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Department stores are a surprisingly good place to look for Japanese pottery, and Takashimaya (Click here for details) often has bargain bins where you can score some real deals. For even better prices try some of Japan’s flea markets.

SHIKKI (LACQUERWARE)

Another exquisite Japanese craft is shikki (lacquerware). The lacquerware-making process, involving as many as 15 layers of lacquer, is used to create objects as diverse as dishes and furniture. As you might expect, examples of good lacquerware cannot be had for a song, but smaller items can be bought at affordable prices from department stores. Popular, easily transportable items include bowls, trays and small boxes. Department stores often have good selections of lacquerware in their housewares sections.

UKIYO-E (WOOD-BLOCK PRINTS)

Originating in the 18th century as one of Japan’s earliest manifestations of mass culture, wood-block prints were used in advertising and posters. It was only later that ukiyo-e was considered an art form. The name (literally, ‘pictures from the floating world’) derives from a Buddhist term indicating the transient world of daily pleasures. Ukiyo-e uniquely depicts such things as street scenes, actors and courtesans.

Today, tourist shops in Japan stock modern reproductions of the work of famous ukiyo-e masters such as Hokusai (1760–1849), whose scenes of Fuji-san are favourites. It is also possible to come across originals by lesser-known artists at prices ranging from ¥3000 to ¥40,000.

WASHI (JAPANESE PAPER)

For more than 1000 years, washi (Japanese paper) has been famous as the finest handmade paper in the world. Special shops stock sheets of washi and products made from it, such as notebooks, wallets and so on. As they’re generally inexpensive and light, washi products make excellent gifts and souvenirs. You’ll find them in the big department stores. Click here for suggestions on places to buy washi.

Pearls

The Japanese firm Mikimoto developed the technique of producing cultured pearls by artificially introducing an irritant into the pearl oyster. Pearls and pearl jewellery are still popular buys for foreign visitors. The best place in Japan to buy pearls is Mikimoto’s home base: Toba, in Mie-ken.

Photographic Equipment

Tokyo is an excellent hunting ground for photographic equipment. As almost all of the big-name brands in camera equipment are locally produced, prices can be very competitive. The prices for accessories, such as motor drives and flash units, can even be compared to Singapore and Hong Kong. In addition, shopping in Japan presents the traveller with none of the rip-off risks that abound in other Asian discount capitals.

Tokyo’s Shinjuku area is the best place for buying camera equipment, although Ginza also has a good selection of shops (Click here for details). Second-hand camera equipment is worth checking out. In Tokyo, both Shinjuku and Ginza have a fair number of second-hand places where camera and lens quality is usually very good and prices are around half what you would pay for new equipment. In Osaka, the area just south of Osaka station has used-camera shops as well (Click here).

Tax-Free Shopping

Shopping tax free in Japan is not necessarily the bargain that you might expect. Although tax-free shops enable foreigners to receive an exemption from the 5% consumption tax (shōhizei) levied on most items, these still may not be the cheapest places to shop. Shops that offer this exemption usually require that you pay the consumption tax and then go to a special counter to receive a refund. You will often need to show your passport to receive this refund. Tax-free shops will usually have a sign in English that announces their tax-free status.

Toys

Tokyo has some remarkable toy shops. Click here for more information. Elsewhere, look out for some of the traditional wooden toys produced as regional specialities – they make good souvenirs for adults and children alike.

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