21 Small Things Not to Miss In Japan

Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

1. Buy a Gachapon

Everywhere you go in Japan, you’ll see little machines that look like bubble gum machines stuffed full of tiny capsules – these are gachapon, and they are one of the cheapest souvenirs you can buy in Japan.

Well, apart from the fact that gachapon can become a bit addictive.

Gachapon capsules contain sets of tiny figures. And the level of detail is quite amazing.

I have one of a capybara soaking in the bath, which has the figure (complete with a towel on his head), a little bath, and a sake cup!

You find out what’s in the machine by looking at the pictures on the front – there are normally five or six different figures in a set, and you won’t know what you’ll get until you open the capsules.

Most gachapon cost around 200 yen so keep your 100 yen coins handy – although, if you go into one of the big gachapon arcades in Akihabara, Tokyo you’ll find change machines.

You’ll also find specialist gachapon at major tourist attractions and these sell sets relating to where you’ve been, which can be a nice (small) way to remember things.

Osaka gachapon are also quite interesting as the city has entire machines aimed at, erm, adults…

I admit I hadn’t been brave enough to turn the handle on one of those, but when I went on the Deep Backstreets Tour of Osaka (which shows you a side of the city you don’t get in most tourist guides and is recommended if you like the darker side of travel), they explained exactly what you’re going to find!

You might want to keep kids away from the machines that look like the above!!!

2. Visit a 100 Yen Shop

And say goodbye to an hour as you wander around filling your basket with everything from stationery and sweets to beauty products and kitchenware.

Look for shops with 100 written on the sign or some common 100 yen chains include Daiso and Can Do.

If you’ve got a little bit more to spend, then stores like Don Quixote and Hands (which used to be called Tokyu Hands) that sell a bit of everything are also a must-see.

Both of these types of stores are stuffed with things you never knew you needed.

I don’t really buy souvenirs but I have still come home with bath salts for my blood type (that’s an entire shelf of bath salts in Hands above) and notepads shaped like cats, sushi, and sardines. My friend even picked up a Godzilla humidifier!

The massage gadget area in the Hands in Shibuya is also very handy if you’re suffering aches and pains on your trip as there’s a heap you can try out – I did walk away with one of them though!

3. Collect Ink Stamps

Kids will love this. Lots of tourist attractions and even stations, temples, museums, and airports have a little ink stamp that they will stamp onto paper for you. Get them a little notepad and make it a thing.

This is mine from Okunoshima, aka Bunny Island – yes, there is an entire island full of rabbits off the coast of Japan which is another cool thing to do in Japan – you can reach it as an easy day trip from Hiroshima or a longer day trip from Osaka or Kyoto.

4. Buy a Hot Drink from a Vending Machine.

Not only it is delicious – but how cool is the idea of hot drinks in a bottle from a machine?

If you want to try it, note that the blue buttons are for cold drinks, red ones are hot.

My favorite is the milk tea below. It’s perfect on a cold day (and as you can tell by the fact that I’m wearing gloves, this was a very cold day).

I even wrote a whole post on it – it’s that good!

Also, kind of fun, if you can find one that will work for you, is an alcohol-vending machine. Just the idea of being able to buy booze from a machine is intriguing.

Most machines should ask you for some kind of proof of age card, but I have found ones that don’t. Note: This is not a license for anyone under 18 to use one!!!!

5. Find The Strangest Thing in Vending Machine

This is my favorite thing to do – there are some rather odd things out there (although, forget what you’ve heard about finding ones selling undergarments; they do exist, but not on the street).

Mostly, it’s unusual foods and drinks – I’ve found spaghetti sauce, dashi stock (used to make soup), wagyu beef (that even local people were taking photos of), and a hot sweetcorn drink that I do not need to try again.

One of the most unusual machines I know about in Tokyo is the banana vending machine in Shibuya (above). You’ll find this at the Village Vanguard store near Shibuya Crossing.

Another set of really odd machines is located in Akihabara. You’ll find these on Yanagihara Dori, close to the Mansai Bridge – they’re stuffed with what looks like end-of-line goodies, and also some wrapped-up boxes that contain ‘mystery’ goodies!

We added this as one of the ‘Japlanease picks’ stops in our post on how to spend four days in Tokyo – that covers the big sites and a few surprises like this so, if it sounds fun, make sure you check that out after this.

The insects above are plastic, but there are vending machines that sell insect snacks in Ueno, Akihabara, and Nakano Broadway – and I found one of these in Osaka. Find it by the Pocket Change currency exchange right by Dotonbori Bridge

6. Taste a Konbini Sandwich

If you come from a country where the idea of eating out of a 7-11 is something you’d only do on a dare, the Japanese convenience stores (known as konbini) will blow you away.

