Sugoi kawaii, kuso yabai: cool stuff to buy from Japan online
Japan can be weird. We should know, we live here. And we think that’s because this country’s got cool stuff you can’t find anywhere else. There are some products you can only buy from Japan. As well as fun and/or authentic things you’ll only ever want to order from Japan.
Get inspired by our ‘best of Japan’ picks below, and start shopping online whenever you’re ready.
Gacha prizes
Those cute things that roll out of gacha machines in capsules.
They’re small but useful: keychains, erasers, ink stamps, water bottle covers shaped like underwear, stuff like that. Well, they’re useful once you get the capsule open. It can be kinda tricky sometimes…
The gacha prizes start out inside the machines. The gacha machines are in Japan. One way to get around that is to come visit! On a wander around any Japanese city, you’ll see gacha in game arcades, electronics and variety stores, and randomly on the street.
Or test your luck finding them on the internet. Prizes from gachas, UFO catchers (claw machines), and conbini ‘kuji’ lotteries often end up on sale online. At places like Yahoo! Auctions.
Squishies
Something about the way a squishy squishes is addictive. We’ve already written about squishies in detail, but there’s so much more we could say!
Japan’s got all kinds of squishies: there’s the bread squishy, the Hello Kitty squishy, the cake squishy… the jumbo sized squishy… We’ve come a long way since the basic stress ball.
Build up a smooshy squishy collection one by one, or order a bunch at once. Up to you.
Matcha (the good stuff)
Real matcha powder turns green tea into liquid gold. It’s way better. You can tell from that first sip.
Uji, in Kyoto (kinda near us) is the place to go for decent matcha. It has an incredible reputation, within Japan and all over the world. For tea lovers who can’t get there, Uji matcha‘s in KitKats, roll cake, mochi, granola, and even cheesecake.
We’ve also got everything you need to try your hand at a Japanese tea ceremony, from bamboo whisks to beautiful patterned bowls.
Rubber straps and badges
Mini badges and charms are always popular with anime fans trying to make/complete their perfect ita bag.
Rubber strap mascots often have thicker line details and a simple, cute ‘chibi’ style. Most anime badges are circular, and made from metal not plastic (that’s where the Japanese phrase ‘can badge’ comes from).
Japan auctions for anime goods can start as low as a single yen. They rarely finish that low, so get bidding! You can order them individually, or in box sets. And we give you the option to make a snipe bid in advance.
Anime/game figures
It’s true, your 2D faves exist in 3D versions.
Different makers and styles give you some tough choices. Some figures are made to scale, with realistic features and loads of detail. Others are small, and kawaii, and out of proportion (in the cute way).
Then you’ve gotta decide if you want a fixed or changeable figure. Figma figures have joints, so you can pose them in different ways. Nendoroids and Cu-poche figures come with other faces and arms to switch out.
Unsure where to start? Read our guide to different types of Japanese figures first.
Japan-only fashion
You found a Japanese fashion brand you love. They’ve got a website. The clothes look awesome, and your size is in stock. But they don’t do international delivery. It’s the end of the world.
That’s why we’re here. Search for the brand name on our website (in English or Japanese), and if they’ve got Rakuten, Yahoo and Amazon shops you’ll see those items. Other things can be requested – send us the product page URL via our ‘Contact Us’ page.
It’s also worth checking out Yahoo! Auctions Japan (link goes to the search page) for rarer clothes and older seasons. See our blog post on Japanese fashion auctions with suggestions on what to search for.
Fun stuff and cool things to buy from Japan
Whatever you’re looking for… we’ve probably got it listed.
