What are the recommended goods in Japan?

About "LOFT" store

In Japan, you can enjoy seeing many seasonal changes of souvenirs.
Maybe, when you visit Japan, you might be confusing what to choose as souvenirs for your family, friends and colleagues. Then you might buy Japanese souvenirs for yourself.
So, I will introduce the recommended souvenirs for summer !
Do you have any idea where you should go for shopping?
One of the recommended store is “LOFT”.

LOFT is the famous and popular store in Japan. We can buy stationeries, cosmetics, household goods, interior goods and character merchandise.
There are 139 stores, not only Tokyo but also other cities around Japan (as of February, 2022). For example, you can find one of the stores in a famous department store or a shopping mall, so it is easy to go there for you.
( You can visit the official website of LOFT and the URL is provided in the end of this article. Also, when you visit Japan, you can search the closer store on the official website. )
In addition, LOFT has 3 shops in China, one is in Sichuan and others are in Shanghai.  Also, there are 4 shops in Bangkok, Thailand.

Product Introduction

1.Letter / Note Paper, Writing Pads and Envelopes

In Japan, we are accustomed to writing some greeting cards or letters in summer and new years, although we can send e-mail to anybody, anytime and anywhere in these days.

As you see in these pictures, we can get some beautiful, cute and colorful goods for writing. For example, there are pictures of summer flowers (; sunflowers, morning glories, etc.), Goldfishes and water balloons with these writing goods.
If you send a greeting to someone by using these, the receiver must be glad to see it because he / she can feel the summer. In addition, you can use these for yourself as to take memos or something to write down.

2.Cute and Beautiful Stickers

We can get some cute and beautiful stickers like the pictures below. In Japan, people enjoy using these not only kids, but also girls who are the students from elementary schools to college. For example, they put these stickers on their stationeries or notebooks.

3."SENSU"

These are called "SENSU" in Japan. It’s a Japanese folding fan. We often see people are using this in the cities in summer. It's very convenient because it's a good size for carry it in your bag. Also, we often have this when we wear "YUKATA" (; it's a kind of "KIMONO", but it's more casual and much cooler because it made of cottons.).
As you can see these pictures below, there are a lot of patterns.

(1)Cats patterns.

(2)Hydrangeas and cats.

(3)Cherry blossoms and rabbits.

(4) Cherry blossoms, hydrangeas and Japanese dianthus.

(5)Vertical stripes.

(6)Dark colors. These are especially popular for men because of cool designs.

4.The goods which are made of "TATAMI"

"TATAMI" is the traditional Japanese floor like mat. It is made of rushes and smells good of it. "TATAMI" is a symbol of Japanese traditional house. We can sit down it directly and also lie in it, so it is a convenience floor.
As you can see these pictures below, there are a lot of goods which is made of "TATAMI".

(1) Pen Cases

(2)Book Jackets

(3)Book Jackets and Card Cases

5."TENUGUI"

“TENUGUI” is a Japanese hand towel. You can display it as this picture. This one has the designs of many Japanese old-looking lumps in the middle and fireworks over these lumps. In addition, there are some people below. This shows "MATSURI", and which means Japanese summer festival.  Of course, you can use as hand towel or dish towel, etc. 

As you can see this picture, there are a lots of designs like balloon flowers, a goldfish, a flog and morning glories, etc.

6.Japanese Candies / Goods with a candy motif

In Japan, you can see handmade candies especially in places of sightseeing like ASAKUSA. It is an ancient colorful food and began to make in Edo period.These one are in the little bottle. It's so cute.

In addition, as you see some pictures below, there are many goods with a candy motif.These are hair rubbers and earrings with a colorful candy motif.

These are key chain fobs.

7.Earrings with Japanese motif.

These earrings look as if these are made of "ORIGAMI". ( We call it "WASHI" too.) "ORIGAMI" is Japanese traditional papers, and people can make a lot of things with it. (The round ones below are candy motif.)

