Quality not Quantity: Shopping in Japan, Kyoto 2026

Trying to follow my principles of choosing quality over quantity, and “Less is More” let’s look at some great places to buy Japan souvenirs while being mindful of overconsumption, and only buy what we need.

Did I succeed, in this case? Well, partially. Shopping in Japan is wonderful and I can buy many things at great quality for less than here in Europe. On my first trip to Japan in years, back in 2023, I went pretty much overboard with the shopping – and ended up hauling close to 50kg home, from my cheap hotel to the coach stop, then from Frankfurt Airport all the way to my home in Northern Germany – which wasn’t fun.

Since then, I travel with a shopping list. I note down what I actually need, and be careful not to go overboard, or buy things I don’t really need.

The following post shows what I bought in Kyoto in February 2026 while studying at Genki JACS. Most things you can buy in other cities as well, and some things, like Ichizawa products, are unique to Kyoto. I try to buy local, but a lot of my food items are from national brands, I still shop in department stores like Loft and Hands, too. I hope you will find some good Kyoto souvenir inspiration!

How I carry my shopping home

More often than not, I fly Finnair, where the most basic ticket is without checked luggage. I can fly out with a 8kg piece of hand luggage quite easily. I put a duffel bag into my hand luggage. I book luggage (a generous 46kg is the minimum you can buy on Finnair) for the return flight. The duffel, a 90l Eastpak, goes into the carry-on suitcase.

With the small carry-on and 90l duffel combined, I can bring a lot of stuff home. The carry-on is still easy to roll, and I pack the duffel in my final accommodation before leaving Japan, then take a taxi to the station, from where I usually take a dedicated airport Express like Haruka (for Kansai Airport) or Keisei Skyliner (for Narita) which have dedicated luggage space. Never had a breakage or major luggage issues (other than luggage not arriving with me, thanks Finnair), so anything perishable goes into my hand luggage. For this, I carry a Size L Shupatto bag that I bought on a previous trip.

Tax-free Shopping

If you purchase goods worth 5500JPY or more in a single transaction as a tourist, you may be eligible to tax-free shopping. Many shops like Loft and Don Quijote will quite broadly advertise this, others don’t – so it is always worth asking. You will also need to show your passport.

The easiest way to purchase is when the tax is deducted during payment. This was the case at Momotaro, Nomura Tailor and the Ishizawa shops. Sometimes you have to go to an extra tax-free desk, like I did at Hands Kyoto – they can be busy, so allow for some extra time.

Strictly speaking, your purchases will be sealed, only to be opened once you left the country. In practice, this only happened in a handful of places, in my case, at Hands and the Liquor Store where I “could” have opened and used up the items I bought before leaving the country.

When you leave Japan, you are asked to scan your passport on a machine. It is voluntary and I don’t know what happens if someone wishes to check what you are taking out of the country. I always pack my goods into the Check-In luggage, but I advise to keep your receipts and tax refund receipts on you in case someone wants to check.

And then, there are plenty places, usually smaller ones that do not take part in the “Tax-Free Shopping for Tourists” scheme. Often smaller places or specialist shops. There is no universal right to shop tax-free, so as long as it is clearly communicated, I am good with it. After all the saving for a smaller item is small, just under 10%, but can be significant if you purchase something like a camera lens.

Food and Drink: Needed to stock up

Having travelled to Japan a few times, I certainly have my favourite snacks and food that I bring back home. I am vegetarian at home, so I try to buy vegetarian food only, and since I cannot read Japanese that well, I often bring home a mistake or two.

So, this time, I changed my accommodation a few times, and only started shopping for food seriously in my last three or four days. At which point I was sick with a flu-like illness, didn’t have an appetite, was worried… and my bag was already quite full. So, I brought home just a few light-ish tried and tested foods.

