This is the fourth part in a complete guide series on LOFT Shibuya, focusing on the best gifts you can buy from here.
Why Shop at Shibuya’s LOFT for Japanese Souvenirs?
Shibuya LOFT is a 7 floor lifestyle and household department speciality store. It is the biggest LOFT store in all of Tokyo and Japan. You will find good quality and authentic Japanese souvenirs on the 1F of Shibuya’s LOFT, with most items costing under ¥3,000 ($20). They make for good budget-friendly gifts.
The selection of souvenirs on the 1F are also diverse, from smartphone accessories that blend functionality with Japanese design sensibilities, seasonal greeting cards including traditional nengajo (New Year’s cards), and even a small MoMA Design Store corner featuring unique Japanese high quality, trendy art-inspired goods and modern home decor.
Whether you’re shopping for someone who loves traditional Japanese culture or prefers modern minimalist design, LOFT offers a good mix of traditional and contemporary items. These are the top 8 authentic Japanese souvenirs to take home from Shibuya’s LOFT.
Key Information
- Name｜ LOFT Shibuya
- Address｜21-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0042 ｜Google Map Link
- Tranportation｜4 minute walk from Shibuya Station (closest exit: A3c/b)
- Opening Hours｜11:00 – 21:00
- Official Website｜ https://www.loft.co.jp/en/
- Social Media｜ https://www.instagram.com/LOFT_SHIBUYA/
- Paying Methods｜Credit cards (i.e American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club International, Saison Card International, JCB, UC, UFJ Card, DC, & Nicos), cash (only accept JPY), and digital payments (i.e China Union Pay)
1. Tenugui (Japanese Hand Towels)
Price Range: ¥1,100-¥1,300
Tenugui are far more than simple cloth squares. These traditional Japanese cotton towels, typically measuring 35cm by 90cm, have been cherished since the Heian period and represent a longstanding tradition of textile craftsmanship and everyday elegance. These beautifully designed towels come in various patterns, from subtle geometric designs to seasonal motifs featuring cherry blossoms, autumn leaves, or traditional wave patterns.
What makes tenugui excellent gifts is their remarkable versatility. They can be used as hand towels with superior absorbency and quick-drying properties, gift wrapping cloth (eco-friendly and reusable), lunch box wrappers tied to form a convenient handle, fashionable headbands or neck scarves, wall hangings or tapestries for home decor, table runners or placemats, dish towels and cleaning cloths, or even book covers and bottle wraps. The quality of the fabric—often fine cotton with traditional dyeing techniques—ensures they’ll last for years and actually soften with continued use.
The traditional unfinished edges allow for quick drying, making them more hygienic than regular towels. For less than ¥1,500, you’re giving something both beautiful and useful that reflects Japanese attention to detail in everyday objects.
2. Kimono Bottle Wear
Price Range: ¥1,200-¥1,800
Taking a bottle of wine or champagne to a dinner party is a universal gesture, but presenting it in a Japanese wine bottle cover elevates the gift to something memorable. These decorative fabric covers feature traditional Japanese patterns and utilize wrapping techniques that have been refined over centuries.
They’re ideal for alcohol enthusiasts, dinner party hosts, or anyone who appreciates cultural touches in their everyday life. After the wine is enjoyed, the cover itself becomes a keepsake—a beautiful textile piece that can be reused for future bottles or repurposed as decoration.
3. Fridge Magnets
Price: ¥363-¥1000
Sometimes the best souvenirs are the smallest ones. These fridge magnets won’t strain your budget, but they pack plenty of Japanese charm. Designs range from iconic imagery like Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms to traditional motifs such as cranes, waves, and geometric patterns, as well as Japanese themed food magnets, like sushi, fish, dango and more!
A standout collection features the Art Magnets line crafted in Gifu Prefecture, a renowned ceramic production area famous for tile making. At just ¥700, these Mino ware tile magnets showcase authentic 3D textures that you can actually feel, elevating them beyond typical flat magnets. The designs celebrate traditional Japanese culture with samurais, sumo wrestlers, goldfish, and oni (demons), each piece reflecting centuries of ceramic craftsmanship.
These magnets are perfect for colleagues, neighbors, or anyone who appreciates a small token from your travels. They’re lightweight enough not to add bulk to your luggage, yet meaningful, representing Japanese culture with its aesthetics/designs. Consider buying several to create a small collection as a single gift or to distribute among multiple people.
4. Daruma Dolls
Price Range: ¥800-¥1,600
Few Japanese items carry as much symbolic weight as the daruma doll. These round, hollow dolls are modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, and embody the spirit of perseverance and goal-setting.
