvenir keychains and magnets can be cute, sure, but how many of those do you really want to collect? How many more do you need? Instead, on your trip to Japan, do as the locals do and get your friends and family delicious edible treats! Most parts of Japan have a handful of local food specialties, and while some of these delicacies are harder to bring home, you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere in Japan that doesn't have some elegantly packaged local specialties ready to tuck into your suitcase. So let us show you some of the best gifts and must-buy snacks to bring back home!,If you've never tried them, karinto are sugary, crunchy little sweets that are hard to stop eating! They carry all the hallmarks of the most addictively delicious snacks: Dough-based? Yep. Deep-fried? You bet! Traditionally coated in brown sugar? Yeah, our mouths are watering just thinking about them.
You can get cheap bags of standard karinto in convenience stores and supermarkets all over Japan, but we recommend you stop by Nihonbashi Nishiki Horin in Tokyo to get some for your friends. Not only are these some really classy karinto, the shop also makes specialty versions in all sorts of interesting and unique flavors. Brown sugar might be the standard, but Nihonbashi Nishiki Horin offers everything from seasonal cherry-blossom flavor, to savory veggie-flavored varieties.,The shop also makes them in different thicknesses, so you can choose which level of crunch you're looking for. If you're giving the karinto to your grandparents, maybe give their teeth a break and give them one of the thinner versions.
Sweet potato, rose, plum, there's an intriguing flavor for every palate! You can see more of what all the different karinto are like in our previous article.,The pork buns at 551 Horai are so popular that they sell 150,000 of them a day. Yeah, they're that good. You can buy one piping hot to eat then and there, or get a few in a box to eat later that day. They even sell them frozen, and will ship them for you! Unfortunately, they don't do international shipping at this point, so you can only get them shipped to another part of Japan. Maybe someday we'll be able to enjoy these glorious pork buns in any country...
But in the meantime, that's not all you'll find in Osaka!,These days Glico manufactures sweets and snacks on a huge international scale, but back in 1919 the company started small in Osaka. Buying Glico snacks where it all started just feels more special than anywhere else in Japan. Plus, you'll find some specialty Glico souvenirs only available in the Osaka area, which are perfect to bring home to any friends who love the Glico running man.
Not sure where to shop for Glico stuff? Try Shinsaibashi!,Hokkaido is famous for having lush farms, which leads to excellent dairy, but also really delicious potatoes! (And trying to take home a bottle of milk seems like a bad idea.) Bringing high-quality potato snacks home, you're unlikely to get many complaints. Who doesn't want to eat potato chips? Especially ~fancy Hokkaido potato chips~?,For all the picky eaters you want to please; they can't say no to fried potatoes!
If you want to know more about traveling in Hokkaido, and what else the area has to offer, read about our road trip through the prefecture.,Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido might be where you'll find the majority of Japan's everyday spuds, but go all the way south to Okinawa, and it's a treasure trove of purple sweet potatoes! These sweet potatoes are turned into sweets and snacks of all kinds, but the most popular by far are little tartlets filled with a swirl of bright purple sweet potato filling.,The little pastries are often packaged individually (in robust boxes), making it easy to chuck them in your bag for a few days and then deliver one to each of your friends. If you do want a little variety, they also make versions with the yellow sweet potato that's a little more common in Japan (and a little more similar to what you'll find in the west). The yellow ones might be a little less startling, but the sweet potato tarts in two colors right next to each other are definitely an impressive sight.
A while ago we went on a big summer trip to Okinawa, and brought home lots of the tarts. Read about it all right here.,Chiba is known for peanuts! Bring home a bag of the roasted nuts to share with your family. Or, if you want something a little less commonly available, you can also pick up a few packs of special cup noodles. They're flavored like dandan noodles and made with local Chiba peanuts.
While you’re in Chiba, see the underwater tunnel connecting it to Tokyo, or get a vision of hell in Japan at Mount Nokogiri!,From Hiroshima, we recommend momiji manju, traditional cakes shaped like maple leaves and stuffed with a variety of fillings (most often red bean or custard). They're mostly available on Miyajima, around Itsukushima Shrine. Momiji manju are a souvenir triple threat: delicious, affordable, and adorable!
