Gifts from Japan

June 3, 2004 7:52 AM

What should I have my friend bring back for me from Japan? [mi]

I'm trying to come up with about fifty bucks worth of stuff for her to bring back for me (and subsequently ship from the West Coast to Ohio, so bear that in mind) but I'm stymied. What should I ask for? DVDs? A cheap, but fancy Minidisc recorder?

posted by codger to travel & transportation (37 comments total)

Pocky! There are about six thousand varieties of Pocky, so I'm sure she could collect at least 50 dollars worth! Get Pocky! Love Pocky!
posted by headspace at 8:00 AM on June 3, 2004

1. anything anpanman related
2. morinaga choco-balls
3. wasabi peas
4. milky
5. yogurt flavour qoo

links to follow, if i can find any
posted by nylon at 8:05 AM on June 3, 2004

Unless you have an all regions coded dvd player, or know how to change the coding on one you have don't bother with dvd's :(

other than that, i have no idea, but personally pocky isn't all that exciting.
posted by efalk at 8:08 AM on June 3, 2004

That candy with a wrapper that you can eat.
posted by bingo at 8:08 AM on June 3, 2004

Some computer dvd players will let you change the region coding, some won't. but it might be worth checking out.
posted by efalk at 8:09 AM on June 3, 2004

There is a whole range of weird little MP3 players with all sorts of blinky lights and crazy functions available there. Also, there are USB appliances like xmas lights and smokeless ashtrays that are kinda cool.
posted by milovoo at 8:13 AM on June 3, 2004

here we go:

choco-balls | qoo | anpanman | milky
posted by nylon at 8:13 AM on June 3, 2004

you should also get a pontiki / pootiki.
posted by nylon at 8:17 AM on June 3, 2004

Ah, forgot to mention that ... I do have a region-free player, a dreamcast, a modded PS1, stock PS2 (r1) and other various videogaming equipment. She's going to be shopping at normal stores, though, and probably won't see much in the way of great videogame stuff but likely some good DVDs, if there are any good Japan-only ones.
posted by codger at 8:20 AM on June 3, 2004

Fresh wasabi, rice crackers, mochi and good luck trinkets.
posted by vito90 at 9:00 AM on June 3, 2004

Forgot to mention...$50 won't go far in the electronics stores. In fact, it won't really go anywhere.
posted by vito90 at 9:01 AM on June 3, 2004

vito: Curses! I didn't want to fork over much dough.

nylon: Those pootiki/pontiki things: What are they? Toys or candy or both?
posted by codger at 9:07 AM on June 3, 2004

Ditto on anpanman.

If you like liquors, have your friend bring a bottle of Awamori, the Okinawan rice brandy. Superb.
posted by jeffmshaw at 9:12 AM on June 3, 2004

gyokuro green tea
posted by matteo at 9:23 AM on June 3, 2004

ginjoginjoginjo
posted by Hackworth at 9:35 AM on June 3, 2004

Gloomy Bear. Or Panda Z
posted by quibx at 9:46 AM on June 3, 2004

Breath pallette toothpaste!!!!!!!
posted by jasper411 at 9:54 AM on June 3, 2004

Most of that stuff you can buy here or online, though. I noticed that when I was in Japan trying to figure out what to get people back home.

Videogames in Japan cost $60-125. They cost that much here, too, online from places like NCSX or a local store in a Japanese neighborhood.

DVDs also cost from $40 on up, and to be honest, you're better off getting the HK release DVD of that movie for $15 (try Poker Industries).

A better care package would consist of things she picks up at shrines and parks. Little curios, culturally significant items, etc. Or something you collect. I collect back-scratchers. Wherever I go or wherever someone goes, I try to obtain a back-scratcher. It may not be culturally relevant, but it came from there.

I kept a paper fan I was given during a summer festival. It bore the symbol of the shrine and some kanji.

Maybe have her bring you back a can of beer from a street vending machine? She'll have to bring that in her carry-on to prevent it from bursting.

For a more lascivious gift, I purchased a pocket vibrator from a "pink shop" for a close lady friend. It basically sheathed a single AAA and a tiny rotating mass in plastic, and can fit in woman's money purse.

I picked up a Japanese Transformer.

There was this rather famous local candy shop in Kyoto from which I purchased a box for my mother.
posted by linux at 10:02 AM on June 3, 2004

domo-kun

t-shirts with engrish prints
posted by mr.marx at 10:09 AM on June 3, 2004

Beer Chan!
posted by Otis at 10:20 AM on June 3, 2004

jewelry or a wrist watch that's face in Japanese characters
posted by thomcatspike at 10:47 AM on June 3, 2004

Pocky: No way! It's readily available at stores in the US -- the little snack store in the lobby of my building has Pocky and Pocky for Men, and the grocery store in my old neighborhood carried 6 or 8 other varieties. No need to fly around the world to get it.

Wasabi Peas: Same thing. Trader Joe's sells a pretty decent one, but they aren't hard to find elsewhere, either.

Try toys. Import of Japanese toys to the US seems limited to anime fanboy crap and, hey, you can already get a Gundam or two from Toys R Us.
posted by majick at 10:49 AM on June 3, 2004

Codger, are there any good asian markets around you? Because you can get things like Pocky and wasabi peas in the asian markets. Heck, in some parts of my town, you can get them at Ralphs or Vons. Sorry, really not trying to snark the suggestions above, I just wouldn't think you'd want to pay shipping from the WC to Ohio for something you could get down the street.

That all being said, I do like the idea of bringing unusual, small (read: lightweight) snack items back as gifts. Just brands or flavors that you can't normally find here. I also like to bring a bottle or two of the local specialty liquor, in this case maybe some good sake. And a good quality tea sounds like a good suggestion.

