My only rule when it came to shopping in Japan was that I could only buy domestic products that I either couldn't get in Canada or that was significantly cheaper in Japan, which resulted in buying a lot of random stuff:
House of Rose Amanatsu Orange Body Soap and Jelly Lotion + Green Lemon Body Soap and Jelly Lotion
House of Rose Oh! Baby Body Smoother Set(Clockwise from top: Muscat Grape, Yuzu, and Lychee)
House of Rose Oh! Baby Yuzu Lip Balm Scrub and Hand Mirror (Gift with Purchase)
Sholayered Lemon Peel Body Spray
We were casually perusing the many floors at
Shibuya Scramble Square when I came upon a boutique for a Japanese body products brand called
Oh! Baby by House of Rose, and was immediately suckered in by all the colourful packaging. They do your typical body products like body wash, body scrubs, body lotions, etc., but all the scents are specifically Japanese- or East Asian-based, like
amanatsu orange and green lemon or
sudachi. So after smelling literally everything in the boutique, I bought a few select items. (The girl who was working there was so freaking adorable, too, trying to explain all the scents in broken English so cheerfully, I just wanted to buy everything from her.) Then seeing me buying so much at House of Rose, the girl at the neighbouring boutique for a Japanese fragrance brand called
Sholayered decided to come up to me and offered me a scent card. I ended up smelling all their fragrances and fell in love with one called Lemon Peel — super-fresh, citrusy, and clean with a slightly green undertone — and bought the
Eau de Cologne Body Spray. I'm a sucker, but it
is the perfect fragrance for summer.
Shiseido Integrate Matsui Girls Mascara in Curl and Volume + Kose Fasio Permanent Curl Mascara in Long and Volume
Isehan Kiss Me Heroine Make Volume & Curl Mascara, Isehan Kiss Me Heavy Rotation Eye Designer Volume Mascara, and DeJavu Lash Knockout Extra Volume Mascara
Left: Sunstar Ora2 Me Stain Clear Toothpaste in Fresh Kiwi Mint and Peach Leaf Mint + Rohto C3 Contact Lens Eye Drops in Cool and Aqua
Right: Threeppy Resin Chopsticks in Monotone Colors and Black Tea Fragrance Perfume
I also bought a lot of random shit from the drugstore, like 7 tubes mascaras, 4 tubes of toothpaste, two bottles of eye drops, and two bottles of Clear Care contact lens solution (because there's a huge shortage in North America right now due to one of the
factories getting contaminated last year) — all of which are SO MUCH CHEAPER than buying in Toronto or online. (Seriously, that toothpaste was on sale for ￥290/$2.90 and it's $7.99 at T&T here. Those eye drops? On sale for￥208/$2.08. It's $12.99 at T&T. Even the Clear Care was on sale for ￥1,288/$12.88 and I used to buy a single bottle for over $16 here, even at Walmart.) Speaking of cheap, we went to the
Daiso flagship store that also houses their "fancier" brands,
Threeppy and
Standard Products, and I bought a set of chopsticks and a tea-scented body spray (that oddly smells like mango, so maybe a mango bubble tea) for ￥1,300/$13. I only regret not having the luggage space to buy more here.
Left: My Melody and Hello Kitty takoyaki-themed ankle socksRight: Randomized dessert-themed plush gachapon
Left: Uniqlo UTme! Ginza Flagship Exclusive Collaboration TeesRight: Ginza Torishige x Uniqlo Ginza Exclusive Collaboration Tee
Left: Ginza Kimuraya x Uniqlo Ginza Exclusive Collaboration TeeRight: Ginza Manpuku x Uniqlo Ginza Exclusive Collaboration Tee
I went a little wild at the Uniqlo flagship store in Ginza. I mean, c'mon, it's
12 storeys. (We spent nearly 2 hours in there.) Since Uniqlo is available globally, I was determined to get only Japan-exclusive items in there and it was on the
UT floor that I really scored. I found not just Japan-exclusive items, but
Ginza-exclusive items. Uniqlo Ginza collaborated with several Ginza institutions on some graphic tees, so I chose three of the food-related ones (obviously):
Ginza Torishige (a famous
yakitori restaurant),
Ginza Kimuraya (the oldest bakery in Japan and the birthplace of
anpan), and
Ginza Manpuku (one of the oldest ramen restaurants in Tokyo). Who cares if I didn't actually go to those restaurants...?
