Japan Souvenirs: The genius Shupatto Bag

Welcome to another one in my “Useful souvenirs from Japan” series! I try not to buy too much stuff when I visit, trying the “consumable things and photos only” approach, and regularly fail big time at that. There have been things that I find so useful yet beautiful and quintessentially “Japan” that I keep buying them, so I will share them here!

Many of these are neither certified eco or sustainable, but for me, they are sustainable to an extent, since these souvenirs are durable, useful and I keep using them over and over – whether I need five of them, is very questionable, but I will have some eco-friendly alternatives at the end.

How it Started

Well. It started with a completely different bag, a small “Baby Baggu” reusable shopping bag given out as swag at a conference. I love that bag – it came with me everywhere, and it holds a small grocery shop comfortably. Ten years and several machine washes later, it still looks like new.

So, three years ago, in Nagasaki, I wanted another Baggu. A big bold gold one. But 6000Yen? I don’t think so. So that second Baggu purchase never happened. Fast forward a year, and I am in Japan again, and someone on the Internet told me, Shupatto bags it’s where it’s at.

So, off I go to Kyoto Loft, and Loft being not very organised sometimes, I found exactly one type of Shupatto bag there: the 27l packable Shupatto that has a zip closure. I bought two, and I love them. I regularly use them as “personal item” when flying one of those super budget airlines where they charge you extra for every extra fart, and this bag, squishable as it is, usually attracts to attention, is relatively easy to carry if not packed too heavily.

A trip or two later, finally, I found an entire Shupatto Universe one evening at Nagano Hands. Fresh off the plane, and off the train, I decided to walk through Hands before going to my hotel suitcase still in hand. I saw an entire stand of the standard Shupatto bags. The small one (Shupatto Compact Bag S) , holding about 7.5 litres, comes in a nice range of colours and is just 1300 JPY (about 7 Euro)! And then, I just could not stop. Shupatto bags are a lovely and easily obtainable souvenir, and with plenty of special editions around, you will find a design to suit everyone.

Why are Shupatto Bags special?

Shupatto bags are incredibly light and compact foldable totes and duffels made by traditional Japanese brand Marna. They come folded into a space-saving roll held with a elastic tie, which won’t unravel easily. You can keep them in a pocket and when you need them, undo the tie, pull and the bag is ready to use, and relatively comfortable to carry. When you are done, pull bith ends, and the pre-folded plissee structures lets the bag recoil into a neat strip, which you then roll, secure…. and put back in your pocket or handbag. Genius.

This design, unique to Shupatto, has won several design awards when Shupatto bags first entered the market.

History of Shupatto Bags

Shupatto Bags are a relatively new brand (just over ten years old now) made by Marna, an old Japanese Homeware brand founded in early Meiji Period in Tokyo as a manufacturer of brushes. So, while the parent company is Japanese and holding a long tradition, the bags are sadly not produced in Japan but in China.

Unfortunately, Shupatto’s website doesn’t tell ypu much about the production process – only how a bit how the Shupatto bag was designed. There is no information on sources of material, production process or production chain at all.

How sustainable are Shupatto Bags?

I find this a very difficult question to answer. The bags are produced in China, which covers the entire spectrum. I know from my time working in Bangladesh that brands can produce in Bangladesh fairly and sustainably, unfortunately still a minority, and the majority produce cheaply, without consideration of labour and environment. So, China is one of the world’s largest textile manufacturers, and producing in China can mean all and everything.

I consulted the internet to look into Shupatto further. This retailer states that due to the Shupatto’s design, the bag is made from a single piece of fabric with continuous pattern, minimizing fabric waste. The Shupatto’s material is polyester, and there is a line using recycled polyester. So, while the material is still basically “plastic”, they minimise fabric waste.

From personal experience, the bags are extremely robust and durable. My first Shupatto, bought in 2024, had some heavy use and abuse and the material still looks like new. You can machine wash them and they dry easily – great to keep the bags clean and hygienic. The bag folds easily and the S and M sizes will fit in a pocket – so there’s no excuse not to take them, and in that regard, with their genius convenient design, there is no excuse not to carry one and use single use plastic bags.

As far as producing fairly is concerned, I could not find any information. Shupatto has, to my knowledge, no fair certifications.

So, in terms of their design and durability, I consider Shupatto Bags quite sustainable. Between you and me, if there were a similar brand that produced in Japan but cost twice as much for the same quality, I would probably buy the Japan-made bag because I believe that Japan has anti slave labour laws in place. I am okay with polyester since I am not carrying this directly on my skin and the quality of the material is decent, with great durability.

Which Shupatto Bag to buy

Very difficult question!

Altogether, I like the original Shupatto Compact Bag in Size S (7.5l/3kg) or M(15l/5kg) best. The S size costs just 1300JPY, the M size costs about 2500 JPY. Both comes in a large range of standard colours, and make a perfect gift.

As an extra hand luggage travel bag, I also like the Shupatto 27l Packable bag, which has a zip closure and comes in a handy little pouch that’s attached to the main bag so you never lose it. Made from the same thin polyester material as the Compact bag, it is tough but a bit too thin to be used as a check-in bag for my liking.

