The Best Japanese Gifts for Travelers
Looking for holiday gifts for the Japanese culture lover in your life? Moon Travel Guides, the celebrated publisher leading travelers since 1973, has got your back. Here’s our roundup of the best Japanese gifts for travelers, featuring guidebooks, home goods made in Japan, delicious treats for foodies, and more.
Musubi Kiln Japanese Teacup
This unique teacup features Hokusai’s Red Fuji, capturing the moment of the rising sun turning Mount Fuji red in a clear early morning.
Mochi — the traditional Japanese treat made of chewy rice dough — is a popular and versatile vehicle for all kinds of sweet and savory fillings, and easily molded into adorable shapes and characters that define Japan’s culture of cuteness. Food writer Kaori Becker’s easy-to-follow techniques for creating and cooking with mochi deliver the perfect mix of fun and tradition. Each colorful page brims with recipes for hand-pounded, steamed, and modern microwave mochi; fillings like rosewater, Nutella, black sesame, Oreo Cream Cheese, and Japanese plum wine; mochi-focused goodies like Bacon-Wrapped Mochi, Ozoni Soup, baked goods; and inspiration for shaping irresistibly charming mochi flowers, baby chicks, pandas, and more. Kawaii!!
- Walk through the city’s coolest neighborhoods, including Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Ginza, and more, with color-coded stops and turn-by-turn directions
- Find your scene with top ten lists for restaurants, nightlife, shopping, and more
- Get to know the real Tokyo on six customizable walks: Savor fresh sushi or delicious ramen, snack on yakitori in a neighborhood izakaya, and barhop through Shibuya. Walk under the famous cherry blossoms in the spring, watch a traditional kabuki performance, and make your way through a bustling morning fish market. Enter the imaginative world of master animator Hayao Miyazaki or marvel at historic temples and Buddhist monuments
- Explore on the go with foldout maps of each walking route and a removable full-city map, all in a handy guide that fits in your pocket
- Discover public transportation options like bike rentals, subway lines, and more
Check out our guides to more of the world’s best cities, so you can hit the ground running! Also available: Moon Barcelona Walks, Moon Berlin Walks, Moon New York City Walks, Moon Amsterdam Walks, Moon Paris Walks, Moon Rome Walks, and Moon London Walks.
Neco Hasami Bowl Set
For the cat lover in your life, this set of 4 porcelain bowls is the perfect size for dessert or side dishes. Made in Japan, they come in a lovely wooden gift box with a small illustration of a cat.
Yoku Moku Holiday Petit Cinq Delices Cookies
These all-natural butter creations are made in Tokyo and contain no additives, preservatives, or chemicals.
Gudetama’s name literally translates to “lazy egg,” and it’s how we all feel sometimes when it comes to cooking. But if you’re the kind of chef who doesn’t have time for complicated meals or long lists of ingredients, this cookbook is for you. From Japanese fare to pizza, egg salad, burgers, and tacos, this officially licensed cookbook will show you how to feast the lazy way with a collection of craveable comfort recipes inspired by everyone’s favorite lazy egg with the can’t-be-bothered attitude.
Organized into sections like barely awake breakfasts, lazy lunches, drowsy dinners, and tired treats, included here are 60 recipes, each helpfully including a lazy meter so you know just how much effort or lack thereof you’ll need to execute each dish. The Gudetama Cookbook is the perfect combination of easy cooking and a love of lazy living and is for everyone from novices to experienced home cooks. Also included are full-color illustrations, fun sidebars, and your favorite quotes and sayings from Gudetama.
Recipes include:
- Unmotivated Breakfast Sandwich
- Too Tired Tater Tot Bake
- Tuckered Out Tamago Sando (Japanese egg salad sandwich)
- Slow-Paced Short Ribs
- Maybe I’ll Make Meatloaf
- Stress-Free Strawberry Ice Cream Pie
- Easygoing Eggnog
And more!