Uniqlo UTme! Custom Print TotesLeft: Uniqlo UTme! "Japanese Desserts" Custom Print ToteRight: Uniqlo UTme! Tarepanda Custom Print Tote
I also made two custom-designed tote bags at Uniqlo. At their
UTme! Custom Print Service booth (available at selected stores worldwide), you can pick the item you want (the Japan locations offer short-sleeve and long-sleeved tees, as well as pullover and zip-up hoodies, and two different tote bags) and then you sit at one of the design stations and customize your item on an iPad (there are a multitude of different logos, images, stickers, and typography that you can choose from — the stickers are provided by a ton of different designers and brands, but the variety is dependent on location). I decided to make one featuring a variety of Japanese desserts and then another featuring
Tarepanda (one of my childhood faves) in a sundae bowl and THEY ARE ADORABLE. Even the girl assisting me was like, "
Aiii, kawaii!"
BT21 Planet Japan Tote Bag
BT21 Japan 6-Piece Sakura Chocolate Box
BT21 Japan 6-Piece Sakura Chocolate Box
BT21 Japan Minini Key Covers in Shooky, Mang, and RJ
Left: BT21 Japan Minini Cooky Figure KeyringRight: My Neighbor Totoro Metal Keyring
Studio Ghibli My Neighbor TotoroChu Totoro and Chibi Totoro plush toys
Studio Ghibli My Neighbor Totoro Totoro, Chu Totoro, and Chibi Totoro plush keychains
Sanrio x Koupenchan Pochacco plush mascot keychain and Yeastken Shibakoppe plush keychain
The sole reason we went to Harajuku was not for trendy clothing or shoes or even food, but for a massive toy store called
Kiddy Land. Yes, five glorious floors full of character products. We happened to go on a Saturday so the store was packed, but let me tell you, despite its name, I only saw like, 10 kids in there. Because let's be real, Kiddy Land is for nostalgic adults with money, not children. After 45 minutes, I came out with a random assortment of
My Neighbor Totoro and BT21 Japan merch, and realized I have an obsession with keychains. (Weirdly enough, BT21 is a Korean brand but they seem to be even bigger in Japan. And the majority of the BT21 products sold in Japan are actually exclusive to Japan, so you can't find any of it in Korea.) Anyway, I guess I made up for not buying any BT21 merch in Korea...
Mintia Breeze in Shiny Pink, Fresh Grape, Fresh Lemon, and Fresh Peach
KitKat Mini in Matcha and Banana Caramel + Giant Pocky in DreamPocky Assorted FlavoursSurprisingly, I didn't bring back that many snacks. Partially because they're quite easily accessible in Canada, but mostly because I had no room left in my luggage. I did randomly get addicted to these sugarless mints called
Mintia Breeze and decided I had to get all the flavours I could find. (I have not figured out what "Shiny Pink" flavour is yet, but I imagine it's quite magical.) Also, while at
Don Quijote, we found Japanese KitKats on sale for ￥290/$2.90, which is why I decided to get two bags. (We can get them pretty easily in Toronto, but they're usually around $10 a bag, which is highway robbery.) And finally, at one of the duty free stores at Narita Airport, I found Giant Pocky in the
DreamPocky assortment and HAD TO HAVE IT. (Yes, out of all the incredible snacks from duty free, Giant Pocky is what I decided was a must-have.)
Anyway, you see now why I needed to buy an extra suitcase.
House of Rose
Shibuya Scramble Square 5F
2 Chome-24-12
Shibuya, Shibuya City
Tokyo, Japan 〒150-0002
+81-03-4221-4280
Sholayered
Shibuya Scramble Square 5F
2 Chome-24-12
Shibuya, Shibuya City
Tokyo, Japan 〒150-0002
+81-03-4221-4280
Matsumoto Kiyoshi
1 Chome−14−25, クãƒã‚¹ã‚¢ãƒ™ãƒ‹ãƒ¥ãƒ¼åŽŸå®¿
Jingumae, Shibuya City
Tokyo, Japan 〒150-0001
+81-03-5413-3066
Threeppy (Daiso Flagship)
Marronnier Gate Ginza 2 6F
3 Chome−2−1
Ginza, Chuo City
Tokyo, Japan 〒104-0061
+81-70-8714-2960
Uniqlo Ginza Flagship
Ginza Komatsu East Building 1-12 F
6 Chome−9−5
Ginza, Chuo City
Tokyo, Japan 〒104-0061
+81-03-6252-5181
Kiddy Land
6 Chome−1−9, ã‚デイランド原宿店
Jingumae, Shibuya City
Tokyo, Japan 〒150-0001
+81-03-3409-3431
Don Quijote
3 Chome-36-16
Shinjuku, Shinjuku City
Tokyo, Japan 〒160-0022
+81-05-7007-7611
