Tokyo Banana has been voted the #1 souvenir to buy these past two years. This creme filled banana cake is one of Tokyo’s specialty. They were also the first company that sold souvenir cakes to put the word Tokyo in their name which contributed to it’s widely successful fame. These are great gifts from Tokyo or just snacks to bring back home! They have shops all over Tokyo including the airport and Tokyo Station.

Photo credit: Tokyo Banana website

Where to buy: Tokyo Station, 〒100-6701 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Marunouchi, 1 Chome−9−1 Daimaru Tokyo Station, B1.

Haneda Airport/ Narita Airport

Tel: 03-3212-8011 (Tokyo Station)

Website: https://www.tokyobanana.jp/language/en/

Hours: CURRENTLY N/A

Sakai Kokodo has been reproducing some of Japan’s most famous woodblock prints for over a century now. They sit on the Nakamise shopping street that leads up to the famous Sensoji temple in Asakusa and sell some of the finest reproductions. Here you’ll find famous works like Hokusai’s Great Wave and Mt. Fuji prints in all different sizes. They even sell prints as postcards which could be the perfect souvenir to take back from Japan.

Photo credit: Sakai Kokodo website

Where to buy: Sakai Kokodo, 1-20-1 Asakusa Taito-ku, Tokyo

Tel: +81 3-3841-0850

Website: https://www.ukiyoegallery.net/html/english/shop.html

Hours: Mon- Sun, 9:00am - 6:00pm

If you ever want to bring the onsen (hot springs) experience back home, then getting a pack of onsen bath salts from Japan is a must buy. While there many different types in Japan, asking a staff member at a drug store, Don Quijote or Tokyu Hands for “nyu-yoku-zai” can help you with your selection on great bath salts. The Tabi no Yada bath salts is a popular bath salt that mimics hot springs from Japan. Depending on the kind you get, it is said to aid in healing skin, recovery and relieve stress.

Photo credit: Tabi No Yado website

Where to buy: Any drugstores, Don Quijote Stores or Tokyu Hands Stores in Japan

Tel: NA

Website:

Don Qujote: https://www.donki.com/en/

Tokyu Hands: https://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/

Hours: NA

Kao’s warm eye mask is a revolutionary eye mask that has the ability to heat up right out of the packet. It heats up to around 40 degrees C (104F) and can produce some mild steam to moisten the eyes. It can help relieve tired eyes, bags, dry eyes and more! These eye masks are sold in almost any drug stores, Don Quixote and Tokyu Hands.

Photo credit: Amazon

Where to buy: Any drugstores or Don Quijote Stores in Japan

Tel: NA

Website: https://www.donki.com/en/

Hours: NA

When your’e choosing between the thousands of delicious places to eat at in Japan, you may notice some replica foods outside of restaurants. They’re actually fake foods of what’s on their menu. These shokuhin sampuru or food samples are a big industry in Japan and are produced by special shops for restaurants. Fake food samples was invented in 1932 when eating out started to become more popular in Japan and restaurant owners wanted to display what they sold in the front of their stores. They became even more popular after World War II when many more Americans were in Japan and couldn’t read the menu so they relied on these fake foods to order their food. You can buy fake food samples as key-chains, pencil holders, decorations and more! Considered to be the father of fake food samples, Ganso Shokuhin Sample-ya sells a variety of fake food samples - and they look so real!

Photo credit: Ganso Shokuhin Sample

Where to buy: 3-7-6 Nishi Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo (Stores in Yokohama and Skytree tower as well)

Tel: 0120-171-839

Website: https://www.ganso-sample.com//en/

Hours: Mon-Sun, 10:00am - 5:30pm