Bon Voyage Tokyo Art Print
Whether they’re nostalgic for their trip to Japan or dreaming of going there someday, give them Rifle Paper Co’s illustrated ode to Tokyo, which was created from an original gouache painting.
Japanese classics
- Traditional octopus takoyaki
- Salmon onigiri (rice balls)
- Rice cups with salmon roe and seaweed
- Rangoon dumplings
- Arancini
- Cheesy hash brown bites
- Pigs in a blanket
- Jalapeno cornbread balls
- Matcha cake pops
- Molten brownie bites
- Sweet cream and berry dumplings
- . . . and many more!
Tenugui
Dating back to the Heian era (794-1192 AD), tenugui is a common household item in Japan. These versatile cloths can be used as anything from washcloths and hand towels to headbands.
You can find a variety of styles and patterns from Kiriko Made, a Portland-based Japanese textiles and apparel brand that encourages sustainability and zero waste.
- Flexible itineraries for 1 to 5 days in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima that can be combined into a longer trip
- Must-see highlights and unique experiences: Stroll Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Path, learn about Hiroshima’s history at the Peace Park, and marvel at the towering bronze Buddha in Nara’s Toda-ji temple. Get a taste of Tokyo’s epic nightlife, stay in a traditional ryokan, or soak up views of Mount Fuji
- The best local flavors: Indulge in a beautiful, multi-course kaiseiki, and feast on fresh sushi or savory ramen. Make your way through the largest fish market in Toyko, sample sake, and get acquainted with Japanese whiskeys at a tasting room
- Ideas for side trips from each city, including Yokohama, Nara, and Kobe
- Expert insight from American expat and longtime Tokyo local Jonathan DeHart
- Full-color photos and detailed maps throughout
- Background information on the landscape, history, and conduct and cultural customs of each city
- Helpful resources on Covid-19 and traveling to Japan
- Handy tools such as visa information, train travel tips, a Japanese phrasebook, and recommendations for seniors, LGBTQ+ travelers, travelers of color, families with children, and more
Spending more time exploring the whole country? Grab a copy of Moon Japan. Just hanging out in Tokyo? Check out Moon Tokyo Walks.
About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can’t wait to share their favorite places with you.
For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.
- Flexible itineraries including a two week ‘Best of Japan’ and a week in and around Tokyo
- The top sights and unique experiences: Wander the shrines and temples of Ueno-koen park and stop in Tokyo National Museum for world-renowned Japanese art. Learn about samurai heritage in Sanmachi Suji or zazen meditation at the Buddhist temples of Kyoto, and get an unforgettable lesson in 20th century history at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
- Outdoor adventures: Hike the trails of Mt. Fuji or the river-filled valley of Kamikochi and relax in a communal onsen hot spring. Ski or snowboard at a world-class resort, surf in the Pacific off the coast of Shikoku, or dive along the coral reefs of Okinawa
- The best local flavors: Feast on ramen or an elaborate spread of sushi, sample fresh seafood at the world’s largest fish market in Tokyo, and drink your way through the famed beer scene in Sapporo
- Honest insight from American expat and longtime Tokyo local Jonathan DeHart
- Full-color, vibrant photos throughout
- Detailed maps and useful tips for navigating public transportation
- Focused coverage of Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Kansai, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Okinawa, Tohoku and Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu, and more
- Helpful resources on Covid-19 and traveling to Japan
- Thorough background information on the landscape, wildlife, history, government, and culture
- Handy tools including health and safety tips, customs and conduct, and information for LGBTQ, female, and senior travelers, as well as families and travelers with disabilities
Just exploring the major cities? Check out Moon Tokyo, Kyoto & Hiroshima.
About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can’t wait to share their favorite places with you.
For more inspiration, follow @moonguides on social media.
Taiyaki Maker
Taiyaki, a Japanese cake commonly filled with red bean paste, are one of Japan’s most popular street foods.
This taiyaki iron includes instructions on how to fill your taiyaki with the traditional azuki bean paste or the filling of your choice, like peanut butter or jam. For anyone who loves experimenting in the kitchen, this gift is a winner.
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