Everything I Bought in Japan
A knife, skincare and more - yen were dropped.
I spent 10 days in Japan this past April exploring Tokyo and Kyoto and loved every second of it. I ate incredible food, saw the cherry blossoms in bloom, went to cool record bars, had dinner with a geisha and of course, did a bit of shopping.
Vintage designer shopping in Japan is very much a thing due to strict laws against fakes. And while I browsed the vintage Chanel in Toyko, I just couldn’t do it and still sleep at night.
I did, however, find other good reasons to part with a few yen. Here is everything I bought while in Japan last spring.
A personalized knife
We visited the Kappabashi Kitchen Street - the go-to destination for restaurant supplies, pottery, utensils, etc. While there I purchased a knife from Kiwami. I chose one from Suncraft and had the handle engraved for my brother and sister-in-law. The store associate translated our last name phonetically into Japanese characters. It was a really cool experience and the engraving only took about an hour, during which we grabbed okonomiyaki here (so good). Truly a great gift idea and something I know they will actually use.
Ceramics
While exploring the Kappabashi Kitchen Street area, we went to Dengama for ceramics. Some of the items were on the expensive side, but they also had a lot of great stuff on sale. I grabbed a few miscellaneous small items, picked up some chopsticks and tiny chopstick holders. Japan is bursting with places to buy incredible ceramics but there was just something about this sweet store that made it my favourite.
Don Quijote treats
Is Don Quijote my new favorite store? Stepping in there is sensory overload (there is even a theme song playing on repeat) but I am here for the wild ride that is DQ. The range of stuff in this store is bananas - beauty products, candy, electronics, groceries, suitcases, toys, kitchen appliances, office supplies, designer handbags. I grabbed a bunch of sunscreen (Biore UV is my favourite and not pictured because I’ve already used it all!) face masks, some skincare products and candy. A great place to find little trinkets and Japanese products for friends and family and there are a ton of locations.
Candle and incense from APFR
APFR (Apotheke Fragrance) is an effortlessly cool Japanese brand and the original brick and mortar location in Shimokitazawa was very sleek and stylish. Everything the brand makes is hand-crafted. I chose a candle in Endless Summer and incense in Anjir. I am plowing through the candle and while I don’t tend to love all incense, this one is so fragrant without being overpowering.
Basket bag
For our last night in Japan we stayed at Kinnotake Tonosawa in Hakone. Kinnotake was the perfect place to the end the trip - tranquil and nestled in the forest. Every room is equipped with a onsen bath that is fed with water from a hot spring. We had a fantastic dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and a final lemon sour for the road. I thought was I shopped out, but I spotted a basket bag at the hotel gift shop. I loved the pop of color against the black and the liner for practicality.
And a confession: I also bought 1 million egg salad sandwiches from 7/11 (and Lawsons and Family Mart) and I’d fly back to Japan right now for one if I could. Will have to attempt this recipe instead!
**A tip for shopping while in Japan - as a visitor you can purchase items without consumption tax. You will receive the discount at the time of purchase when you spend ¥5,500 or more, but you do need to present your passport then. I typically don’t love to carry my passport while traveling but did this trip when planning to shop. There is a list of specific items that are covered, but everything I purchased qualified.
Let’s go back!
***Changes are coming to Tax-Free shopping!***
Via the Japan National Tourism Organization: "From November 1, 2026, the tax-free shopping system for inbound visitors to Japan will be revised, shifting to a refund-based system.
Under the current system, visitors who make purchases at designated stores are automatically exempted from the 10% consumption task at the point of purchase upon presenting their passport. With the coming changes, visitors will pay the consumption tax at the time of purchase and then receive a refund after completing the necessary procedures before departure."