What to buy in Tokyo? 2025 Edition
First time going to Tokyo, I wanted to figure out what I should prep myself to buy and found that there was an amazing amount of information available online on “What to buy in Tokyo” or “Tokyo Haul”. But I found a lack of insight on how to procure the item, comparisons of which brand to choose from, and whether it is worth the effort to make the purchase in Tokyo (as almost everything can be bought online nowadays).
I’ve carefully documented my purchases this time around for my first Tokyo trip and hopefully this blog piece will be helpful to other Type-A travelers like myself.
Fragrances & Perfumes
Le Labo | Gaiac 10 (TOKYO EDITION)
This item was purchased while shopping in the Ginza area. You will be able to find the Le Labo shop via googlemaps and tax-refund is available for the Le Labo store (the staff will kindly inform you how and where to go for the tax-refund). I’ve tried the Le Labo Seoul scent and the Shanghai scent, but neither appealed to me so I never purchased those on my travel. However, I really enjoyed the Gaiac 10. The scents I usually gravitate towards is something a bit more woody, warm, and soft.
My recommendation: If you are in the Ginza area for shopping, pop by the Le Labo store first, spray the Gaiac 10, and proceed to do your other shopping in the area. This will give you a chance to experience the change in the scent throughout the day and you can go back to the shop before they close to make the purchase if you would like. *make sure to check when the tax-free desk closes!
Parfum Satori | Nobiyaka & Hyouge
Parfum Satori is a Japanese perfume brand that is designed and produced by Perfumer Satori Osawa. Saw this brand recommended by a Japanese American influencer and wanted to give this elegant shop a try and was not disappointed. The shop is located in Roppongi (address here) and is located on the 2nd floor of a small building. The experience is an immersive 1-1, where the staff will walk you through each scent and concept. I had no idea I would be walking out with a few purchases.
My feedback: The perfume lasted me for more than half the day, and lingered gently towards the end of the day. The scents are unique, comforting, and you can sense that the scent is Japanese inspired. If you are a fragrance lover, Parfum Satori is worth checking out to collect a unique souvenir where the scents are nothing like your big brands Byredo, Le Labo, Diptyque.
Matcha Tools & Matcha Powder
At the age of 30, somehow having a slow morning ritual sounds extremely appealing and building a small, simple matcha set-up seems like a great way to start. I am by no means an expert and really just purchased items I personally liked and items that I was interested to try.
Matcha Bowl was purchased at a corner shop at Kappabashi Street (address here). This shop actually specializes in selling coffee wholesale items, and I just happened to see a matcha bowl design that I personally liked within my budget, around 3000JPY. I was looking for matcha bowls at more popular shops on the street (Fu Wa Ri and Dengama), but the designs within the 3000-4000JPY price range were not my preference, and the ones I did like were between the price range of 12000-15000JPY *way beyond my budget for my first matcha bowl.
Matcha Whisk Stand I found at Fu Wa Ri for within 1000JPY and the Matcha Whisk itself I found in one of the wholesale shops on the Kappabashi Street. Some of the more local looking shops offer the whisk at a much cheaper price, I got mine for around 2000JPY, which is not that bad compared to the ones sold at Matcha Drink Shops. Quite a few stores sell the Matcha Whisk on the Kappabashi street, so if you are not in a rush, you can choose to slowly browse and compare the price point before making your purchase.
Matcha Strainer I found in the Tsukiji Market for 900 JPY. The only reason I didn’t pick this up at the Kappabashi street is because I forgot. I found that you can find cheaper strainers at 600JPY but the strainer I saw had a wooden handle. I would be conscious of wooden handle strainers need to be taken care of more meticulously to prevent any molding.
Matcha Powders: I bought 3 different types, purchased at Atelier Matcha (Ginza location), Matcha Stand Tokyo (Tsukiji Market location), and a small local shop in Akihabara. I haven’t had a chance to try each matcha powder, but will do a review on this in the future! I can share that having tried both the Atelier Matcha and the Matcha Stand Tokyo drinks, I personally preferred the Atelier Matcha.
Coffee Beans
Disclaimer, I am no coffee expert or coffee snot. But I do enjoy having coffee everyday. Here are 3 different brands and beans I purchased on this trip:
Flower Child are beans I purchased when I went to a coffee shop called BearPondEspresso. This coffee shop has an amazing dirty coffee, the ambiance and vibes are great, and this store was highly recommended by a local Japanese friend.
Koffee Mameya are beans I purchased when I went to the Koffee Mameya shop. They provide a 1-1 tailored coffee experience as they provide a large variety of beans from different regions and roasted differently. I’m not an expert, but I enjoyed the experience and their coffee so picked up 2 different beans to try out. Note: if you want to visit their shop, you should arrive 15-30 min before opening. Once the store opens, the que will become ridiculously long as they only do 1-1 experience allowing 3 groups inside at once.