These are Earrings with "TSURU" ( a crane ) and "SENSU" (folding fan) motif. Japanese people often make a crane by origami. That is a traditional things. Sometimes people make a thousand of cranes for patient who is in a hospital for a long time. People wish that the patient will be getting better during they make it.

This is the explanation of it.

8.“Furin”

"Furin" is a traditional Japanese wind chime. We hang it by the window, but these are the types of setting on a desk or a table. You can see these has designs of goldfishes and there is a cat on the stubble at the bottom.

9.Summer Greeting Cards

Amazingly, these are summer greeting cards! These are three-dimensional design and made of plastic or papers.  When you receive these, you can display these somewhere!

There is a card with a goldfish bowl motif in the left side, and then there is a card with morning glories motif in the right side.

This is a card with "YOKAI" motif. "YOKAI" is a kind of Japanese traditional ghost. These ghost of this card are so cute!

The left card has designs of "Furin" (a wind chime) and morning glories. It is three-dimensional so looks beautiful.The right card has a design of a sea. This is a amazing card because we can hear the sounds of sea like waves and see the light up inside cards like shining in the deep sea. A button battery is used in this card.

10.Japanese Wallet

These are Japanese old type wallets. These has traditional Japanese flower patterns.

11."TABI"socks

These are socks of Japanese old shape, and called “TABI”. “TABI” separates division for the big toe and the other toes. Because of this shape, “TABI” has some good healthy points. First, when we walk, we can use all toes by putting these, so we can build up all toes’ strength. Second, “TABI” normalize the autonomic nervous system by stimulating toes’ pressure points. In addition, “TABI” prevents feet swelling and big toe bunion.
As you can see pictures below, there are a lot of cute patterns. (For example, white rabbits, Japanese traditional flowers and geometric patterns.)

12."UCHIWA"

“UCHIWA” is a Japanese traditional fan. These “UCHIWA” are made in Japan and portable size. So, it is easy for you to put it in the bag and you can use anytime. They are named “hidari-uchiwa”, it is a Japanese proverb. Please imagine that we hold and fan this easily with the left hand which is not the dominant right hand. (In Japan, most of us are right-handed.) This scene reminds that we can live comfortably. Because of this, this “hidari-uchiwa” is a kind of lucky item. There are so many cute and colorful patterns.

13."KENDAMA"

Do you know “KENDAMA”? “KENDAMA” is a Japanese classical toy which consists of a ball and a hammer-shaped handle. These are connected with a string. The hammer-shaped handle has three cups. We try to catch the ball with one of the three cups. There are many tricks to catch the ball. Surprisingly, we have a contest like as an exam, to compete our skills of “KENDAMA”. Who can play it with many skills more than anyone would be a winner. Even adults, it is not easy to control the ball, so you can enjoy playing “KENDAMA”

14."DARUMA"

Have you ever seen this object? We call this “DARUMA” in Japanese. There are many sizes and colors of this. “DARUMA” is a kind of lucky item. For example, people display it in their house with making wishes. Yellow Daruma is believed that it can make the people earn money or have a good harvest. So, we can see Daruma not only in our houses but also in many shops, restaurants and hotels, etc. The yellow Daruma of this picture has one “Kanji” 「福」under the face. (It’s difficult to find out this Kanji from this picture.) 「福」means “good luck” in Japanese.

You should try toi visit the official website!

That’s all for this article! Did you enjoy it? I hope many people will be interested in LOFT and Japan! When you visit Japan, I really recommend that you visit LOFT and look for Japanese goods or souvenirs there. If you are interested in “LOFT”, you can visit the website below.  LOFT has established a new global brand page in English, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese.

Japanese →　https://www.loft.co.jp/
English →  https://www.loft.co.jp/en/
simplified Chinese →　https://www.loft.co.jp/zh-cn/
traditional Chinese →　https://www.loft.co.jp/zh-tw/

Thank you for reading. Have a nice day and night 🙂