| TOP 6 of Tokyo’s Coolest Souvenirs |
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| ASIA - Japanese souvenirs | |
| Written by Chiemi | |
| Sunday, 26 September 2010 17:24 | |
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TOP 6 of Tokyo’s Coolest Souvenirs
Summer time is vacation time! Meaning, loads of people have left Tokyo - and loads of tourists have poured in instead. And don’t forget about the school breaks. For us that is: Harajuku, location of the PingMag headquarter, is crowded with tons of tourists and teenagers, and the usual dekotora, advertising trucks, blaring the latest J-Pop complete the festival-like scene. So, what could these folks buy as souvenir of their time in our beloved sprawl? Foreigners head for unique goods found at Tokyu Hands or Don Quixote while Japanese would buy typical souvenirs such as Sesame eggs or Tokyo Bananas. We know you are cool, so we gathered some stuff especially for you…
Who didn’t see this before? The big diagonal crosswalk in front of Shibuya station. This is actually a very quiet day… 1. Say “Shibuya,” and everyone thinks of “Hachiko”
The loyal dog has become a symbol of Tokyo - now available in cookie form! 700 Yen for a box of five cookies.
A special product from Shibuya, the “Hachiko sauce.” Wonder how it tastes? Just 255 Yen for a bottle at Tsunokuniya. Then, Tokyo metro will take you to Yoyogi-koen station on the Chiyoda Line. After a ten-minute walk you will enter “Tsunokuniya,” a liquor store in a quiet residential quarter in Tomigaya. Why did you make it here? Here, they are proudly selling their Hachiko sauce since the Pacific War - and it comes in three flavours.
What a cool gadget! Needless to say that this is a perfect gift! And that for just 500 Yen. Tourists visiting Japan are often fairly interested in traditional Japanese toys. For sure, origami paper would be great for them. Our tip: Give this delicate folding paper art an update with graphic designs from cochae. For beginners, they illustrate the forms that will be made through folding.
The “Classics series Fukusuke” and “Classics series Tsuru (crane)” by cochae.
And these are the folded pieces! Have a little fun for 300 Yen each. Kawaii! CARPENTER BLOCK mini is a series of a small blocks designed by Osaka-based company SOZ. This truly innovative piece has become part of the permanent collection in the Museum of Decorative Arts as part of the Louvre. This cute “Little House” is a set of six blocks in red, green and white: Make multiple shapes with it or expand it with other sets. Go on, try!
Artsy! Buy a part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Decorative Arts as souvenir: the “CARPENTER BLOCK mini” by SOZ for only 480 Yen.
 …or this! Some folks even made an animation with these blocks. Have a look at it here. “Hope Forever Blossoming” is a compact vinyl flower vase designed by D-BROS, previously featured in our Designers Week piece from last year. It is based on the idea of shampoo refill packages, which are flat when empty, but take shape when filled and can stand upright on a shelf. This vase here is a flat vinyl bag. Fill it with water and it takes the shape of a vase ready to hold a flower! Much to our joy, the vases come in sets of two, each in a different colour. So you’d have the matching vase for the colour of your desired flower.
The D-BROS flower vase called “Hope Forever Blossoming”. Reasonably cheap: 800 Yen for a two-colour set. 3. A legendary souvenir We surely won’t keep back the next one: There is one souvenir that has attained a kind of a legendary status among Tokyo souvenirs - sweets designed to look like money! Made by Tokiwa Sogo Service Ltd., Nihonbashi, this unique souvenir is funnily sold in the Ministry of Finance. Now, ordinary visitors are no longer allowed access to the building in an effort to prevent terrorism (PingMag tried and got kicked out in two seconds). The only way you can get them is to buy directly from the manufacturer - or to look for them at the Shinjuku branch of Tokyu Hands. Also, check out some other funny Japanese Yen goods from this company!
Haha, edible money! Rice crackers decorated like Japanese bills! Recently, the real currency was redesigned and the company quickly updated the edible one. You get 12 for 500 Yen, meaning you can eat 60,000 Yen after paying only 500.
“Bean-jam filled coins.” Wow, all kinds of Japanese coins are imitated as sweets! Just don’t try to shove one in a vending machine. Price: 525 Yen for 6 pieces. 4. A souvenir to symbolise Tokyo’s international status Matryoshka dolls, a doll set of decreasing sizes placed one inside another, are famous as Russian souvenirs. But wait for the enhanced Japanese version! Tokyo Matryoshka is designed in Japan - and produced by old ladies in Russia. Since these five sisters are half Russian-half Japanese, they feature dark-brown hair and the same eye colour. But unlike their Russian counterparts, all of them are holding something, their most loved possessions: a Holga camera, a Matryoshka doll, a stuffed animal, a sheep, and a flower!? In the bottom of each doll, you can find the signature of the Russian granny who made it.
Tokyo Matryoshka by power shovel Ltd. can be found at the Aoyama Book Center, NADIFF, and AND A. Price: 4500 Yen. AND A. Price: 4500 Yen.
The “Japan Matryoshka” of the same series. These dolls are holding the Tokyo Tower, a rice ball, Mt. Fuji, and other representations of Japan in their hands… 5. Something Kawaii Tourists often have a strong impression of the word ‘kawaii,’ for cute, when walking around Tokyo. And Harajuku is certainly the place that best represents cuteness best. What would you choose now as souvenir of this spot where all of Japan’s wildly dressed kids gather? In 2004, Tadaaki Wakamatsu started the accessories brand Q-pot.. In the beginning it was just a small shop in Harajuku. Since then it has grown quickly and by now you can buy their cute accessories all over Japan. The designer hopes that his souvenirs would enhance the communication - maybe he had theoretic conversations about camp and kitsch in Tokyo in mind…. At the moment, ice cream, chocolate, and macaroons are the most popular series at the shops. How about bringing “Tokyo kitsch” back home along with your cheerful memories?
Kawaii! Ice cream necklaces from “Q-pot.” Starting at 12,600 Yen.
Don’t miss out on these: macaroon cell-phone straps! Starting at 3,780 Yen. 6. Souvenirs of the Old Town Long ago, Tokyo’s east side has been the actual centre of the city before Shinjuku Ward took over as modern social hub. But until today, the Toden Arakawa Line connects the eastern Arakawa Ward: This line is one of the last remaining streetcars in Tokyo, bearing lots of memories of the long-term residents. Now head to the Toden Monaka Honpo Akemi shop located in Kajiwara, which is one of the stops on this old streetcar line. The confectionary is known for its “Toden Monaka” treat: The sweet itself is shaped like a street car and crammed full of sweet bean paste. A sweet goes for 130 Yen, else you can get a 10-piece set that comes with a package resembling an engine shed. If you buy four-teen or more, you can even get a box printed with a sugoroku, a Japanese backgammon board.
“Toden monaka” sold by the Akemi confectionery near Kajiwara station. You can pretend you are Godzilla, picking up a Tokyo streetcar and shoving it in your mouth! 1350 Yen for a box of ten. from pingmag.jp
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"Welcome to Harajuku!" A mermaid balloon sculpture defines new dimensions of kitsch at the entrance of Takeshita Street. Just around the corner of the PingMag headquarters! 
