【Podcast】#11 おすすめの日本土産｜My Recommended OMIYAGE in Japan

Answer these quiz questions if you’ve listened to a new episode of my podcast.

If it was difficult, read the transcript below and try again.

Good morning. Hello. Good afternoon.
I am a Japanese teacher, Emi.

How was your week, everyone?

Were you busy?
Did you study a lot?
Did you have fun?

I’ve been a little busy recently.

Last week, I took an IT test.
The test didn’t go very well.

But since I didn’t study, it’s Jigo-Jitoku.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “自業自得 (jigou jitoku)”?

This phrase is used when something bad happens as a result of your own actions.

For example, if there’s a test but you don’t study, and you get a bad score,
it’s because you didn’t study.
That’s “自業自得 (jigou jitoku).”

Well, I’m still glad I was able to take the test.
If I hadn’t taken it, I wouldn’t have studied at all, so in a way, it was good for me.

Also, my lessons have been keeping me busy lately.

I teach Japanese on a platform called Italki.
When I opened new lesson slots there, many people booked lessons with me.

Thank you, everyone!

Because of that, I’ve been a little busy, but I enjoy teaching, so I’m happy.
So, I look forward to working with you all!

Okay, now let’s check last week’s question.
Last week, I asked this question:

“What kind of souvenirs do you want to buy when you travel?”

So, what souvenirs would you buy if you came to Japan?
Do you have any recommendations?

I have some recommendations too, so today, I’d like to talk about my favorite Japanese souvenirs.

First, let’s check the new words I’ll be using in this podcast.
There are three.

The first one is 名物 (meibutsu).

There’s also a similar word, 名産 (meisan).
They have almost the same meaning.

名物 (meibutsu) or 名産 (meisan) refers to something famous from a particular place.

For example, Osaka’s famous specialties (Osaka Meibutsu) are takoyaki and okonomiyaki.
For Kyoto, its famous specialties (Kyoto Meibutsu) are matcha and temples.

It doesn’t have to be food—it just means something a place is well-known for.

The second word is 雑貨 (zakka).

雑貨 (zakka) refers to small miscellaneous items,
such as accessories, keychains, small clocks, and other small objects.

雑貨 (zakka), This is the second word.

The third word is 手作り (tezukuri).

It consists of the kanji for “hand” (手) and “make” (作り).

It means “handmade”—something made by hand rather than in a factory.
For example, handmade chopsticks or handmade sweets.

These are the three words: 名物, 雑貨, and 手作り.

I’ll be using them throughout this podcast.

Now, let’s move on to my recommended souvenirs!

I have 2 categories (to talk about.)

Since people often want to fit them into small spaces in their suitcase,

the first category is Small souvenirs, 
and I also thought about the category for Snacks.

I’ll talk about these 2 categories.

First, let’s talk about small souvenirs.

I have five recommendations.

The first one.

The first one is Omamori.

It is a small thing like a keychain you buy at shrines and temples.
But Omamori means “amulets” in English so it should be protected by God.

Yes, this is Omamori.

They are small and easy to carry, and they also reflect Japanese culture.

However, it’s better to buy them only for yourself or for close loved ones, rather than as random souvenirs because it would make God sad….

The second one.

The second one is Furoshiki.

Furoshiki…, It doesn’t mean “bath.”

Furoshiki looks like a large handkerchief, but actually, it’s a type of bag.
You can put various items inside this large piece of fabric and carry them.

Furoshiki is thin, so it fits in a small space.
You can also use it as a bag when needed, or even hang it on a wall at home like a tapestry.

Yes, this is the second one.
Furoshiki.

The third one.

The third one is Tenugui.

Tenugui is similar to Furoshiki and looks like a small handkerchief.
However, it’s a bit longer.
You can use it as a towel or hang it as decoration.

Some people use Tenugui to make handmade book covers.

Try to find a design you like and buy one.

The fourth one, is “a magnet”. A magnet.

When I travel, whether in Japan or abroad, I always buy a magnet.
Then, I stick it on my refrigerator.
Magnets are small, and they are great for collecting.

Magnets often have famous places, local specialties, or kanji written on them.
They help you remember where you traveled, so they make a great souvenir for yourself.

The fifth and final one in the small souvenirs category is “postcards.”

”Postcards.”

But these days, people don’t use postcards much.
You don’t write letters to yourself.
Also, you don’t often write letters to friends.

