Have you experienced stressful in choosing souvenirs for your loved ones when traveling? What souvenirs will be special and affordable which can carry your awesome trip memories back home? Here I’d like to introduce you several most popular souvenirs among the foreign tourists in Japan.

【No 1.  Wagashi】

Representing the essence of Japanese food culture, “Wagashi” are Japanese unique traditional confectionery. Usually made from plant ingredients such as rice, barley, beans, kudzu powder, seaweed and even seasonal plants, Wagashi are not only good in smell and taste but also rich in visual. They are praised as the art of five senses. Now share with your love ones the unique flavor of Japan!

【No 2 . Sake】

Also called Nihonshu or Seishu, it is the national beverage in Japan made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. It can be served warm, at room temperature or chilled. The traditional way is to serve warm---pour sake into a small open mouthed carafe (Tokkuri), heat it in a hot water bath over very low heat to approximately 110 F, about 5 minutes. In Japan, each area has its own local sake made by their local rice and water. But make sure to comply with the Customs Rules when you choose your favorite one such as being 21 years or older.

【No 3. Matcha Products】

Matcha is the finely ground powder of shade-grown green tea leaves. It is the type of green tea used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Though the powder tastes rather bitter, it goes well with sweets. In Japan, you can easily find variety of foods flavored with Matcha including chocolate, candies, drinks, ice cream and also Wagashi which we mentioned just now from convenience stores to souvenir shops.

【No 4. Furoshiki】

Furoshiki is a simple square cloth with deep historical roots in Japanese culture. It has been used by Japanese people for over 1,000 years. The name ‘furoshiki’ literally translates to “bathing cloth”. At first, Furoshiki was used to carry clothes to and from the sento (public bathhouse). Then it eventually became commonly used by merchants to transport their goods, as well as a form of gift wrapping. Furoshiki is a symbol of traditional Japanese culture but not known by many outside of Japan. Impress your friends and family by using Furoshiki as a gift wrapping option. Or why not wrap your wine bottles in furoshiki to bring to a party?

【No 5. Chopsticks】

In Japanese, chopsticks are called “Hashi”, also known as “Otemoto”, a phrase commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks. Japanese chopsticks are usually made of bamboo, wooden, stainless steel, porcelain and ceramic with a variety of colors and artful designs. In Japan chopsticks are thought to be good wedding gifts because they are a pair and also pronounced “Hashi” as the same pronunciation as bridge in Japanese, which means long-relationship like bridge connecting person to person.

【No 6. Japanese pottery & porcelain】

If you an art lover, you won’t miss it -- Japanese pottery and porcelain. As one of the country’s oldest art forms, Japanese pottery is distinguished by two aesthetic traditions. One is very simple and roughly finished pottery in the earth color. The other is highly finished and brightly colored porcelain, with complex and balanced decoration. Overseas mailing services are offered in most of Japanese stores, but you can just choose several unique plates or cups and nestle them securely in your luggage. Whatever you get, having Japanese ceramics will be a cool and cherished option.

【No 7. Gacha】

What do you usually deal with the leftover coins which cannot be exchanged in your country? Do you know that you can use them to buy some cute souvenirs called Gacha? Only cost ¥100–500, they’re a variety of vending machine-dispensed capsule toys popular in Japan. Insert coin(s) into the machine and turn the level, a toy in capsule will come out. 171 Gacha machines were installed at the 2nd Terminal of Main Building in Narita Airport and they became so popular among the foreign tourists. There’re many types of cute Gacha toys more than that you can imagine.