Jastip from Japan: what people bring back from Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the most requested cities for jastip, and it is easy to see why. A lot of what people want from Japan is not expensive — it is just not sold anywhere else. Here is what travelers are most often asked to bring back, and how to ask for each so the right thing comes home.

Snacks with flavours you will not find elsewhere

Japanese confectionery makers release flavours made for the Japanese market — matcha, seasonal editions and regional varieties among them. KitKat is the best-known example, but the same is true across biscuits, chocolate and crisps.

Snacks are popular jastip items because they are light, inexpensive and easy to find in supermarkets, discount stores and convenience stores. They are also the easiest to get slightly wrong, because ranges change with the season.

How to ask: name the flavour if you have one in mind, and say whether you are happy with "whatever seasonal flavours are on the shelf". A jastiper who sends a photo of the shelf before buying is worth a lot here.

Stationery

Tokyo's stationery shops — from dedicated multi-floor stores to the stationery sections of large lifestyle stores — carry pens, notebooks, planners and paper goods that are hard to find abroad. Fine gel pens, washi tape, and limited-edition colour sets are frequent requests.

How to ask: give the exact product name and the colour or tip size. Stationery often comes in many near-identical versions, and "the pastel set" can mean several different things on the same shelf.

Matcha and tea

Japanese green tea, and matcha in particular, is a common request. Uji, near Kyoto, is one of the regions best known for it, and you will see it named on many tins.

How to ask: specify the grade or product name, the size of the tin, and whether you want a sealed container. If the jastiper is only in Tokyo, ask whether the product you want is sold there before assuming they can find it.

Capsule toys and figures

Capsule-toy machines (gacha or gashapon) are everywhere in Tokyo, and some stores are given over almost entirely to them. Each capsule is random within a series, so you are asking for a series, not a specific figure.

Boxed figures and collectibles are a different kind of request: they are more expensive, sometimes limited, and worth confirming in stock and in price before the jastiper buys.

How to ask: for capsule toys, name the series and how many capsules you want, and accept that the contents are random. For boxed figures, send the exact product name or a link, and ask the jastiper to confirm the box condition.

Sneakers and fashion

Japan sometimes gets colourways and collaborations that are not released elsewhere. Shoes are among the most valuable things a jastiper carries — and among the bulkiest.

How to ask: give your size in centimetres (Japanese sizing is listed that way), the exact colourway name, and whether you want the original box. Expect a higher jastip fee for boxed shoes; they take real suitcase space.

Timing a Tokyo order

Most of these items are bought in the last days of a trip, so that they spend as little time as possible in a hotel room. That means:

• Order before the trip's last order date — a jastiper needs time in the city to shop.
• For anything limited or seasonal, accept that it may be sold out, and agree in advance whether the jastiper should skip it or offer an alternative.
• Allow a few days after the trip's return date for delivery within Indonesia.

Finding someone going to Tokyo

Trips to Tokyo on SEENTIP show the dates, the last day to order, how many item slots are left and what the jastiper has listed. If what you want is not listed, you can request it and let travelers going to Tokyo quote it.

Before you send that request, it is worth reading what to check before you request an item from abroad.