Special Editions and Collaborations

And then, there are the special editions and collaborations. A rabbit hole. Last time in Loft, I saw a really nice one with a “Musubi” pattern – in a calm blue, with turquoise pattern. Yup, I fell for it, bought it. Do I have enough bags? Yes. But I loved it.

They now have several collections, called “Moon and Sun” and “Deep Forest” which are made from recycled polyester.

Itoya Shupatto

This famous Tokyo Stationary Store has its own line. You can only buy them at Itoya. I visited the main Itoya Store on Tokyo’s Ginza on a rainy weekend in autumn. Bad idea. It was incredibly crowded, and some bags were sold out.

The Itoya exclusive bags come in two principal designs.

The first one, in black, navy or sky blue, with a cheerful graphic white “Itoya” typeface, is a bit of a classic. Recognizeable without being loud. I bought mine at Itoya Tokyo, right on the goround floor of the main shop, not keen to venture any further into what looked like a very crowded shop. I believe this is an evergreen design and not limited. I gave it to a friend who loves it. You can buy this design online directly from Itoya (link to this bag on web site) and use a proxy for international shipping.

The second line of Itoya-exclusive some with colourful fish and sea creature prints, more colourful. There’s the pale pink “Salmon”, red “Sea Bream”, yellow “Mackerel” , blue “Tuna” , green “Octopus” and turquoise “Flounder”. You can see them on Itoya’s site here. A lot of these are available in “S” and “M” size only and cost a little more than the “standard collection”.

Don Quijote Shupatto

Some Don Quijote carry a small selection of Shupatto bags. I saw several bags from the “Japan Collection” with cheerful traditional patterns at Don Quijote in Osaka, Shinsekai, but not Umeda. So, I feel like it is a bit of a gamble as to which store carries them. I am not a fan of Don Quijote, it’s too much sensory overload, and the stores are usually very crowded.

Of all the branches I visited, I had trouble finding Shupatto bags in most. Asking a store worker did not always yield a result – I rather got the impressions the workers don’t have a clue as what they have in stock. I speak serviceable Japanese and often ask in stores, and every store so far (Hands, Loft, book stores, clothing stores) I was able to make myself understood and ask for stock, so it probably wasn’t me. Anyway, after crawling through skincare and sweets, I sometimes find a small rack of Shupatto, either within the luggage section, but sometimes in “Accessories” or completely random places.

Don Quijote usually carries a few “S” and “M” size of the standard collection and the Japan Collection with the traditional “auspicious” patters, which are quite bright and colourful.

Another edition which I believe is limited to Don Quijote are “L” size bags with one of two famous Hokusai Works, the “Great Wave off Kanagawa” and “Red Fuji” from the “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” series. These were significantly more expensive than the “L” standard collection bag but appeared to be from the same material.

Alternatives to Shupatto Bags

At present, I know of no bag that folds and carries with such ease. So, I will continue using my Shupatto bags!

My previous eco bag was a good old German cotton Shopper. Nowhere near as convenient, but can be fun for the interesting prints some have. Heavier, bulkier, tends to shrink and fade in the laundry. I mainly use them as cloth or laundry bags sometimes.

Then, some ten years ago, I got a small Baggu as part of swag at a conference. I thought it was just another polyester shopping bag, but the Baggu is actually nice – volumonius folding design, but you fold it, it doesn’t hold, and ends up a mess in your handbag. Nice durable bag, ten years of use, laundry, still looks new. I saw some golden ones in Loft that I was tempted to buy, but I am unsure how the gold foiling will behave in a washing machine and also, they were fairly heavy.

Next, heavy duty bags: I don’t think a Shupatto, even the versions that zip up, are suitable to use as checked luggage. I have a 30-year old Eastpak Duffel that I keep using. Enough said. Eastpak was my 1990’s favourite and all that ever broke on my Eastpak bags were zippers. Is Eastpak still teh same? I have no idea. I use 1970’s to 1990s Eastpak and Karrimor backpack and duffels, and they never break. However, I felt like I could have a nice elegant tote, so I bought a tote from Ki Ichizawa in Kyoto, which is entirely handmade in Kyoto. The pinnacle of sustainability, but the canvas is heavy and it’s not exactly a folding bag. Still, for sustainably, fairly made carry-arounds, Ki Ichizawa and Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpo are true Kyoto Classics and extremely affordable for handmade quality.

The Small Print

I write this post for my love of Shupatto (and other) Japanese bags, and I bought them all myself in Japan. So, to me it feels wrong to stick in (affiliate) shopping links here, since I would never use them myself. Or Ads. I use an adblocker myself and would not want to subject my readers to display ads.

I have visited Japan quite a few times between February 2004 and June 2026, and I love shopping for unusual things, but I also try to live with minimal consumption. Air tickets are my big (not sustainable) exception. If I recommend something, it is usually useful and durable and, in the words of Marie Kondo, “sparks joy”.

If you liked this post, please consider pinning, liking, reading my other posts – where I do have some (affiliate) links to accommodation. This will support this blog and earn a minor contribution to my travel funds. Thank you for reading!