[2018 Edition] 10 Cute (Kawaii) Japanese Stationery That Make Perfect Souvenirs

1. Silicone Keyboard Brush

A zoo on your keyboard?! No, this is a proper cleaning tool. These are thin silicone brushes that attract and brush away the dust that builds up in the crevices of your keyboard. For 378 JPY (incl. tax), you can get a set with two brushes - a slim brush for small crevices and a wide one. They are shaped like cute animals so you can find joy in cleaning with them, and can be purchased at Tokyu Hands and LoFt.

2. Puzzle Erasers

These may look like cute little sweets, but they are actually erasers! They come in a variety of fun shapes that resemble the items you see in your daily life, and as expected of a Japanese product, they erase incredibly well! Despite being reasonably priced at 54 JPY (incl. tax) each, the quality is excellent. They can be purchased at stationery shops, hardware stores, and 100 JPY shops.

3. Masking Roll Stickers That Can Be Peeled Individually

These stickers are in rolls but can be peeled off individually, although unlike regular stickers, there’s no backing paper. There are several designs on each roll, so you can enjoy a new design every time you peel one off. There are a wide variety of designs available, such as the sunflowers and goldfish in the photo. It is sold at stores like Itoya and Tokyu Hands for 432 JPY (incl. tax) each.

4. Craft Stickers

The charming Blue Bird (360 JPY (excl. tax)) craft stickers depict the bluebird of happiness. You don\'t have to be a craft enthusiast to greatly enhance your photograph or card by simply sticking one of these lovely birds on. Doesn’t the thought of sending happiness home with a postcard warm your heart? In today’s day and age when emails and text messages are the main method of communication, give someone the treat of a heartfelt letter! The stickers are available at places like LoFt and Itoya.

5. Dr. Grip CL PlayBorder 0.3ｍｍ (Pastel Pink)

This is a mechanical pencil that you can customize. For example, you can remove the band on the grip and replace it with any color band that you like. You can also use stickers, nail polish, and masking tape on the cap to create a one-of-a-kind mechanical pencil. On top of that, the lead can be pushed out by shaking the pencil! You can also get this in ballpoint pen form. Regardless of what form you choose to get it in, it costs 500 JPY (excl. tax) and can be purchased at places like LoFT and Itoya.

6. Japanese Sticky Notes

Japan has its own unique variety of sticky notes, and among the many cute ones that you can find, the sticky notes depicting sumo wrestlers are highly recommended as souvenirs. They consist of bright and colorful illustrations of sumo wrestlers in several stances. Seeing the sumo wrestlers peek out of notebooks will make anyone cheerful! You can get a set that includes 15 sheets of 8 kinds of designs for 378 JPY (incl. tax), which can be purchased at places like LoFt and Tokyu Hands.

7. Various Japanese Postcards

The card sections of stores like LoFt and Tokyu Hands have a variety of different postcards. Ones depicting famous places in Japan and hand-drawn illustrations of animals and other motifs are particularly popular among travelers. Why not send postcards of places you\'ve visited to friends back home or purchase them to frame and decorate your house with? Some of them are not just uniquely Japanese, but are also beautiful enough to consider as art! Most of them are around 200 JPY, so explore your options and find some that you like.

8. Jabara Memogram

These are memo pads with distinctive Japanese designs. The manufacturer, Haibara, is a producer of washi (Japanese paper) that has been operating in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, for over 200 years. The memo pads are actually long sheets of paper with eye-catching, colorful Japanese patterns folded like accordions. Each piece can be torn off at the perforated fold. They are available for 648 JPY (incl. tax) at Haibara stores and other locations.

9. Origami

Do you know about origami, a traditional Japanese craft where subjects like animals are created by folding one piece of square paper? This is the REAL FAKE origami series that lets you fold realistic-looking animals using origami techniques. The instructions are in English and Japanese and come with illustrations. Make sure that you can do basic origami-folding techniques like yamaori (mountain fold) and taniori (valley fold) before starting! Through this set, you can experience the joy of creating shapes by folding a square piece of paper. One set costs 800 JPY (excl. tax), and it can be purchased at places like Itoya.

10. CAPSULE MINI COLOR 12

These are cute and portable color pencils in a small palm-sized case. Just 4mm in diameter and 4.5cm long, these small pencils come in 12 colors. They can be conveniently brought out whenever you feel like using them, so they may be small, but you will get a lot of use out of them. What a treat to be able to carry around 12 different colors so easily! They are available at LoFt for 250 JPY (excl. tax) per pack.

Japanese stationery are not just cute, but are also practical and of high quality. They make excellent souvenirs, so the next time you come to Japan, do consider picking some up!