Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory in the Lumine Shinjuku Department store is famous for making delicious sweets out of high-quality ingredients from all around the world. The little shop looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale and the creative cookies taste just as heavenly as you’d imagine!

One of our absolute favorites at Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory is the salt & camembert cookies. It fuses milk from Hokkaido and salt from France into a delightful cookie, sandwiching a chocolate plate infused with camembert cheese. Besides that, the shop boasts a variety of amazing home-made sweets, making the most out of rich ingredients such as Jersey milk from Hokkaido, cream cheese mixed with Gouda, and waffles infused with cheddar cheese.

Shinbashi Tamakiya is a long-established shop dating back to 1782, specializing in traditional condiments and side dishes. Especially famous is the shop’s tsukudani, an old delicacy made by simmering seaweed, seafood, or even meat in soy sauce and mirin. The secret recipe has been passed down since the Edo period and is unchanged to this very year, which is exactly why it still enjoys a lot of popularity even after 200 years.

Of course, Tamakiya offers a variety of all kinds of other snacks and seasonings, such as chazuke, a dish of green tea poured over rice, and furikake, a seasoning that is sprinkled on rice. You’ll find a lot of the dishes to be rather simple but boast rich, traditional flavors that allow you to taste Japan authentically even at home.

Tenshodo is an amazing gift shop that takes you right to traditional Japan – in the middle of Narita Airport. This is an excellent spot for last-minute souvenir shopping, operating under the theme of “gorgeous Japan.” As such, you can look forward to a variety of high-quality items that beautifully emit Japan’s traditional spirit.

Because Tenshodo is a souvenir shop at an international airport, the staff is extremely knowledgeable about the diverse needs of its guests. If you’re not sure what to choose or need a suggestion for friends and family ay home, don’t hesitate to ask!

Akasaka Kakiyama is one of Tokyo’s most famous shops when it comes to okaki, dried pieces of toasted mochi that are wonderfully crispy. This popular snack manages to retain the characteristic taste of rice while also maintaining the unique ness of every single grain – no two are alike, much like okaki itself.

Kakiyama offers great souvenirs for people who enjoy a delightful snack, combining a traditional recipe with home-made deliciousness. Various gift sets are available, varying by season, and another important factor is that okaki are incredibly light, hence not weighing down your luggage at all.

Gunma is a prefecture not far from Tokyo and probably most famous for its adorable mascot, Gunma-chan. A shop called Gunmachan-chi unites both character goods and local specialties from the prefecture, while also being a hot spot for traveling information. Gunma is known for its various hot spring spots and resorts, so you should definitely take a closer look!

Some of our recommended specialties regarding Gunma prefecture are yaki-manju (roasted sweet bun), a noodle variety called Mizusawa udon, and konnyaku. On top of food, Gunmachan-chi also offers fun crafts such as daruma and kokeshi dolls – it’s a rare spot where you can get your hands on regional souvenirs while never leaving Tokyo!

Jugetsudo is a tea specialty store that is as fascinating as it is beautiful. Founded with the desire to let the world know about the enigmatic taste of Japanese tea, it boasts an amazing selection of tea varieties. Apart from high-grade powder and leaves, Jugetsudo also offers dried seaweed and sweets, providing an all-around gourmet experience in the spirit of traditional Japan. It’s a treasure trove of stylish, traditional souvenirs.

If you have a bit of time to spare, take a seat at the counter or on the terrace and let yourself be carried away to the world of Japanese zen by the amazingly beautiful interior and architecture. Deepen your knowledge about Japanese tea not only by drinking but by joining a lecture or an authentic tea ceremony course.

Suzuhiro Kamaboko celebrated its 150th birthday back in 2015 and is one of Japan’s most famous specialty shops for kamaboko. Generally made from pureed fish, kamaboko basically is cured surimi and comes in the form of firm, steamed loaves. It’s popular as a health food all around Japan and abroad and Suzuhiro Kamaboko pays special attention to the excellence of the ingredients, as well as outstanding craftsmanship. The recipe used dates back to the Edo period, sticking to all-natural ingredients and renouncing any sort of chemical seasoning.

We especially recommend enjoying this traditional seafood treat with a bottle of Hakone Beer, brewed in the same town that Suzuhiro kamaboko is from: Odawara. As far as souvenirs go, why not opt for the Asakusa limited edition packages? They fuse modern, adorable design with traditional gourmet delight!

Founded in 1924, Columbin is said to be Japan’s first café to make sweets based on authentic French recipes. It boasts a long list of famous guests, including numerous writers, and even is one of the locations in Junichiro Tanizaki’s world-famous novel The Makioka Sisters.

The Harajuku main store of Colombin harvests its own honey on the rooftop, an intriguing delight that is best enjoyed in the Harajuku Pudding. Other highlights include the Harajuku Yaki Chocolat with a rich and full-bodied chocolate flavor, as well as the Harajuku Roll with plenty of creamy, refreshing whipped cream. The rich assortment makes for lovely and delicious souvenirs, recommended for people who are a tad skeptical about traditional Japanese sweets but nonetheless appreciate a delightfully chocolatey bite. If you have half an hour to spare, treat yourself to a break and a sinfully sweet dessert under the Zelkova trees.

“The amazing taste of freshly baked potato chips” awaits you at Calbee Plus in Harajuku. The brand is famous for its many snacks and especially potato chips, popular among old and young alike. As indicated, the famous chips are freshly made right at the store, using the very same machines and technologies that you’ll also find at the big Calbee factories, just that you’re right in the middle of trendy Harajuku.

The store-made products are excellent souvenirs, especially since you’ll find a lot of Harajuku-limited flavors and varieties, such as the Harajuku Kamaage Chips Hot & Spicy. If you’re looking for a snack on the go, you won’t be disappointed either!

Bunmeido was founded in 1900 in the city of Nagasaki and is a pastry shop that specializes in Castella, Japan’s own and favorite version of sponge cake. One of its head stores can be found in the scenic city of Yokohama, just a stone’s throw away from Tokyo. The fluffy yet moist texture of Bunmeido’s Castella cake is what makes it so amazing, as well as the classic ingredients of eggs, sugar, and wheat flour blended and combined to absolute perfection.

Next to the iconic cake, Bunmeido offers beautiful gift sets with aromatic and delicious matcha cake and yokan, another traditional Japanese sweet. The castella variety that features intricate illustrations drawn in white chocolate also makes for a great souvenir.

Ejima is a tea shop with a jaw-dropping history dating back to 1661. The shop sells tea made from carefully selected leaves from Shizuoka Prefecture, making for an incredibly aromatic tea that embodies the rich soil it came from.

The interior of the shop is reminiscent of the century of its founding, boasting a traditional and beautiful architectural style that has become a true rarity. In an environment like this, buying tea gets a whole new meaning and is an authentically Japanese experience like no other. While Ejima mainly focuses on steamed sencha from Shizuoka, it offers a lot of different varieties, including hojicha, genmaicha, and Uji matcha from Kyoto. However, even nori (dried seaweed) from Kyushu’s Ariake, colorful washi paper, and all sorts of Japanese crafts and tea ceremony utensils can be found at Ejima – even if you don’t feel like buying anything, you simply have to visit for the atmosphere alone!

Tokyo and its surrounding area, Kanto, boast a spectacular number of atmospheric souvenir stores hat go beyond the stereotypical classics of a folding fan or character merchandise. The shopping experience is as important as enjoying the souvenir itself, so look forward to unique places and excellent service. We’re sure that you’ll find just the perfect memento of your trip!