They are clean and stocked full of things you actually want to eat – some even have seats for you to eat your dinner inside.

You can pick up cheap sushi snacks and all sorts of sweets, but the thing you must try is a convenience store sandwich – particularly the egg ones. These things are legendary among regular visitors to Japan and often appear on lists of what not to miss in Japan.

If the thought of egg makes you feel queasy, have a strawberry and cream one instead. Yes, someone put actual strawberries and cream in a sandwich – and it’s delicious.

Having consumed a lot of convenience store sandwiches over the years, Family Mart has the best egg sandwich. 7-11 has the best sides to go with it!

7. Put the TV On

My most vivid memory from my first-ever trip to Japan in about 2004 was standing in a hotel room watching what looked like a giant brick with teeth in a rowing boat shouting DOMO! on the television.

I had no clue what was going on (I now know this is Domo-kun and he’s very famous) – and every time I’ve got back since, I’ve found something else equally as baffling like the show below, which seemed to involve a guy running around the countryside collecting bugs.

I couldn’t stop watching it.

If you happen to be in your hotel in the evening, pop the television on and flick around the channels to see what you can find.

Watching TV is also a good way to feel like you’re not missing out on the culture if you need a night holed up in your hotel room with a kombini dinner!

I do this at least once on every solo trip I take to recharge my batteries – and rest my feet.

In fact, the Japanese have a word for finding joy in space that I think sums up these nights in quite nicely. It’s called Ma – see more about it here.

8. Check out the Manholes

You’ll find some unusual manhole designs around Japan.

Apparently, the idea began in the 1980s as a way of bringing attention to the important work of the sewer system and how regularly it’s maintained, but now, many areas around the country have themed covers.

There are over 10,000 different designs around Japan, including everything from images of buildings to flowers and lots of cute characters.

The one above is from Nara, which is known for its’ deer. If you look at the ground around the famous Hachiko Statue in Shibuya, you’ll see Hachiko manhole covers (check our Hachiko post to find a picture of a Hachiko-themed cover and more Hachiko info)

Also, look for different vending machine designs as they can also be themed in some places.

9. Look for Street Kawaii

The Japanese word for cute is kawaii – and it permeates the whole society.

You won’t just find roads coned off with boring pointy cones; they’ll have flowers stuck on them – or you’ll find them using rows of large plastic animals.

If you walk past fire stations or building sites, look for cute mascots like this one. Kawaii is everywhere.

10. Go to a Depachika

The basement of most Japanese Department Stores are made up of food halls known as a depachika – and, if you’re a foodie, you’ll want to visit at least once to see the amazing array of beautiful sweets, ornate biscuits, and ready-to-eat savory goodies.

Also, stop off at the fruit department. Certain fruits in Japan come with a very high price tag and are often individually wrapped as gifts.

You’ll find a list of some of the best depachika in Tokyo here, but they are all over Japan.

Top Tip for Budget Travelers

If you’re on a budget, depachika mark down the food just before closing, and it’s a great place to pick up cheap sushi or, ready-to-cook dishes if your accommodation has a kitchen.

11. Get Sushi from a Train

Sushi trains aren’t new – most countries now have what we call a sushi train, which is sushi that goes around on a conveyor belt.

These were invented in Osaka and they can be a great way to pick up a lower-priced or, less intimidating meal.

However, some sushi restaurants don’t work with quite the same system, Instead, you order from a menu but the dish comes delivered by conveyor belt – and in some stores, it’s carried on a gizmo shaped like a little shinkansen. I was a bit delighted by this when I first saw it.

Look for a chain called Sushi Go Round, which has branches in Shinjuku and Shibuya.

There’s also a curry restaurant in Shibuya called Niagra that delivers Japanese curry on the back of a train!

12. Go to the Roadside Services

This isn’t going to work for everyone, but if you are driving at any point in your Japan trip, then definitely stop at one of the roadside service stations. They are such fun.

They have shops inside selling lots of local merchandise – one I stopped at in Shimonseki in Western Japan was even selling fugu (yes, the fish that can kill you if you eat the wrong bit!)

13. Eat an Ekiben

If you’re going on a longer journey by bullet train, you might want a snack or meal on your journey – and, while a snack trolley will come through the train, don’t miss out on buying a station bento (or ekiben as it’s known).

They are absolutely beautiful in their design, and even though you might not know what everything is, the fact that it’s delivered in a tiny bite-sized mouthful means that even if you don’t like it, you can move to the next taste pretty quickly.

Just be careful how you carry them – this one had to have a little makeover before it was photographed because I didn’t take that advice!

