Specialty shopping in Tokyo
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A
Tokyo Character Street
From Doraemon to Domo-kun, Hello Kitty to Ultraman, Japan knows kawaii (cute) and how to merchandise it. On the basement level of Tokyo Station, some 15 Japanese TV networks and toy manufacturers operate shop after shop selling official plush toys, sweets, accessories and the all-important miniature character to dangle from your mobile phone. Though the commerce is brisk, the characters are pretty innocent; fans of hard-core anime (Japanese animation) will be better off in Akihabara.
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B
Musubi
Before shopping bags, Japanese carried their bentō (boxed lunch) and packages in elegant wrapping cloths called furoshiki, and this dainty shop and workshop both sells the cloths and gives lessons in how to use them (email info@kyoto-musubi.com for info about lessons). Modern-day uses for furoshiki include handbags and wine bottle carriers, and believe it or not they make nice table covers, too. The owner has even written a book about it in English.
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C
Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten
If it’s festival products you’re after, Miyamoto is one-stop shopping, from mikoshi (portable shrines) to drums, clappers and festival masks. It’s on the ground floor of the building and downstairs from the drum museum.
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