If you want a local product that comes in a few different forms, though, you can always look for the many souvenirs made with Setouchi lemons. We've rhapsodized about how good they are before.,When you travel to see a mountain, you're going to want mountain-themed snacks! So of course you'll find "Tsukuba-san Yaki" cakes at Mount Tsukuba, in Ibaraki Prefecture. They're a little like filled pancakes, with a satisfying dollop of red bean in the center, and shaped like the mountain itself.,In Japan, Yamagata is famous for its high-quality, juicy and delicious pears. So you know what that means: tasty souvenirs of all kinds, all made with local pears! Outside of Yamagata you won't find a lot of Western pears in Japan (the Asian variety is, unsurprisingly, a little more common), so this is the place to get pear cookies, crackers, cakes, and more.,It might be a little silly to plan a trip solely around the souvenirs you want to bring home to your family and friends, but we hope this article has given you some idea of what tasty options are available! Bringing back snacks is a great way to give your loved ones a (literal) taste of the fun experience you had away from home, so do as the Japanese do, and return with snacks for everyone to enjoy. (You can even follow the Japanese example and really endear your coworkers to you by bringing a big box of little edible souvenirs to the office to share!)
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU!
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Going Shopping in Tokyo? Love the Luxury of Ginza? Get Yourself to GINZA SIX!Visit Tokyo and you're bound to hear about the Ginza neighborhood. For many, just hearing the name brings up immediate images of an area populated by the high-class and those with cash to spare. Take a stroll around the area, and you'll find that the reputation isn't entirely undeserved, with classy boutiques and plenty of fancy restaurants to discover. Ginza is after all where you'll find some of Tokyo's oldest and most high-end department stores, including Tokyo's first department store Mitsukoshi.
On this visit to Ginza, we went to check out the relatively new GINZA SIX department store, built to replace the historical Matsuzakaya Ginza branch. It's huge and beautiful, and a must-see for any high-end brand name shopping lovers visiting Japan!
GINZA SIX
Address: 6-10-1 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo
Hours: 10:00 - 20:30
Access: Direct access through the basement floor to Ginza Station and Higashi Ginza Station.
Official Website (en),The two basement floors sell food of all kinds, while floors 1 to 5 sell cosmetics, clothing, and lifestyle goods. On the 6th floor you'll find a Tsutaya book store, along with a collection of restaurants. Take the elevator all the way to the 13th floor and you'll reach lounges, bars, and access to GINZA SIX's rooftop garden.
Clothing Brands
,Lifestyle Goods,Food to Eat & Food to Bring Home,When your stomach starts rumbling, you can move towards the restaurants on the 6th and 13th floors, or to the basement floors packed with a number of different food sellers of different kinds. There are plenty of options to bring elsewhere and eat for dinner, but the basement floors are also home to many little shops selling the kind of snacks that are perfect to bring home as souvenirs. Some of these items are not only found exclusively in Japan, but are only available at GINZA SIX. If you're a fan of Japanese matcha, don't forget to drop by Tsujiri to find unique matcha sweets to gift to all your friends (or just eat yourself!),Tsutaya is a huge bookstore chain in Japan, and most locations sell a wide variety of genres, but the GINZA SIX branch is a little different. This large space on the 6th floor has a collection of 60,000 art books from publishers all over the world. The "art" themed concept, with a store full of books of art and books about art, is a good fit for its GINZA SIX location, where you'll spot lots of students and industry insiders.,GINZA SIX is a huge shopping center right in the middle of things in Ginza, and offers a luxury experience for any high rollers visiting the area, or those who dare to dream. Whether you just want to browse the shops with friends, you're hoping to take a special someone on a nice date, or you're showing your family the glitz of Ginza shopping, GINZA SIX is the place to go.
If you're in the area and want to look around some more, in the past we've written about duty-free shopping, casual clothing, hostels, shoe stores, and even blowfish ramen in Ginza. There's plenty more to do and see!
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU!
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your pictures of Japan. 🗾#tokyo#shopping#ginza
The "Ohta Isan" Series of Japanese Digestive Medicine for the FamilyTaking care of Japanese stomachs for 140 years, "Ohta Isan".
Also popular among foreign visitors to Japan, this gastrointestinal medicine has become a standard item on many shopping lists as a "must buy item" while in Japan. The medicine can be purchased in most Japanese drug stores.,① Ohta Isan,Opening the can, you'll find an inner lid and a spoon. On the inner lid is a ledge made for leveling spoonfuls of powder, so the proper dose can be easily measured out and taken.,The packet-type packaging is compact and lightweight, making it easy to carry around in an everyday purse or bag.