• Kyoto White Miso – had mine confiscated from hand luggage last time, so this was top of my list
• Freeze-dried mushroom and aubergine miso soup – this brand’s flavour is lovely, and no messing with fresh miso
• Cosmo Curry – hyped curry granules, sadly, not vegetarian
• Grilling sauces -I got Yakitori and Beef (no animal content, I use them for tofu)
• Good soy sauce – got LIFE’s own brand organic soy sauce
• Dashi – bought a vegetable dashi this time
• Ponzu Sauce
• Real Wasabi
• Stir-fry sauce for aubergine that looks totally vegetarian but wasn’t… (previous Okonomiyaki kit was a big hit, though)

And then, I should really reserve a bag entirely for snacks. Rice crackers and beer snacks are my weakness. I have no idea whether they are any healthier than the corn puffs, pistachio nuts or potato snacks I would normally consume, but they are soooo tasty – and often come in small bags, great for portion control.

I picked the ones without dried fish here, studying the pictures on the bags quite carefully. My favourite are the “Tsumamidane” crackers on the left. The pink bag ones are umeboshi (pickled plum) flavour, a somewhat acquired taste that I love. And, simple salt ones (blue bag) are very tasty, too, especially if you don’t have adventurous tastes.

Last not least, sweet things! I went fairly easy on the KitKat this time ( I try to not buy from Nestle) so just a few flavours I know and like. The dark green is “strong” (pure) matcha and the light green matcha latte flavour. Instead, I bought Pocky Bisquit sticks. They have matcha flavour, too, and a lot of other interesting looking flavours. The tin contains pineapple hard candy, perhaps my favourite Japanese hard candy – and they have a long shelf life. The gold bag is caramel candy – gifted by my friend, because it has cats on it.

I buy most of my food items from larger supermarkets – there are both a Coop and a LIFE near Nijo Station, and there’s a convenient large branch of LIFE at Shijo Karasuma in the centre.

Last not least, instead of falling for the big brand snacks, perhaps I should have bought more local snacks… and Kyoto’s most famous snack is the Yatsuhashi. There is a fresh and a baked type of Yatsuhashi, both are made from rice flour, sugar and cinnamon. The fresh ones are filled and triangular in shape, whereas the baked ones have the shape of a koto, the Japanese harp.

I bought from two well-known manufacturers, Honke Nishio (green packaging) who claim to be the original manufacturer, having “invented” them sometime around 1680, and Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo (red packaging). Both taste similarly good. They have shops all over Kyoto, including various places in Higashiyama, near Teramachi, Gion, and at Kyoto Station.

Also, this photo shops the cat chocolates I was gifted, some pre-ground coffee in handy brew filters that I bought for my morning coffee but didn’t use up, and, last not least, my favourite whisky, te Nikka Coffey Malt, which I found in a tiny liquor called “Liquor Store ONE” in Pontocho.

Drug Store and Pharmacy

I see massive “Japan Haul” on skincare, and cosmetics, but this time, I did not buy a lot, the main reason: I still have sheet mask, shampoo and facial toner from previous trips, and I am finding it sometimes difficult to figure what’s cruelty-free.

This time, I got these nice souvenir bath salts, which are inspired by famous onsen around Japan. I visited Arima Onsen this time, so there are three bags of Arima Onsen…however, these might be bath salts with minerals etc. but they do not represent the chemical composition of these famous onsen. The yellow bag contains bath salts for colds. We are pretty well equipped in Germany with those, but hey, it’s always nice to try a new product. And funnily, I sometimes take Germany’s Kneipp or Dresdner Essenz bath salts to Japan as gifts, too.

Also, I finally got my hands on KohGenDo cosmetics after looking for them for a long time. They are available in Hands – and I don’t know why I didn’t find them earlier. They are cruelty-free, so I have to try them out! As a no Make-up person, I just go a few little helpers to make my skin look more smooth.

If you wish to buy cruelty-free only, I have a post dedicated to cruelty-free Japanese beauty products. I am trying to by cruelty-free only, but have bought a few mistakes, so I am using up what I already have.

Kitchen and Dining

And here, I get inspiration every now and then, but to be honest, my kitchen cupboards are full. I bought knives already. So, what is left to buy? Well, I wanted a deeper pan, and I got an iron pan from Iwatetsu Tekki, who claim that their iron pans, though light, have the same heat-conducting properties as cast iron, and, they are not coated, either.

Since these pans do not come with lids, I got this very handy universal lid, too.

And two hammered-look Dessert forks, which I packed away so well that now I cannot find them, so they are not in the picture. I went to a small kitchen shop called Tettodo (鐵兎堂) near Omiya Station, since I knew they sold Iwatetsu Tekki products. 