However, postcards are great to use as message cards when giving souvenirs.

For example, if you are giving chocolate as a souvenir, you can give a postcard together with it.

That way, the souvenir is not just a gift but also a memory, making it even more special.

Yes, these are the five small souvenirs.

Next, I will talk about the “snack” category.
I have three recommended snack souvenirs.

These three can be bought at supermarkets, and sometimes you can find them at train stations or souvenir shops.

So, the first one.
The first one—everyone knows this. It’s famous.

The first one is “KitKat.”
Everyone likes this, right?
I love it too.

And there are many kinds of KitKats.
Matcha, cheesecake, strawberry, and even wasabi.
There are really so many.

My recommendation is the sake-flavored KitKat.
Sake. Alcohol.
It’s chocolate with alcohol.

I’ve eaten it before, and it really tastes like sake.

If you like Japanese sake, you should definitely try it.

Next, the second one.

The second recommended snack souvenir is “Jagabee.” Jagabee.

This is a snack. A potato snack.
There is another potato snack called “Jagariko,” but Jagariko comes in a cup.
So, if you only have a small space, it’s a bit difficult. It’s a little big.

But Jagabee comes in small bags, so it’s compact.

Yes.

And the third one.
The last recommended snack souvenir.

This is “Black Thunder.”
This is also a chocolate snack.

It’s my favorite chocolate snack, and it doesn’t just have chocolate—there’s also a (cracked) biscuit inside, so it’s Zakuzaku.

“Zakuzaku” is the Japanese onomatopoeia meaning “Crunchy.”

Black Thunder is a small chocolate, and it’s probably sold for about 40 yen each.
But there are also big bags of Black Thunder snacks, so try buying that.

Yes, that’s my recommended souvenirs for the snack category.

And finally, I have thought of four good places to buy souvenirs.

First, the first place.
This is also a famous place.

“Don Quijote.” Donki.
Japanese people call it “Donki.”

If you want to buy a lot of snacks, Don Quijote is a good choice.

Don Quijote is cheap, sells many different kinds of things, and has large-sized snacks.
For example, if you have many coworkers or a large family, it’s good to buy snacks at Donki.
Yes.

And the second recommended place is “Daiso.” Daiso.

There are Daiso stores in other countries too.
But Japan’s Daiso has many different kinds of products.
It has a lot of items.

So, if you want to buy Japanese chopsticks, letter sets, pens, or small goods, Daiso is the cheapest.
But the quality is also good, so I recommend it.

I also use Daiso’s chopsticks at home.

Yes, that’s the second place.

And the third place is ”souvenir shops inside train stations.”

For example, people staying in big cities are staying near train stations, right?
There are many souvenir shops inside those train stations.

Souvenir shops inside train stations mostly sell food and snacks, but they also sell keychains and magnets.

There are also many souvenir shops at airports, but if you buy souvenirs at the airport, it’s hard to pack them when you leave.
It’s a little troublesome to open your big suitcase and put them in again.

So, I recommend buying them at the station before you go.

And the last recommendation.

The fourth recommended place to buy souvenirs is “Tokyo Skytree.”

Tokyo Skytree—I think many people go there for sightseeing.
It’s a tall tower.

But inside Tokyo Skytree, there are also many souvenir shops, and there are many unique souvenirs.

When I want to buy souvenirs for my students, I want to buy them at Skytree.
There are interesting small goods and foods, and choosing souvenirs is fun.

Also, there are anime goods too.

So, if you want to buy many kinds of souvenirs, I recommend Skytree.

Yes, those are my recommended souvenirs and places to buy souvenirs.

What kinds of things have you bought before?
Have you ever tried any interesting KitKat flavors?

Please let me know.

Now, I have a question for you today as always.

“Have you ever used a Jido-Hanbaiki in Japan?
What did you buy?”

Jido-Hanbaiki . This means a “vending machine.”

Next week, I will talk about vending machines in Japan.
You can buy drinks from vending machines, but it’s not just drinks.

I will also talk about interesting vending machines and interesting drinks.

Have you ever bought something interesting from a vending machine?
Please let me know in the comments!

A transcript for today’s podcast is on my website.
The website is en-nihongo.com .

I’d be very happy if you could share your thoughts/impressions or could answer the question I asked in this episode!

I’ll see you in the next episode.
Jaa ne-!