It's the best choice for travel!,② Ohta Isan A ＜in tablet＞,It's great to have around as a household medicine, since it's effective when a particularly oily meal leaves you feeling a little overfull and uncomfortable, at home or on vacation.,Each individual packet contains the equivalent of the three tablet dose.
The packets are then grouped in threes, and there are five of these sheets in one box. That makes it the equivalent of 45 tablets.,③ Ohta Isan Drug for Controlling Intestinal Function,The lactic acid bacteria helps put the intestinal environment in order, and the herbal medicine helps improve the movement of the intestinal tract. This means it can improve the condition of sensitive stomachs suffering from constipation and diarrhea.,④ Ohta Chinese Herbal Gastrointestinal Medicine Ⅱ,It's a stressful society.
Your stomach already isn't in great shape...
Without warning, "Ow! My stomach hurts!"
At times like this, Chinese herbal medicine provides gentle care.,As a popular series of digestive medicine in Japan, commonly found in households for many years, Ohta Isan's catchphrase "thank you, that's good medicine" is well-known throughout the country.
Taking advantage of all of the benefits of herbal medicine, it's no wonder Ohta Isan's natural effect has made it a beloved choice for so long.#tokyo#shopping#drug store
Knife Shopping in Kappabashi 🗡 Tsubaya Knives (包丁専門つば屋)Japanese knives are famous for their high quality, and so have become a popular item for foreign visitors to seek out during their trips. So we decided to dedicate an article to kitchen knives, including some useful information for those, professional chefs or not, looking to buy some knives during their trip to Japan.
Buyers from all over the world flock to the Kappabashi area of Asakusa, Tokyo, to purchase various kitchen and restaurant gear. Right in the middle of this is a store called Tsubaya, which specializes in kitchen knives made by Japanese craftsmen, and is perfect for anyone wondering where they can browse a great selection. This store has even made it onto TV in Japan!,
If you're looking for Japanese cookware and kitchenware, or things you never even knew you needed, Kappabashi is your place. Which is why Tsubaya is located there!
CUTLERY TSUBAYA (包丁専門つば屋)🗡
Address: 3-7-2, Nishi-Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Access: 7 min. walk from Tawaramachi (田原町駅) on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line OR 3 min. walk from TX Asakusa Station on the TSUKUBA EXPRESS
Phone: 03-3845-2005
E-Mail: info@tsubaya.co.jp
Official Website
Google Maps,When you enter the store, you might feel like you've entered a museum of knives. The walls are covered with more than 1,000 cooking knives of all kinds. It's not really all that different from a museum collection— there are a lot of knives!,Since we're no cooking experts and don't know what makes each of the 1,000+ knives unique or special, we asked them to explain a few of the different kinds that Tsubaya has for sale.
We started with the most all-purpose kinds! These "universal knives" are about 15 to 20 cm long, and are what you often see in a typical home kitchen. These knives are some of the most popular items among Tsubaya's stock, since they're the most basic! They're generally divided into two varieties: Santoku & Gyuto knives.,Santoku (三徳)
Japanese-Style Universal Knives
The "sanko universal knife" is the most widely used knife among the many everyday knives. That means it will work well when cutting just about any food, including meat, fish, and vegetables.
The blade is made in a ratio of 5: 5, and it can cut at any angle without difficulty.,Gyuto (牛刀)
Western-Style Universal Knives
The "Kyūto Kotoku knife" is a kitchen knife widely used in Western countries, and is used mainly for cutting meat.
If you compare it to a santoku knife, you'll notice that it's longer in length and a fair amount narrower. It also has a point where the cross section of the knife edge is shifted by a ratio of 7: 3 or 8: 2, making it a good knife for cutting through hunks of meat, or tendons.
As a universal knife, it can certainly be used for all sorts of things, including vegetables or fish. But it's an especially good choice for those who cut through a lot of meat!,Bread Knives
Tsubaya sells a variety of bread knives as well, even if they're less of a Japanese tradition. Thanks to their cross sections, and their longer ~30 cm lengths, the knives are able to cut further without going back and forth too many times. This helps preserve the shape of the bread, instead of crushing it with too much pressure.
With more Japanese people baking in their homes in recent years, bread knives have become a popular item!,Petty Knives
These little knives originate from Japan, and are usually about 13 cm long. They're great for cutting fruit, and are even frequently used at patisseries! Since they're not particularly common, many patissiers come looking for them.,Fun and Creative Knives
This knife is packed with extremely practical knives, long blades, short blades, they can cut whatever food you throw at them. But that's not all they have!
