The shopping culture in Japan is like whoa. Gifting and packaging play a key role. Shops often provide additional bags and tissues for gift giving. And if you’re lucky, your items will be wrapped with pretty paper and you won’t want to open them because the wrapping will be too lovely to mess up.

Everywhere you go – a shopping plaza! Train stations had stories of shopping, too.

In Toyko, the Ginza shopping district has big brand shops. It also has Itoya, an eight-story categorized shopping experience. It was on my must-see list. A floor for planners, a floor with cards, a floor dedicated to craft and one for fine papers…

I visited an origami shop. Calligraphy and paper stores were also popular – I loved stumbling across these shops; the workers were always so friendly and curious where I was visiting from. My favorite crafty shop find: Wrapple Wrapping & DIY Cafe, a small boutique DIY bar and cafe with co-working space filled with washi and paper and decor items.

We also visited the Kit Kat store.

In Nagano, my favorite shopping was food shopping at Oraho located in the train station. We found so many treats to bring home! More on those treats later.

In Kanazawa we found a shop filled with edible gold goodies. I picked up some gold flakes in the shape of cherry blossoms! Plus a store with all green tea everything.

The most kawaii shops were found in Kyoto – a Rilakkuma themed shop, a Miffy themed cafe/shop, a store filled with mini figurines for making mobiles, and of course a shop filled with purikuma photobooths!

There is a shopping experience for everyone!