Unique & Small Souvenirs from Japan

I tend not to buy a lot of souvenirs (no room in my luggage) BUT Japan is where I make an exception. And luckiy, there’s plenty of small, but special! souvenirs you can grab all over Japan, and they’re so affordable you can get a bunch of them!

These things are not the boring, basic crap you see in crowded gift shops next to major tourist locations. (You can find that stuff anywhere, even Amazon.) These souvenirs are worth picking up and taking home with you!

At the same time, they’re not super expensive or bulky: perfect for when you’ve run out of space in your suitcase. Score!

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Name Stamps

Name stamps (hanko) are what Japanese people use to sign their names on contracts and formal documents. Usually they’ll get a (very expensive) custom one made for themselves, but you can get a cheaper pre-made version from stationary stores or even discount stores like Daiso. If you don’t care about what name you get, snagging one from there is an easy way to get a hanko.

However, if you want something a little more customized (maybe even one with YOUR name on it!), head to a Don Quijote store. There you can get a stamp with your name on it “translated” into Japanese in about 10 minutes.

Or if you really want something special, visit Shinimonogurui Stamp Shop in Tokyo, where you can get something totally handmade, from a real craftsman.

Shaped Postcards

These are souvenir postcards sold at the post office, specifically for people to have a memento of a specific area of Japan. They’re SO COOL, and they don’t cost much (under ¥1,000).

If you plan to send them home through the mail, you’ll have to send it in an envelope because the unusual shape means it can’t be sorted through the mail machine, just fyi.

Shrine Objects

The major souvenir to get at a shrine are omamori, small blessings inside an envelope that focus on a particular aspect of your life, like health, wealth, family, etc. Some shrines have special themed omamori, like Hello Kitty! They usually cost under ¥1,000, but limited edition or very special ones can be more expensive.

If you don’t want omamori, shrines usually also sell other souvenirs. For instance, I got this cute ceramic fox from a shrine in Kyoto, which had a fortune inside.

And of course, if you’re an eki stamp fan you’re probably also interested in getting goshuin, which are temple stamps! Monks handwrite a message on top of the stamp, and so they have a nice personal element to them. They do cost a bit of money, unlike eki stamps, and you’ll need to use a notebook JUST for the shrine stamps, but it’s a great way to get souvenirs of the different temples and shrines you visit.

Hand Towel

Public restrooms are hit-or-miss with paper towels for guests, and so most people just carry their own towel around. You’ll notice small hand towels for sale everywhere, even in gift shops and discount stores.

Hand towels make great souvenirs because not only can you get something nice (or with a favorite anime character) for under ¥1,000, you can keep using it when you get home!

I snagged one of these cute cat towels with a design from Atsuko Matano on it, and I use it as a handtowel back home, too.

Coin Purse

Another useful thing that you’ll want to get when you travel in Japan, as you’re going to start getting LOTS of coins (especially if you want to use the gacha machines). Some places to get nicer coin purses are:

• Department stores in malls
• Flea markets and artist markets
• Consignment stores (fancier thrift stores)

And of course you can keep using it when you get home, too. Even if you don’t carry cash around, coin purses work great for storing earbuds or a small med kit in your bag.

Manhole Cover Coasters

Japan is famous for its unusual manhole covers, which tend to have intriguing designs. Usually each city has its own design for their manholes, and you can also find special themed ones like Pokemon and neighborhood mascots and so on.

Of course that means industrious businesses have created manhole cover souvenirs! The nicest ones are these enamel coasters, which look like this:

If these are too big or too heavy for your overstuffed suitcase, then you can always just grab a few of the small coin versions instead. Or even one of the stickers!

Gacha Prizes

These are the capsule toy machines you’ve no doubt seen all over TikTok and Youtube. Basically you put a coin (or 5) into the machine, turn the knob and get a random prize from a specific theme.

These are super addicting to get because you never know what’s going to come out of the gacha machine! I love the ones for Japanese brands in particular.

Gacha machines are found all over Japan: train stations, convenience stores, shopping malls, even entire gachapon stores with wall-to-wall machines! There’s sometimes specific ones for tourist destinations like Mt. Fuji as well.

Each gacha costs ¥100 minimum, and usually more like ¥300, so be sure to carry enough coins with you in case you find a good one. If you run out of coins, the gacha stores usually have a change machine.

Chopstick Rests

A slightly more elegant souvenir than a plastic keychain, chopstick rests come in a variety of materials and price points. You can get plastic ones at discount stores like Daiso, rummage through a box of vintage wooden ones at a flea market or get sucked into a tourist trap store on a walking street and get a bunch of little ceramic ones! That’s what I did! 😜

If you’re slightly fancier, you can get branded chopstick holders from companies like Le Creuset:

Chopsticks themselves are nice, but they’re tough to display. Chopsticks holders are a big easier to put on a shelf and show off. And they’re small enough that you can stock up on them and take a bunch home with you.

Keep reading: Le Creuset in Japan

Souvenir Coins

One of my favorite things to collect: pressed coins! These can be found at Tokyo Disney Resort parks, Pokemon Centers, and some tourist locations. How it works is: you put in the payment, then it rolls a blank “coin” through a press machine and imprints it with a design.

Japan’s really great about putting dates and locations on their coins, which makes them even more special because they’re specific to the time you got them.

Read more about getting coins at Tokyo Disney Resort parks here!

I’ve also seen machines of just regular souvenir coins (not pressed), like this one at Kobe’s Nunobiki Herb Gardens. They cost a bit more than the pressed coins, but they’re also a bit nicer if you plan on giving them as gifts. Usually I see them at official gift shops but they tend to be tucked away, so be sure to ask if they have one if you can’t find one.

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