The tradition is when you purchase a daruma, you colour in one eye while setting a goal or making a wish, then color in the second eye only when you’ve achieved it. This makes daruma dolls particularly meaningful gifts for friends or family members embarking on new ventures—starting a business, pursuing a degree, training for a marathon, or beginning a New Year with fresh resolutions.
Beyond their spiritual significance, daruma dolls are great decorative objects with their different colors carrying specific meanings:
- Red: Good fortune and prosperity (most common and traditional)
- White: Purity and goal attainment (popular with students)
- Gold/yellow: Financial success and wealth
- Black: Protection against evil
- Green: Health and physical well-being
- Blue: Career success
- Purple: Personal development, health, and longevity
- Pink: Love, relationships, and romance
Their bold colors and determined facial expression add character to any desk, shelf, or meditation space. For under ¥2,000, you’re giving a gift that combines cultural tradition, personal motivation, and home decor.
5. Maneki Neko (Lucky Cat)
Price Range: ¥900-¥2,500
The maneki neko is one of Japan’s most recognizable symbols of good fortune. With its raised paw appearing to wave or beckon, this charming figurine has been welcoming prosperity into Japanese homes and businesses for centuries.
The positioning and color of the cat carry specific meanings. A left paw raised attracts customers and foot traffic, making it ideal for business owners and entrepreneurs. A right paw raised beckons wealth and good luck for personal prosperity.
Colour meanings include:
- White: Happiness and positive energy (most common)
- Gold/yellow: Wealth and financial fortune, especially popular for business prosperity
- Black: Wards off evil spirits and protects against misfortune
- Pink: Love and romance
- Calico/Tricolor (white, black, and orange): The most auspicious and luckiest version, bringing exceptional fortune and overall good luck
These figurines range from small desk-sized versions to larger statement pieces, allowing you to choose based on your budget and the recipient’s space. They make excellent housewarming gifts or thoughtful presents for anyone starting a new business or career..
6. Paper Crane Earrings
Price: ¥1,100
For a gift that’s both elegant and meaningful, paper crane earrings are hard to beat. These delicate earrings transform origami—the traditional Japanese paper-folding art—into wearable jewelry. The miniature cranes are crafted with remarkable attention to detail, capturing the graceful lines of folded paper in durable materials.
In Japanese culture, cranes symbolize peace, hope, and longevity. The tradition of folding 1,000 paper cranes to make a wish is known worldwide, making these earrings instantly recognizable and culturally significant. They’re lightweight enough for all-day wear and subtle enough to complement any outfit, from casual to formal.
These earrings are perfect for girlfriends, mothers, partners, sisters, or any jewelry lover who appreciates pieces with deeper meaning. They’re great gifts that blend traditional Japanese symbolism with contemporary fashion.
7. Japanese Keychains
Price Range: ¥600-¥1,200
Keychains might seem like simple souvenirs, but the ones at Shibuya’s LOFT offer surprising variety. You can choose from daruma dolls, fox masks, maneki neko, samurai, mount fuji, kimono dolls, and more.
The fox designs are particularly popular. In Japanese folklore, foxes (kitsune) are messengers of Inari, the deity of prosperity, success, and agriculture. Carrying a fox keychain is believed to bring good fortune in business and personal endeavors. Meanwhile, daruma keychains offer portable motivation, and lucky cat versions promise prosperity on the go.
These practical souvenirs add Japanese style to everyday items like keys, bags, or backpacks. They’re affordable enough to buy in multiples, making them ideal for group gifts, or thank-you presents for people who helped with your trip planning!
8. Furin (Wind Chimes)
Price Range: ¥1,500-¥2,800
Japanese wind chimes, called furin, are among the most elegant and thoughtful gifts you can bring home. These delicate bells—traditionally made from glass but also available in metal—create gentle, melodious sounds when touched by the breeze.
Furin are quintessentially Japanese summer decorations, historically hung outside homes to provide a psychological cooling effect through their sound. The gentle tinkling is believed to create a sense of refreshment even on hot, still days. Beyond this practical purpose, wind chimes add a meditative quality to any space, their random music encouraging mindfulness and presence.
They can be hung by a window indoors or outside on a porch or patio, making them versatile gifts for various living situations. The visual beauty of Japanese wind chimes often features decorative painted glass, ceramic, or artistic metalwork. You will find authentic Japanese designs from Mount Fuji, daruma dolls, paper cranes and more! For families, homeowners, or anyone who appreciates design and tranquil environments, furin makes for a clever and memorable gift.
Which of these Japanese souvenirs are you going to buy from Shibuya’s LOFT?
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I’m a travel and content writer, occasionally publishing pieces and short stories on Medium. I love to travel within and outside Japan as well as eat good food, dance, and read!
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