Ethiopia Honey by Shirabushi is a brand that originates from Bongen Coffee. Bongen Coffee is currently a viral coffee shop, that I did not have the chance to experience. I have heard mixed reviews and wasn’t sure if a 1-2 hour wait would be worth my time. But an influencer I follow did share a tip that their coffees are actually available at LOFT, and I purchased mine from the LOFT in Ginza and was able to get tax-refund as well.
Cosmetic and Medicine
I prefer to stock up on my cosmetics and skincare products in Korea, but there were a few items I had on my radar that I waned to try out this time. But as you can see, not a large haul. I made more purchase for medicine products, some which I have used before and some which are new.
DAMDAM Skincare – A Brand I’ve Been Eyeing
I’ve wanted to try DAMDAM for a while now, but it’s not easily available in Singapore. I picked up their face wash (which has a scrub-like consistency) and a serum. As someone with combination skin, I’ve been really enjoying both so far
Soft Stone Deodorant – A Travel-Friendly Essential
I picked up two deodorants, and the Soft Stone one stood out. It has a pleasant scent, a sleek minimalist design, and is perfect for traveling. While I don’t have strong body odor, I do sweat—and this deodorant keeps me quite fresh all day with minimal odor.
Quality 1st Face Mask – A Popular Pick, But Not for Me
I tried the gold-packaged Quality 1st face mask in the mornings, but I wasn’t a fan of the dewy finish it left behind. That said, I know many people swear by it, so it might work better for those who prefer a dewy look.
Ryukakusan Herbal Sugar Free Throat Tablet 龍角散 - For a dry winter in Japan, to soothe the throat
This brand is unbeatable when it comes to throat tablets or powders to help soothe the throat. Living in a more humid country, dry winters do affect my throat and this brand has been my go to for a few years now. They sell cough drops or little powder packets. They taste great and leave my through much more comfortable.
Taisho Stomatitis Ulcer Ointment
There are a few brands I’ve used for treating ulcers, and they are all quite good and effective. If you have a tendency to get ulcers from stress, heaty foods, lack of sleep, you can try to purchase both the ointment and the patches. I’ve used this brand for a while now and if I use the ointment when I sleep, the ulcer is usually much less inflamed and recovering by the morning.
Snacks and Foods
I love picking up snacks and local treats when I travel, but on this winter trip, my luggage space (and weight limit) didn’t allow for much. Still, I want to share some of my favorite re-purchases—items I’ve loved before and would highly recommend trying!
BUTTERSAND – My Ultimate Indulgence Cookie
BUTTERSAND is hands down my favorite indulgent cookie. It’s a sandwich-style treat with a rich, flavored filling. This time, I picked up the matcha and strawberry flavours. While I haven’t seen these in Singapore, I know they occasionally appear in pop-up stores in Taiwan.
ICHIRAN Instant Ramen – A Quick & Satisfying Meal
ICHIRAN is a staple in my pantry for a quick and easy meal. It’s a bit heavy to carry back, so I debated whether it was worth buying—but in the end, I couldn’t resist grabbing a box to stock up at home.
Yoshimi Sapporo Odori Oh! Toukibi Rice Crackers (Corn Flavored) – A Fun & Light Snack
Originally from Sapporo, these corn-flavored rice crackers are a snack I had enjoyed last year when I got to try a bag of these. Luckily, they were available at the Narita Airport Duty-Free section, which is where I picked mine up. They’re lightweight, come in a simple box with individually wrapped portions, and make a great travel-friendly treat.
New Finds: Hokkaido Soup Noodles & Godaime Hanayama Udon
This trip, I also picked up two new items: a pack of soup noodles from Hokkaido (from the airport) and the famous Godaime Hanayama Udon from the Ginza restaurant. After dining in and loving the udon, I had to bring home a packaged version to try.
Socks, because they are cute
I like fun socks and I clearly wanted to collect a few pairs on this trip.
What do I have to say about socks?
If you want to pick up the BEAMS socks, you can go to BEAMS in Shinjuku, which is this beautiful large building where you can have a full shopping experience. But of course, you could also get these socks at any other BEAMS store
The family mart socks are packaged nicely, and very available. They could be a fun souvenir gift that is lightweight and affordable.
My favorite socks I found are the 日本酒 and 燒酒 socks (which say Japanese wine and sake). I found these at a really cool store in Ueno, called Beaver. I highly recommend checking out their store for unique items. I would describe the select items they carry a merge between street fashion and granola.
If you made it through this whole blog piece, I am sure you are another TYPE A traveler. I hope this was helpful for you to decide on what to consider buying for your Tokyo travels!