Ghibli (and other character) Stuff – the best stores in Japan

Inside a Village Vanguard store

We lived in Japan for 2 years a long time ago. That’s when I bought myself the prettiest wallet in the world, a Totoro wallet. It was big enough to fit all our stuff in (like 6 passports, 6 -or 12- boarding passes, currency from different places, credit cards and all that.

It was also big enough to be found easily inside my huge homeschool mom bag. I used it while I was in Japan, then through my over 6 years of NZ. It was old, it was tearing and peeling and dirty. I still loved it and didn’t want to let it go.

Well, then, when we decided to travel and carry only the essentials, the wallet needed to stay behind, as it wouldn’t fit inside my small new bag (the bag itself was the size of the wallet, can you imagine?). With the promise that we’d get a new one in Japan (our first stop), I carefully disposed of it, with tears in my eyes.

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In the Donguri Garden, just so adorable, Coral had a hard time understanding we couldn’t buy just the bow and the Jiji cat

Things almost never work as we want them to, so we spent a whole month in Japan going to store after store looking for a wallet and we did not find it. Not. one. single. Totoro. Wallet.

In the end, while we were wandering around Narita Airport, I found a Totoro card holder that now works as a wallet, but all that wandering gave us a lot to talk about: the Ghibli stores in Japan.

Where to find Ghibli stuff in Japan

Totoro, as Ghibli, is very popular in Japan and abroad. Many stores sell Ghibli things, all you have to do is look for it.

Even little stores have one thing or another that’s Ghibli related.

Chibi Maruko-chan, another much loved Japanese character

• I found gorgeous little Ghibli handkerchiefs in a mall in Suzuka, amongst bags and hats. I, later on, found the same ones at the Ghibli Museum store, for the same price. I also found many Totoro and Jiji (from Kiki’s delivery service) clothing items, like socks and t-shirts in many different places. There is, also, Ghibli stuff in the claw machines, which we couldn’t get.
• Mamma Aiuto, the official Ghibli Museum shop, is adorable and it has some things I didn’t see anywhere else, including some awesome jewelry. It tends to be a bit pricier than other shops, but the difference isn’t too big and there’s so much to choose from… I loved the shop, and I’d have loved it more if it’d been a bit easier to see what we wanted to. It was so crowded we couldn’t get near stuff not spend some time looking at them.

Inside a Pokémon Center, even I went nuts

• Village Vanguard is a variety shop, with LOADS of different and fun things. I loved the Ghibli part there, it was cheaper than other stores and nearly always free of people pushing you. In this store, there is so much nerdy stuff, like video game characters, old anime goods, awesome and funny food products…. It’s got a lot of stuff. Take your time wandering around, because it’s fun. There are many stores in Japan.
• Don Quijote is another variety store. It’s usually huge, with a lot of different things. We bought a lot of lollies to give out as souvenirs there because it has everything. We used to spend hours there, and we only wandered around the character and the food area. So. Many. Things. They’re everywhere in Japan…

These are moisturizers. Can you find the Neko Atsume one?

• And we also visited Donguri Garden, inside a mall in Tokyo (in Tokyo Station). It had loads of character goods, like Snoopy and Moomin, but the Ghibli area is big and it’s all official, so pretty and nicely arranged, I really felt like I wanted to buy everything. If only we weren’t backpacking….
• There’s the Donguri Republic, and they sell only Ghibli stuff. They are the prettiest stores, even more than the Ghibli Museum store! There’s just so much Totoro stuff – and a lot of the other characters, even the unknown ones. If you’re wondering ‘Where can I buy Totoro stuff?’, well, this is it. They have a lot of stores. We visited one in Osaka, one in Yokohama, and one in Tokyo, but there are many more around Japan! This is the real Totoro store.
• There was another Totoro shop just by Asakusa Train Station, and even though it was small, it had a lot of Ghibli items for a cheaper price than the other stores.
• After a lot of walk around Japan, I’ve found out that most department stores have a Ghibli corner. Seriously, you may need to walk around the 200 floors, but there’s always a little area full of lovely Ghibli things.
• And then, there’s Kiddy Land. It’s in Harajuku (Tokyo) and it’s one crazy store. Go visit it before you visit anywhere else because there’s just so many characters in one shop that we got very overwhelmed. Seriously.

Cream puffs from Shiro-Hige, aren’t they the cutest ever?

• And, of course, the cutest cream puff EVER, the Totoro cream puff, from Shiro-Hige! It was not the best choux in Japan, but it was so adorable…
  We went to this bakery because of these cute Totoro puffs, but this is not the only place. There are many bakeries that sell Totoro themed bread and cookies.
• For those not planning a visit to Japan, you may want to check Amazon for their Ghibli stuff! Click here to see them!

Hello Kitty at a Sanrio store

Other character stores in Japan

Most of the stores mentioned above sell other characters too. I’m gonna talk more about them here, though, so carry on.

• Besides Totoro, you’ll find other characters, like Hello Kitty everywhere. There are Sanrio stores (and they are just as adorable) everywhere, and there are the Sanrio character goods everywhere. We found even a ninja Hello Kitty in Iga-Ueno.
• In 2016, Gudetama, an egg character, was the boom, it was everywhere, in everything. It had even a café in Osaka. We went to the café, but neither Angelo nor I had the chance to try what we ordered because we had a little accident with Coral (she dropped her hot chocolate all over her) and the kids didn’t like their food. But it was one cute place.

Star Wars session in a Disney Store, can’t even find the words.

• Disney stores are also everywhere and they are amazing! The sales sessions are to die for.
• Pokémon Centers are also all around Japan, and my boys had a blast there. Some branches are bigger than others, but they’re all crazy. There are more foreigner adults there than actual kids. There’s just too much Pokemon stuff, from edible stuff like instant ramen to plush toys, clothing items, cards, and more.
• There’s also Neko Atsume. They aren’t as big as the others, but there are many Neko Atsume stuff all around Japan.
• Village Vanguard, as mentioned above, is one great shop for a variety of characters. It’s insane. My Kirby (a pink ball that swallows everything. It’s a game character) loving kid goes crazy whenever we visit a branch. And they also have some amazing souvenirs and prank goods. It’s worth a visit.
• Kiddy Land is an adorable shop in Tokyo that sells character things. There are Hello Kitty, Snoopy, We Bear Bear, Adventure Time, Disney, Ghibli, Marvel, Star Wars, and just so much more! You can spend hours there. It’s never-ending.
• Don Quijote is a huge variety store that’s everywhere in Japan. Everywhere. They sell food, socks, electronics, everything. The stores usually have a floor reserved for character stuff, and it goes from Hello Kitty to more traditional ones like Doraemon and Shin-chan, to Sponge Bob.
• And our last discovery was a shop named Toy Sapiens (in Tokyo too), which sells Funko POP characters and so many other things from Western characters, movies, and all! We loved it!

Seriously prepare your wallet, reserve a part of your budget, and then visit them. So much fun!

What’s your favorite Japanese character? Let us know in the comments!

A pin to make life a little bit easier

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