Clothing and Accessories

Clothing is one thing where I am pretty good at shopping with a conscience, and buying only what I need – working in a garment district in Dhaka taught me to shop very, very selective. Since I don’t care about fashion, only about ethically made, well made clothes from natural fibres, there is very little that tempts me, and pretty much everything I have is good quality, and gets repaired and worn for many years.

So, there was one thing on my list I wanted (but did not necessarily need). Indigo-dyed Japanese jeans. I found mine at Momotaro. Not cheap, not organic but… made ethically in the traditional way. They cost 30k JPY (165 Euro).

So, I have not yet worn them, because most of my new clothes get to relax in my cupboard because all my clothes get worn to shreds and repaired frequently. Since I am not going out much at present, other than to work, and work a lot in my garden, I basically live in old jeans and work pants, so it’s not time for these Momotaro jeans to be worn yet,ad I think, on my next trip, I might look for some comfy work pants, since this is what I practically wear, even in my day-to-day life. I must admit it’s not a brand I would buy again because they’re not considered ethical or sustainable, but they’re sturdy and will not die.

Which brings me to more everyday “fashion” which s so traditional I would not consider it fashion at all. For I while I had read about classic canvas luggage Made in Kyoto, so when our paths aligned, I paid a visit to both Ichizawa Shops in Higashiyama.

The first one, Kii Ichizawa, is the smaller of the two. I walked past it on my way to the bus stop, saw the nice canvas bags hanging in the shop window and remembered a Kyoto forum post I had read on Ichizawa. So, I walked in, and, surely, walked out with a big tote, a book cover and one of these smaller totes that every Japanese seems to carry. Kii Ichizawa is the younger company, if you like – both manufacturers trace their roots to a family of luggage manufacturers, but somewhere around the Fifth Generation, there were some divisions in the company.

I paid 174k JPY for everything, about 95 Euro. There is not a single bit of leather on all items, so I think they can be considered vegan. The material for both bags is thick canvas, really sturdy. Any dirts and dust shows up quite easily (cat hairs…) but can easily be brushed off with a lint brush.

The book cover fits a Japanese paperback. Originally I thought that I will use t for my Hobonichi Weeks, but the Weeks is a fair bit smaller (but would work at a push). And it is too small for the Travelers Notebook, sadly! The original Travelers Notebook is leather only, but their insert notebooks are made from great paper, so I thought about hacking this into a notebook cover, but it’s too small.

Anyway. After visiting one of the Ichizawa Shops, I went to the other one a few days later, for research purposes! Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpo is a much larger shop, but essentially offers a similar product slightly more variety, slightly higher prices, also handmade in Kyoto.

I liked that shop, too. Yes, I bought another tote. And a jubilee utensil bag in a unique colour associated with the 120.Year Anniversary of the brand. I paid 9500 JPY (52 Euro) for both. I thought I’ll include the website, too, in case you like the look of these classic bags. I could not say which one I like better – both are good! Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpo is more geared up towards foreign tourists, with English-speaking staff, but both shops offer tax-free shopping. Both shops are about 300-400m from each other on foot, both companies products look and feel very similar, so if you have time, visit both and find your personal favourite!

But there are slip ups, too. I fell for the hype of the convenience store sock.

I go the Family Mart Sock and the Lawson sock. The Lawson sock is made by Muji. Both socks are thick, and made from cotton, very comfortable. They will go well with my uniform.

The WPC umbrella was a gift, but I would have bought this myself – a light umbrella for both rain and UV rays, with cats on it – perfect. WPC is one of the best-known Japanese umbrella brands. Initially I wanted the Pentagon67 Umbrella, which weighs just 67g, but could not find it anywhere. And cats on the umbrella – perfect.

Books and Magazines

Another thing I can rarely say no to is books. So, my second day, I had an afternoon off, returned back from a trip to Kamo Shrine in the dark, bus deposited me right outside Maruzen… so I got to go into Maruzen Books, right? Maruzen is in the BAL Shopping Mall in Kawaramachi, and when there is crowds and mayhem outside, MAruzen is always calm and cool. It may not look trendy, but they have loads and loads of books on two floors.

