Japan Shopping Tips by cheesecake17 Top 5 Page for this destination

ORIGAMI PAPER

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ORIGAMI is the art of paper folding in Japan.

It started when the technique of paper-making was brought to Japan from China by way of Korea in the 6th century.

At that time, paper was a rare and precious commodity, and a formal kind of paper folding developed for use in both religious and secular life.

There is perhaps another reason for the importance of paper in Japanese life. The Japanese word kami can mean "paper" as well as "God" . This has given rise to a belief that paper is sacred.

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What to buy: the 100 yen stores now sell them in various design.....for only 105 yen for a pack of 50 or sometimes 100 pieces of paper..

Other Contact: http://www.khs.com/aboutflow.htm

Theme: Local Craft

Few Ideas

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what to bring back from japan as gifts...well ...here are some suggestion...

check the candy section of the nearest drug store or supermarket. You might want to try some of these yourself before buying for others, but consider grapefruit-flavored gum, yogurt-flavored lozenges, and caramel candy in a box labeled totally in Japanese, giving no hint of what it contains...

There’s also Pinky, small plastic boxes filled with tiny mints.

Colorful posters for current attractions are usually available in hotel lobbies. These 8 by 11.5-inch prints can be matted and framed at home....and its free..:)

Some of the neatest little items are the omamori amulets available at many shrines and temples.
They’re small bags the size of a tea bag, usually made of a rich brocade cloth.

Some are embroidered with the type of good fortune they will bring, others with the name of the shrine or a scene.

Inside the bag, there’s a slip of paper with a prayer written on it, but don’t open the omamori or the prayer’s power will be lost.

Omamori cost from 350 to 500 yen, and can be bought to help towards good health, success in examinations, driving safety, or general good fortune.

Decorative fans are available in all kinds of shops at a wide range of prices.

Mass produced printed fans sell for 500 to 1000 yen, and hand painted, one-of-a-kind fans are readily available for 50,000 yen. At either price, they do fold down nicely for packing!

Porcelain geisha masks aren’t sold for less than 20,000 yen, but assorted paper mache masks can be found for 6,000 yen and up . . . and they’re lighter!

Sake bottle and cup sets can be found in just about any color and price range from 2,500 yen and up. The higher the price, the more individual effort involved in painting or throwing the pottery.

For a lot of people, a souvenir pin or T-shirt

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Theme: Local Craft

A Traditional japanese toy..

What to buy:

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The KITE or tako, is another great gift...in my opinion...

Kites came to Japan from China in the Heian period (794-1185), and were wildly popular during the Edo period.

They come in a variety of shapes, including square and hexagonal, and are often decorated with traditional pictures and patterns.

One kind of kite popular among merchant families in the old days was known as a yakkodako. These kites were made to resemble human figures with their arms outstretched in comical poses. Merchants had the kites made in the likeness of their servants.

Kite-flying was a major pastime .. Communities launched enormous kites, sometimes over a hundred square meters (about 1,090 square feet) in size.

Kite wars, in which players tried to sever their opponents' kite strings, were also popular and still practice in these days..like the HAMAMATSU KITE FESTIVAL

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Theme: Local Craft

O-HASHI aka CHOPSTICKS

o-hashi could be another souvenier gift, sold at many 100 yen shops...and other places..

What to buy:

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There are many kinds of hashi or chopsticks. Those for eating meals, kitchens have another kind for cooking purposes, and for picking up cakes and sweats there is a different kind.

Wood is the principle material, but ivory, bones, tusks, bamboo, and various metals are also used and prices vary with each..

Wood and bamboo hashi are often painted or even decorated with designs.

Each member of the household has his or her chopsticks always placed in a hashi box.

WARIBASHI is a one piece of wood which can be easily pulled apart to make two pieces, as there is a groove made along its length.

This is sanitary and convenient. Once used, it is discarded. This kind is now largely used at restaurants and eating places.

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Theme: Local Craft

Kimonos everywhere

While in japan you will see kimonos stores everywhere....They may be a good souvenier but be careful prices are very high....

