Travel basics
Shopping and souvenirs
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Japanese ceramics as souvenirs: what the everyday pieces are for
Rice bowl, tea cup, teapot, sake flask, small dishes: what Japan's everyday tableware is called, what each piece is for, and what the Traditional Mark means. -
Carrying Japanese ceramics home in your luggage
Cabin bag or checked bag, how large a cabin bag may be, how to wrap a bowl so that nothing moves, and what Japan's tax-free refund asks of a traveler at the airport. -
Depachika: the food halls under Japan's department stores
A depachika is the food floor in the basement of a Japanese department store. What it sells, how food came to be in the basement beside the station, and when the boom began. -
What is a konbini? Japan's convenience stores and what they do
A konbini is a Japanese convenience store: a small self-service shop open long hours, every day of the year. What it sells, what else you can do there, and how it began in the 1970s. -
Omiyage: why travelers in Japan bring something home
Omiyage are things bought on a trip and handed out at home. Where the word comes from, how Edo-period pilgrimages shaped the custom, and how railways made local sweets travel.