14. Buy Some Sweets

Japan has some great sweets.

You’ve probably heard about the different flavours of KitKat in Japan and have trying a few of those on your list, but also look at other sweets.

My favorites are made by a company called Bourbon and they are actually little biscuits covered in, or filled with chocolate – but because this is Japan, they come in adorable shapes like mini burgers or tiny fir trees.

Other good ones to try include Crunky, Pocky, and Hello Panda.

15. Look at the Ema

Ema are the wooden plaques you see in shrines and temples.

Their main job is to convey wishes to the gods of the shrine, and people buy them and write on them – but each shrine has its own design, and they can be quite interesting.

At the Makami-Jinja shrine in Kyoto, for example, you’ll find figures with long hair, as the shrine is said to bless all things follicular.

The Gotokuji shrine famous for its waving cats; not surprisingly, has a waving cat on its ema, and the Kanda Myojin shrine in Akihabara has anime versions.

The ones above are at the shrine in Matsue Castle.

16. Find the Mickey Mouse Soap Dispenser

This one only applies if you are going to Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea on your trip, but if you are, don’t miss the soap dispensers that squish out the soap in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head.

There’s one in Critter Country in Tokyo Disneyland and two at Tokyo DisneySea, including one in American Waterfront and this one below near Mysterious Island.

Sometimes, they change things up – they recently made them dispense Donald Duck feet-shaped soap!

If you want the full details, you’ll find a link to the locations (including maps) and exact details on how to use the dispensers here. 

Top Tip: Buy Your Disney Tickets in Advance

Right now, you have to book Tokyo Disney tickets in advance and name the date you want to visit you can’t just walk up to the gate and buy them.

17. Find Your Favourite Train Song

As a train pulls into many of the stations in Tokyo, you’ll hear a little tune play, and every station has its own song.

Some of the most memorable are a version of Take Me Out The Ball Game at Korauen station and the Astroboy theme tune at Takadanobaba (which is also home to some cool Astroboy murals outside).

It’s also a good idea to keep your ears peeled elsewhere too.

100 sounds around Japan have been designated as extra special soundscapes of Japan, including the Singing Sand at Kotogahama Beach in Shimane, numerous waterfalls, including the beautiful Nachi Falls in Wakayama, some temple bells, and the clacking of the bamboo in the Bamboo Forest in Kyoto.

18. Find the Cute Trains

You might have heard of the Hello Kitty Shinkansen – a special bullet train themed like your favorite cat in a bow, but it’s just one of the amazingly decorated trains you’ll find in Japan so always keep an eye out when you’re sitting on a platform.

For example, you’ll find more Hello Kitty trains going between Osaka’s Kansai Airport and the city; there’s a train with a zen garden on it that travels between Kyoto and Osaka at weekends (see more about this here).

If you travel on the Densha Electrical Railway from Wakayama to Kishi, you’ll find designs based on strawberries, toys, and the big draw – the cat-themed train that takes you to meet Tama, the cat stationmaster who works at Kishi.

There are also cute Pokemon trains, Doremon trams, and many many more.

19. Collect Goshuin

Normally, if you go to a temple, you’re there to see the design, but there are also many small things not to miss at Japanese temples. You’ll find fountains of youth, protective amulets to buy, and fortune-telling slips – but one of the nicest is the temple stamp, also known as a goshuin.

You collect these in a special book, and they are either drawn there for you, or, in some shrines or temples, you’ll buy it on a ready-printed sheet that you can stick in your book later.

They cost around 300-500 yen – the more ornate or limited edition designs can cost a little more.

Check out our longer piece on goshuin collection for more designs and details on goshuin etiquette

20: Go to a Stand Up Bar

We first started going to these to avoid the seat fee that you can sometimes be presented with if you sit down in a bar in Japan – while these aren’t expensive (especially as you don’t tip in Japan), if you like to bar hop, as we do, they can mount up, and so, we started adding stand up bars to our itinerary – and we soon found out that they were the best way to get chatting to Japanese people.

Because you’re all standing around the bar drinking it’s easier to get chatting to people around you. The pic above was taken in SuperJap bar in Osaka, where we had a really fun night discussing Japanese punk music and Adam and the Ants! Our guide to visiting a stand-up bar in Japan can help reduce any nerves.

21. Do Purikura

Purikura is a phenomenon in Japan. These photo booths don’t just allow you to take fun photos of yourself; you can also alter them in really fun ways.

I tried it when I went on a tour of Harajuku with the internet star CyberBunny – see more about what we got up to here.

So there you have it, 21 small details and experiences not to miss out on on your Japan trip. Which one do you want to add to your trip?

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