Knives shaped like whales and blowfish are just some of the more silly options on display. A Chinese customer apparently once ordered a turtle-shaped knife!,Knives Just for Preparing Eel
This particular variety of knife is made specifically for preparing eel! The top of the blade has what looks like a hammer, which is used to hammer the large nail that is used to pin down the eel. They are slippery!,If you want to make your knife truly the only one like it in the whole world, you can try out their engraving service. We tried it out by getting our friend's name engraved in kanji (Chinese characters.) Whatever message you want written onto your knife for the rest of its life, they use a dedicated machine at the back of the store to do it immediately, so you don't have to come back to pick it up!,Q. On my first visit, what should I buy?
A. We recommend a universal knife, or a petty knife. It's easier for beginner knife-users to use an all-purpose knife, especially since it can be used in the preparation of all kinds of ingredients. If you have a budget closer to 20,000 yen, we recommend purchasing a universal knife and a petty knife together, giving you more variety in knife size.
In addition, we recommend the "yanagiba" (柳刃), which is great for cutting raw fish!,Q. What's the difference between a wooden handle and a plastic handle?
A. The differences lie in both design and durability. Wooden handles have a strong sense of Japanese design, making them appealing to Western customers. Wood is easily discolored, so most Japanese customers prefer plastic handles. (All handles are replaceable, however.),Q. How should I sharpen my knife?
A. The metal rods you often see in movies are kind of like first-aid, they're a quick fix when you want to use the knife immediately. For thorough sharpening, you have to use a sharpening stone, or togiishi (研ぎ石).,Q. Aren't all the knives the same, aside from size?
A. Aside from the more obvious size differences, the knives also vary in material and durability. They might all look similar at first glance, but the ratios involved in the blades, handles, and different parts' sizes are important. Some are also extra high quality!
For example, stainless steel doesn't have the same cutting force as pure iron, but it doesn't rust. So it's much easier to maintain.,Japanese cuisine is now popular around the world, and the huge variety of knives offered by Tsubaya includes a number that are suited specifically for preparing Japanese delicacies. These knives are perfect for any budding chefs you may know! And if you walk in and feel a little overwhelmed, don't worry! There are English-speaking staff, and they are happy to spend some time teaching you about the great variety of knives available, and helping you find the perfect knife to take home with you. (Just don't forget to put your precious new kitchen knife in your checked baggage! You don't want it getting confiscated by security.)
CUTLERY TSUBAYA (包丁専門つば屋)
3-7-2, Nishi-Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
7 min walk from Tawaramachi (田原町駅) on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line OR
3 min walk from TX Asakusa Station on the TSUKUBA EXPRESS
Phone: 03-3845-2005
E-Mail: info@tsubaya.co.jp
Google Maps
(If you're looking for a place to stay nearby, try here!)
Be sure to look out for more exciting articles every day at JAPANKURU! 🐶
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⇩Learn More About Tsubaya in Our Video Below⇩#tokyo#shopping#tsubaya
Looking for a Local Shopping Experience at Canal City Hakata in FukuokaLocated southwest of Japan you will find an island named Kyushu (九州). It is filled with unique history, some of Japan's most friendly people, natural hot springs, and delicious food. If you are a fan or Japanese characters/mascots ("yura-chara"), then you know Kumamoto Prefecture's Kumamon (くまモン), the big black bear that won Japan's most popular mascots a few years ago. When it comes to traveling to Kyushu though, for many foreigners primarily Nagasaki and Beppu (Oita Prefecture) are the only places that come to mind. Fukuoka though is a really fun place that shouldn't be left out, especially if you are a ramen fan!,After coming to Fukuoka and strolling through the first long Tenjin shopping arcade, you will want to visit the cities largest and elaborate shopping complex that is called "a city within a city", Canal City Hakata. There are more than 200 shops here, along with numerous restaurants, a performance theatre, hotels, movie theatres. There are many tax-free services in the shops at Canal City Hakata, but even if you don't plan on doing any shopping this shopping mall is a nice place to walk around.
★Canal City Hakata
Google Maps
⏰10am〜9pm / Restaurants 11am〜11pm
💻Official website (ENG),One of the shows you can see at Canal City is a panoramic water show combined with music and light sculpture is said to be the largest in Japan. The water show can be seen from all angles from B1 to the 4th floor.,KALDI COFFEE FARM,Kyushu already has a warm climate compared to other regions in Japan, so many of the clothes at the store suit that temperature. In the women's section a majority of the clothes are light colors and chiffon.,By our surprise, URBAN RESEARCH and NASA launched joint-name products!,If you live in a pretty warm climate place and want something that is special to Japan and Japanese fashion, shopping at SENSE OF PLACE by URBAN RESEARCH is highly recommended.