What to buy:

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The kimono is the traditional clothing of Japan.

Kimono styles have changed significantly from one period of Japan's history to another, and today there are many different types of kimono worn by men, women, and children.

The cut, color, fabric, and decorations of a kimono may vary according to the sex, age, and marital status of the wearer, the season of the year, and the occasion for which the kimono is worn.

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What to pay: prices vary from 150 dollars and up

Theme: Local Craft

100 yen stores: GO WHERE THE LOCAL GO

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Shops featuring a wide variety of merchandise all uniformly priced at 105 yen with consumption tax added to total purchase.

Known for the variety of their merchandise, they sell household necessaries, food products, stationery supplies, cosmetics, sewing notions, and many other items, you will be surprise......

Shoppers are inevitably disarmed by the low per-item price and enjoy picking up one item after another, often buying more than they need. ...very often..

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Theme: Other

UNIQLO: CLOTHES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

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.... sales in departments stores and large-scale supermarket chains have fallen off, the casual-wear apparel store Uniqlo has been growing rapidly.

The secrets to its success is low prices, simple designs that can be worn by young and old alike, good quality materials and stitching, variety of colors and sizes...

its popularity has remained strong, although some people object to the impersonality and uniformity of the brand its a great store..with great prices..

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What to buy: fleece jacket (1, 900 yen).

chino slacks and T-shirts,

What to pay: 500 yen to 12.000 yen

Theme: Other

UNIQUE SOUVENIER.....

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People love personalized gifts... but what could you possibly get that's uniquely Japanese? Hanko is the perfect solution.

The HANKO is an important part of everyone's life in Japan. It serves the same purpose as a written signature does in the West, and it is legally binding. Most Japanese own at least two hanko and sometimes as many as six or more.

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HANKO

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The hanko, or inkan (seal impression), comes from China. Legend has it that an emperor of China presented a Japanese king with a golden seal (kinin) 2,000 years ago. A golden inkan dating back to the 5th century has been found in Kyushu, confirming the use and importance of these seals in ancient times.

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___There are shops and mail-order houses that will recommend the best material and size for a person's hanko after taking into consideration the date of birth and the number of strokes in the kanji used for the user's name.

Some of the most auspicious materials are, the horn of water buffalo, the wood of the box tree, and hard plastic, but crystal, bamboo, and stone are also used.

The kanji in a name are carefully studied and arranged to fit the eight sectors of the hanko's circular surface: success, happiness, fate, health, confidence, management, love, and money.

Many tourists who come to Japan buy hanko as souvenirs, and they have their names translated into kanji to be put on hanko. A considerable amount of care must be taken in the choice of characters used to represent foreigners' name, however. In the case of the name "Barton", an unknowing tourist chose the characters ba, meaning "horse", and ton, meaning "pig". Fortunately the hanko maker was kind enough to suggest a gentler ba that meant "leaves" and a ton that meant "sincerity".

Theme: Local Craft

100 yen stores: Japanese style curtain....."NOREN"

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Originally "Noren" were widely used in Japan as restaurant and shop curtains.

A Noren hung in a doorway signaled that the shop was open for business. Noren are now widely used in contemporary home and business decor, enhancing any room or doorway.

Noren are split in the middle so you can walk right through, and have a closed top seam to insert a wooden or bamboo dowel for hanging.

You can see in the picture a variety of colors and designs...sold at 100 yen stores...

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Theme: Local Craft

One popular game that has been around..

What to buy:

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....for a long time is HANETSUKI, which resembles badminton but uses no net.

The shuttlecock is made from a seed with feathers attached, and the paddle, called a hagoita, is rectangular and made of wood.

Hanetsuki dates back over 500 years. The paddles are decorated with various images, sometimes executed in relief: girls in kimonos, Kabuki actors, and so on.

While kids still like to play hanetsuki, many people simply enjoy collecting the paddles for their decorative value.

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Theme: Toys and Games