On preview: ditto majick.
posted by vignettist at 10:57 AM on June 3, 2004

codger: the pontikis are battery operated toys. they come with lots of different shaped legs/wheels, so that swapping them around makes the thing walk funny. the spare legs can be stuck into the pontiki's body, which is what all the holes are for. they're immeasurably cool, and pretty cheap. only maybe $10 each, if that. i don't think they're intended to be edible.
posted by nylon at 11:02 AM on June 3, 2004

If you live in or near any kind of city, they're sure to have an asian market that you can get most (if not all) of the food-stuffs at. Here's the amusingly named one near me, in Hartford CT. Go for the toys and other obscure stuff that you can't find here.
posted by duckstab at 11:06 AM on June 3, 2004

Noren curtains. For $50 you can get one really cool one, or two or three plain ones. There's a good place to buy these in Kappabashi.

If you drink tea, have her bring you back one or two of those cool tea canisters with the pretty designs on 'em. Any tea store should have them. They're cheap, too, so ask her to buy you some nice tea to go with them.

Also, the hundred yen stores are a great place to get fun stuff that's cheap. Best place in Japan for souvenirs, because you can get cool sake sets and dishes and huge maps of Japan and such, all for about a dollar each. Your friends will be impressed, and so will your wallet.
posted by vorfeed at 11:27 AM on June 3, 2004

Thanks all for the suggestions so far. I think I'll give her the green light to get me some toys, and hope that she picks cool ones out.

While I'm in this thread, though, what could I have her get that my crocheting and cross-stitching wife would like (She prefers patterns to finished works)? Are there any particularly Japanese craftish sorts of things to be found in Tokyo?

As for an Asian market, I can probably find one if I try... I'm in Columbus Ohio, which is a city of moderate size, I suppose. Unless any of you local folks know of one, that is.
posted by codger at 11:30 AM on June 3, 2004

Yaolee Oriental Supermarket, 2848 N High St. 614/262-7631
(Go Bucks!)
posted by me3dia at 12:16 PM on June 3, 2004

I looked at the Qoo website and I still have no friggin clue what it (they?) is (are?)
WTF is Qoo?
posted by aacheson at 12:37 PM on June 3, 2004

While I'm in this thread, though, what could I have her get that my crocheting and cross-stitching wife would like (She prefers patterns to finished works)? Are there any particularly Japanese craftish sorts of things to be found in Tokyo?

Particularly Japanese craft stuff... off the top of my head, I can't think of anything in particular, other than Ikebana and Japanese paper for origami and such. There will certainly be such a thing, though, and if that is certain, it's equally sure that they sell it at Tokyu Hands. There's a huge one in Shibuya, and I guess there's a newer one in Shinjuku, though I've never been. There's also one next to Sunshine City in Ikebukuro. The Shibuya one is the best I've been to - their webpage lists two floors of craft stuff, 4C and 5C. The craft stuff is on the 6th floor in Shinjuku, and on the 7th floor in Ikebukuro.

I seem to recall that the fabric/sewing section at the Shibuya Tokyu Hands was ridiculously huge, so she should be able to find some interesting cross-stitch stuff there. Plus, Tokyu Hands is a blast to shop in, so it shouldn't be much trouble to convince her to go.
posted by vorfeed at 12:48 PM on June 3, 2004

WTF is Qoo?

an awesome drink I got addicted to while I was vacationing over there. It's a non-carbonated, sugary drink in lots of flavors. Less sweet than koolaid, more than gatorade.
posted by GeekAnimator at 1:50 PM on June 3, 2004

Like the others said: $50 wont get you much, and try to avoid all the little pop-culture things that are so popular on the internet, because you can get that anywhere, ditto the popular food products. Depending on where your friend is going, there might be some cool recycle (thrift) stores that carry older pop-culture/strange electronics, but you would have to be into that and trust your friends eye. I have seen prototypes of video goggles, victrolas, mini-mixers that have 8 channels and record to an MD.

Souveniers and cultural curio might get you more mileage, and would be less likely somethat that is cliche. If there is some old playstation (1) game, or any kind of strange accessory for any system that never made it out there, or is hard to find, will be in pretty close reach (i know a place that has a floor-to-ceiling stack of R.O.B.s for the original NES). Used VHS tapes are also cheap (DVDs are not), and they stock some pretty unbelievably bad/hard to find movies for $2-$5 apiece.

And I know for a fact you can still get a Super Beer Walker for under $10 (in akihibara, saw it last week). Makes a great gift, but may not work on certain domestic beer sizes.

Some of the best stuff I have gotten here I have just found lying in the street: piles of brand new RCA cables, large speakers, elmore leonard novels, decorative stuffed turtles, industrial high-speed dubbing VCRs, even my computer monitor.

Then again, its a matter of taste. And time.

And a big second to something from Tokyu hands. Even if she doesnt buy anything, shell have some fun.
posted by lkc at 6:46 PM on June 3, 2004

This may sound stupid but Japanese eye drops (megusuri) blow the doors off your silly little Visine; they wake you up and refresh your computer tired eyes.

Santen FX is a favorite, as is Rohto Zi. Only about ¥500.
posted by planetkyoto at 7:21 PM on June 3, 2004

A Happi coat.
posted by Wet Spot at 8:16 PM on June 3, 2004

Kogepan!
posted by SPrintF at 8:26 PM on June 3, 2004

Codger... a little something for the wife.
posted by silusGROK at 12:27 AM on June 4, 2004

I'd love some of those plastic food models they have a restaurants to tell you what's cooking. Ultra-realistic plastic sushi would especially be fun.
posted by Vidiot at 6:33 PM on June 13, 2004