So, although my course required Hiragana knowledge only, I bought a Kanji book. I love Kanji now. The text book “Minna no Nihongo” came with my course. It’s good, but I rarely use it for self-study.

So, I only bought the Kanji Exercise book, the other two were part of my course. I continue using them but not as much as I should. As for the Kanji book… well, I already had a very similar one, so it was a bit superfluous. But hey, I got more books!

The book on the left is a Continental-style baking book for bread and pastries. I know, buying pastry books in Japan is a bit crazy, but I really liked the recipes. I want to get into sweet pastries, the photos are amazing, but I cannot tell you whether the book is any good because I haven’t tried the recipes yet.

The book on the right is one of the bilingual books I love to much. As for content, it shows mostly museum pieces, rather than kimono one would come across and wear, and for me, the book is nice enough, but too little information about fibre, weaving techniques, when to wear what kind of kimono – it is just fixated on the pieces shown.

As usual, I pick up at least one Kyoto guide book. This time, influenced by Social Media, I went for three “Mook” – large format book magazines The one in front is called “京都 Perfect” and the ISBN is 4398297995. It is full of pictures, classic favourites (like Ippudo on the left) and a feast to the eyes yet practical. At under 800 JPY, a total no-brainer.

The other two are basically Editions of the Lifestyle Magazine &Premium. The one on the left is an up-to date MAgazine, published in mid-February 2026, you can see it on the publishers website here. It has too much advertising and too much empty space for my liking (it was taped shut in 7-11, I bought it on spec). The one on the right is a Special Kyoto Edition, published in 2025. I like this one better. You can look into it here.

There’s also Casa Brutus, and they have different issues , like “Kyoto Modern” Architecture, some issues are in English, but they were a bit more of the same, and I prefer the proper books, to be honest, which have more information and cost the same.

Stationery

When visiting Japan, I never, ever leave with plenty of stationary. At work, we are paperless now, but I am always in need of good notebooks for my travel journal, and since I switched my planner to a Hobonichi Weeks Mega, I use my planner a bit more than simply just keeping a paperless planner on my mobile phone. Also, I am entering a period where I will study more, so, bring on the paper products!

First up, I explored a new to me stationary shop! It is next to my favourite Kyoto Stationary Shop, Kyukyodo. Narrow, inconspicuous, at the Northern end of Teramachi Shopping Street. Three or four floors packed with modern stationary, very friendly. For example, they have the full range of Sakura Craft Lab pens and you can handle them there. I bought some fun paper clips, a cat bookmark/ ruler for my travel diary (cats, always) and finally, those elusive Fuji-san erasers.

Of course, no Kyoto trip is complete without visiting Kyukyodo. I always buy something. I have been toying with the idea of calligraphy for years, and while the 100Yen brush pens are a good entry drug, I wanted proper equipment. So… I got cheap-ish practice paper, nice paper, an ink stone, and a calligraphy brush. The selection at Kyukyodo is amazing – from very affordable to extremely pricey.

I thought it was time to buy more washi, too Kykyodo’s washi paper is extremely affordable yet high quality. You can get large sheets, medium sheets, origami squares. I usually buy the big sheets, roll them up, put them in my luggage, iron them on low after unpacking. And I got this exercise book, because I love the colour and logo.

And if my stationary obsession weren’t enough, I really, really got into Traveler’s Notebook, too. Firstly, I like the format – slim, not too small but not too large either, a refill can easily be transported in a small handbag, interchangeable inserts for writing, sketching, even watercolour, calendar… a shame they do leather covers only, so you don’t see a leather cover here. I still have leather, but I don’t think one needs leather to make a sturdy note book cover. Anyway, their paper inserts are great, usually made by Midori. I also got the rubber bands, but will have to hack my own cover from canvas or cork.

Hobonichi dairies are another newfound passion of mine – mostly for the quality binding and the ultra-thin smooth paper. I have a Mega Weeks for this year, so I bought a clear cover for it, and also three paperback Hobonichi notebooks from the same paper. I got them in a tiny shop called Tobichi near Shijo-Kawaramachi. Last not least, I got pocket scissors and a retro-looking paper clip in my favourite colour from Hands.

