The Japanese are avid souvenir shoppers when they travel, so souvenirs are sold literally everywhere, even near shrines and temples. Two places for one-stop memento shopping are the Oriental Bazaar in Tokyo and the Kyoto Handicraft Centre.
100 Yen Stores
These stores are jam packed with a huge selection of bits and bobs such as small toys, origami paper, household items, stationery, hair accessories, laundry and cleaning supplies and much more. Nothing is priced because everything is 100 Yen.
Each one of these stores is unique and is easily identified by the ¥100 sign in front.
¥100 are great places to buy little gifts for children, or things you don't necessarily want to spend a lot of money on.
Tokyu Hands
| A "Creative Life Store," Tokyu Hands, is a huge department store (usually six to seven floors) for the serious homeowner and hobbyist, with everything from travel accessories, chopsticks, and kitchen knives, to equipment and materials for do-it-yourselfers, including an unbelievable selection of stationery. If there's a practical Japanese product you've decided you can't live without (lunch box? bathroom slippers? hanging laundry rack?), this is a good place to look There are many Tokyu Hands stores in Japan and you will find one of them at Ikebukuro, a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo. Ikebukuro Station is the busiest subway station in Japan and the second busiest railway station overall |  |