★SENSE OF PLACE by URBAN RESEARCH Canal City Store
East Bldg. 1F
⏰10am〜9pm
💻Official website,There are of course many great things to see in Fukuoka like Dazaifu (大宰府), Ohori Park (大濠公園), and Shofukuji (聖福寺), but if you get the chance to travel around Kyushu here are three recommendations of places to visit.,Be sure to look at JAPANKURU🐶 for more exciting articles every day!!
Or add us on Instagram and Facebook to share your Japanese pictures💖#kyushu#shopping#canal city
Shinto Shrine Charms in The Sakura Season: Pink Petals Abound!With Japan in the midst of sakura (cherry blossom) season, the wealth of seasonal goods is hard to miss. This even extends to Shinto shrines, and the "omamori" (お守り), charms, they have available. Some of these limited-time-only cherry blossom charms promise to protect you from misfortune or help you find love, but others are just there so you can get into the spirit of the sakura season. Not everyone loves the explosion of cherry blossom flavored drinks and snacks during the spring in Japan, so these shrines are offering another great way to enjoy the season, and take a little bit of it home with you.,These "kanmusubi" (神結び), or "god's knots," are some of the prettier charms available, and are popular among those who want to show off their love of cherry blossoms. Quite unlike the standard omamori charms, these are made of delicate woven ribbon. Aside from wearing them on the wrist, though, kanmusubi can also be hung on a purse, or used as a bookmark.,This year's bracelet charms come in three varieties: standard cherry blossom, weeping cherry blossom, and night cherry blossom. These three varieties are different colors, but also include some different decoration and detailing. With them all being so cute, it's hard not to buy all three! Since they're all carefully handmade, though, the price comes to 1000 yen each, which is a little higher than a standard omamori charm. It's the perfect chance to splurge and buy one as a treat for a friend!!,In addition to their famous God's Knots, Asagaya Shinmeigu Shrine also offers a special cherry blossom season "goshuin" (ご朱印), which is a shrine seal. Goshuin from various shrines are usually collected in a special book, and this stamp and calligraphy featuring pink sakura embroidery would make a lovely addition to anyone's collection. Asagaya Shinmeigu Shrine, dedicated to Shinto's highest god, Amaterasu, was built in the Edo period, and has a history going back more than two hundred years. It's a great place to check out cherry blossoms in Tokyo!,Asagaya Shinmeigu Shrine
Address: 1-25-5 Asagaya-kita, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
Station: Asagaya Station, Minami Asagaya Station
Hours: 9:00~17:00
Official Page
Image source: Asagaya Shinmeigu Shrine's Twitter,The Hikawa Shrine in Kawagoe, is best known for its impressive tradition of hanging wind chimes every summer. We've written about the shrine's wind chimes and some of the other appeals of Kawagoe in our previous article about the area. The Hikawa Shrine also celebrates the cherry blossom trees lining the river bank every year by releasing new, limited-edition sakura goods.,This year's protective omamori charms come in five different designs, all meant to differently reflect the Hikawa Shrine's beautiful riverbank sakura. The shrine is popular with young people, and especially among those in love, since this shrine's god is in charge of marriage and relationships. With so many visitors, it's best to line up quickly if you want one of these special little charms.,Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine
Address: 2-11-3 Miyashitamachi, Kawagoe, Saitama
Station: Kawagoe Hikawajinja Station, Hikawajinjamae Station
9:00~17:00
Official Page
Image Source:Hikawa Shrine Facebook,Alongside the two shrines with cherry blossom charms mentioned above, the famous Tokyo Daijingu also has a very cute sakura-themed offering. Similar to the bell charms available at Kyoto's Kiyomizudera Temple, these little cherry blossom bells are very popular. It's said that if you give them a ring, you can summon the gods to listen in. With such a cute floral pattern, though, who wouldn't take notice?,So, what do you think? Has the appeal of pink cherry blossoms drawn you in? Are you going to run out and cover yourself in adorable protective charms, or buy a few for all of your friends? If you know of any other special charms that are unique to the sakura season, send us a message and let us know!
For more interesting topics,
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