Souvenirs to Buy in Japan: Best Gifts to Bring Home

Manon, a Travel Specialist at Japaventura, is French-Japanese. She has been lucky enough to discover Japan ever since her childhood. As a result, she knows the Japanese in their everyday and family life, both through her own family and through her stays at Japanese schools and colleges. Here she shares her favourite souvenirs to bring back from Japan, perfect for anyone discovering the country for the first time.

Green tea or cherry-blossom Kit Kats, rice crackers (osembe), tea, sake, Pocky (similar to Mikado biscuit sticks)… your taste buds are going to love these new discoveries! Stock up on all sorts of sweets and treats before you leave the Japanese archipelago by heading to a large supermarket such as Aeon, which is generally cheaper and offers more choice than the “Konbini” — those famous convenience stores usually open 24/7, such as Walmart or Seven Eleven. There's nothing better than a tasting session with family or friends while looking back over the photos from your trip once you're home.

Depending on your tastes, you obviously won't set your heart on the same technological whims. But one thing is certain: you'll bring something back! If it's not a quirky USB stick — with a dog cycling on it, for example — it might be a money box shaped like a little cardboard box, out of which a cat reaches its paw to grab your coin, or perhaps a pocket fan, an absolute must for anyone visiting in summer.

The shop Tokyu Hands or Kiddy Land is the ideal place for gadget lovers.

• Kiddy Land: 6-1-9 Jingumae, Shibuya 150-0001, Tokyo

• Tokyu Hands: In most major Japanese cities — Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka… The largest is probably the one in Shibuya, Tokyo: 12-18 Udagawacho

The quality of Japanese stationery is well known. Whether it's the classic, refined kind for writing calligraphed letters or paper printed with a host of colourful characters, there's something — as so often — for every taste. Writing paper is far from the only draw of the stationery aisles in Japanese shops: you'll also find a thousand and one stickers, washi tape (decorative tape), notebooks, sticky notes in every imaginable shape and colour, stamps, inkwells, pens…

For something more traditional, origami enthusiasts and crafters can take a closer look at washi, the traditional Japanese paper. It has been made by hand in Japan since the 7th century. The long fibres of the paper mulberry are worked and interwoven at length to produce a paper that is light, flexible and strong. In 2014, washi was even added to UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. So Japan is also the land of paper!

• Muji: for minimalists. The shop's name literally means “no brand”.

• Tokyu Hands: Again! When we tell you this concept store has everything, we mean it! The place for those who really want a choice.

• Daiso, Can Do and other 100-yen shops: for smaller budgets.

• Loft: for the more original.

• Kakimori: for a Japanese-style personalisation service.

• Ozu Washi: for those in search of tradition.

• Itoya: for anyone with delusions of grandeur, as it is apparently the largest stationery shop in the archipelago.

Your first trip to Japan will inevitably be punctuated by visits to temples and shrines. Each is dedicated to a deity and/or to the protection of a particular natural phenomenon, and every place of worship offers lucky charms for sale. Some themes recur, but each charm remains unique to the temple or shrine that sells it. You can therefore choose between a charm to ensure good health, prosperity, road safety, academic or school results, or of course a happy and fulfilling love life. You'll also often have a choice of shape and size for this precious object: a small or large keyring, with or without a bell, to hang in the car (particularly the road-safety ones), on your bag or phone, or to slip into your wallet. It makes for an original, pretty, typical and inexpensive gift.

Japan, and especially its major cities — Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka — is full of department stores. Whole buildings are devoted to them, but the temptation will often follow you all the way home, as the railway stations themselves have been turned into vast shopping arcades. There are far more brands and styles on offer than back home. The only downside is that sizes are often quite small, and some shops offer only one size. So enjoy yourself according to your budget and try to brighten up your wardrobe with a unique accessory you won't find back home. Swap your old jacket for a kimono jacket, for men or women. You can buy one at a vintage shop in Tokyo ( Chicago ) or Kyoto for anywhere from about £20 to £100 or more. They really do come in every colour.

To find your own Japanese style, head to Shibuya 109. Mind your ears! The music is very loud and all the shop assistants “shout” “Irasshaimaseee!” — meaning "welcome" — at the slightest glance you cast towards their store. For something even more unusual, or even cosplay costumes, make for Takeshita-dōri (Takeshita Street) in the heart of Harajuku in Tokyo. Still in Tokyo, fans of second-hand and vintage clothing should head to the Koenji district. For more luxury, it's in the Ginza district that you'll want to get your card out — or simply admire the incredible shop windows.

Otherwise, the easiest clothing souvenir for anyone to bring back is a pair (or several) of socks. Japan, and especially its stations, is packed with shops specialising in socks, both sensible and more whimsical — including the ones that separate your big toe from the rest of your toes!

Everyday objects, the food, the shops themselves… So much about Japan will amaze you, and you'll no doubt be tempted to bring home at least a small souvenir of this wonderfully unusual country in your suitcase. So keep this list in mind — though it is far from exhaustive — and share your finest memories of the archipelago with us!