Fabric

I paid several brief visits to my favourite Kyoto fabric shop, Nomura Tailor, on various occasions throughout my time in Kyoto, to find some inspiration and choose some fabric. In the end, my actual fabric buying was extremely hurried, because on my last day in Kyoto, I decided I needed a bath in an old-fashioned sento, then got on the wrong bus, so I had very little time before leaving for the airport!

My first choice was yarn-dyed mid-weight dense cotton from Niigata, the red checked fabric. It was a bit more than my usual, about 1800JPY per metre (10 Euro), but with my recent preference of sustainable fashion and heritage wear, buying this may help to keep traditional textile production alive, plus I can trust that this fabric will keep its colour and shape through many washes!

The one next to it is a smooth printed cotton from Sevenberry, a well-known Japanese fabric brand. Blue, red and white is a colour combo I love, and this has so many beloved Japanese motives on it without looking too whimsy.

More of the same, but from Hokkoh OSKikkä, with mountain and waves and a fairly wild mix of traditional patterns but in a calming blue and in a thicker structured cotton.

And then, of course, something with cats. let’s stick to the blue colour scheme, and have some classic cats in a thick structured cotton. All the printed fabrics were about 700-800JPY/metre, and the very same fabric costs 20-30 Euro/metre here in Germany, so about 4-5x as expensive, so it can sometimes be difficult to stop, especially since many of these cat-themed fabrics become accessories for the cat rescue Christmas Bazaar. Altogether, the whole lot of fabric was nine metres in total and cost 10k JPY.

I also tried to not buy so much new, so I picked up two shibori tanmono from Kobo-San, the monthly Toji flea market on every 21st of the month. I paid 1500-2000JPY per roll, but sadly, they are not full tanmono but only 1-3m long, so a good scarf length. The Hanhaba (half width) obi is a vintage (1980’s I think) Hakata-ori obi with the traditional flower leaves between stripes, purchased in a kimono shop called You-Sai in central Kyoto. All are silk. I love silk, but I am hesitant to buy it, because, silk worms… but I could not resist these lovely vintage silks. I have absolutely no idea what to do with the obi. I either cut it up and turn it into accessories, or I might use it as an actual obi if I ever buy a yukata.

100Yen-Shop Shopping

There would be absolutely no Japan trip without browsing the 100Yen shops… This time it was particularly bad, because there was a Watts near school, and also a very large Daiso in Saiin where I stayed. I am afraid I went a little bit overboard here, even though I keep a list of what I actually need.

The first picture has mostly things for the house and the kitchen. The coarse whetstone from Daiso and the magnetic hooks were the only things I actually wanted, from my list. Cup covers, cute sponges, chair leg socks to protect my parquet flooring, cable ties, cat toys, outdoor cushions, choju-giga cookie cutters…. yes, I guess quite useful things, too.

Stationary makes another big portion of my 100 Yen Shop buys. The Sarasa Clip is my favourite gel pen, and they are normally just a little over 100 Yen – including the vintage colour ones. I bought a few brush pens for writing kanji – I see no difference to the more expensive ones at all. Tiny folding scissors, a cat-shaped pencil sharpener and cute stamps fall under things I did not necessarily need, but they make me happy every time I use them.

My first accommodation had no kitchen, so I bought the cheap bowls for my food. A cat laundry net- well, yes. And I have become a bit hooked on packing and organising cubes, but I really have enough now and need to stop.

Random bits and bobs

My very last day in Japan was a Twenty-first, which meant, I could finally visit the To-ji flea market, also called Kobo-san! However my schedule was so crammed, I had to attend a full culture class, which meant I only arrived at To-ji around 15.00, way too late for a good browse of this large flea market, and stalls were already closing!

However, I quickly walked to the area with vintage textiles and tea ware, and purchased this lovely old Shigaraki matcha bowl for just 1000 JPY. It is plain, but it is incredibly light, and so pleasant to hold. I don’t drink matcha often, but now I finally have a bowl worthy of my quality matcha, bought in various places around Kyoto.

I allow for one omamori on each trip, and usually buy one at the first temple or shrine I visit. This is to keep the tchotchke count low, but as you can see, I miserably failed this time.

I bought a Kiyomizudera general omamori on a beautiful snow walk on the Monday, along with a “good legs” omamori (because the paths were so icy, and I was really worried about slipping) and then, on Tuesday, I bought this cute raven omikuji at Kamo Shrine.

On the weekend, we visited Nyan-nyan-ji, and I loved it and wanted to support the temple, so I got all sorts of stickers and a key chain. I lose control when it comes to cats, sorry!

So, it is only fitting to conclude this post with a cat. One of my pricier, but much loved buys. Normally, I buy a goshuincho for each trip and collect goshuin, because I visit an awful lot of temples and shrines. This one is a standalone paper goshuin from Ninna-ji, based on an ancient Emperor’S beloved black cat. There is a new one every few months, it’s a rather pricey 1300-1500JPY, but to me, it is a piece of art. I will probably frame it, and on my next trip, whenever that will be, I shall make the pilgrimage to Ninna-ji again to buy a new black cat goshuin. A great way to keep customers returning, isn’t it?

And this, well, concludes my shopping. I mean, it doesn’t look that much, right? Still, it filled a cabin bag and a 90l bag, with a bit of squeezing. It was at least 30kg, and I took a taxi to Kyoto Station and had a bit of a tricky time handling the lot, but managed t haul it onto the Haruka Airport Express, which has ample luggage storage. Feel free to ask me anything about Shopping in Kyoto.

Where to stay for great Shopping

To be honest, there are very few bad or unsuitable places to stay in Kyoto. As a repeat visitor, I would probably avoid the tourist circus around the Kiyomizudera approaches (although I have stayed there, at RAK Kiyomizu and Guesthouse Soi, and loved both places but not the queues for the bus).

If it’s maximizing shopping you are after, then I recommend staying in Downtown Kyoto. My recent trip in February 2026 concluded with a few days splure stay at the Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa by HULIC, which is excellent for shopping – 100m from Kawaramachi Road, 200m from Teramachi Shopping Arcade, the best liquor store (called ONE) next door, drug stores galore, a short bus ride or bracing walk to a huge supermarket called LIFE… I paid around 120 Euro per room per night, which is triple my usual budget, but I loved the clean design, comfortable rooms and the free cozy lounge full of snacks and drinks, including a marshmallow roasting fire. I have a full hotel review here.

Another hotel I recommend is Hotel Grand Bach Kyoto Select. I have stayed at their Sendai property. I’d describe this as cosy business-tourist hotel with four-star facilities, with the added quirks of being music focused, including free nightly performances from the staff and special guests. Located on Shiji-dori, you cannot get any closer to Kyoto’s Department Stores (or Nishiki Market if you insist). While it’s not the most convenient for day trips on Japan Rail (buses to Kyoto Station get very crowded), you can walk to Hankyu Line Kyoto-Kawaramachi in less than 5min for trains to Arashiyama and Osaka, or Shijo-Gion on the Keihan Line for trips up to Yase and Kurama or Fushimi Inari and Uji.

Two other hotels I stayed at and would stay again, are the classy yet budget-friendly Kyomachiya Ryokan Sakura Urushitei, a mid-sized quiet and stylish hotel 10min walk away near the lovely Bukko-ji temple, or the even more budget-friendly but spick-and-span Prince Smart Inn Sanjo, conveniently located near the Kyoto Metro at Kyoto City Hall and at the quiet Northern end of Teramachi – with one of my favourite stores, Kyukyodo, literally next door.

The Small Print

I studied Japanese at Genki JACS Kyoto in February 2026, and had ample time for shopping. This trip was entirely self-funded, in terms of course fees, flights and accommodation. I did, however, take part in workplace scheme in Germany that allows employees ten days of paid leave every two years to engage in educational activities, so on school days I was on paid leave from my job.

Nothing you see here was sponsored, and I did not receive compensation, discounts, or special treatment in exchange for writing it. All my own honest and unbiased opinion. This post does contain affiliate links to accommodation I stayed at as well as some good accommodation in the area which I researched and would consider staying at. If you book a hotel using my affiliate links, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please refer to my blog’s Terms and Conditions for further information.

This post (well, my entire blog, except this) is free from generative Artificial Intelligence.