Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate and chai, but it gets a little tiring every year to see the same food items during the beautiful spring season. If you are in Japan, aka the land of Cherry Blossoms, during the blooming months from February to April, you have the chance to gather some of the prettiest and limited-edition sakura items!
Check out these guides for both paid and free sakura souvenirs you’ll be able to pass into the collection instead of collecting just popular manufactured items:
Aesthetic Sakura Items to Collect:
1. Sakura-Themed Omamori
An omamori is a lucky amulet that you can find at different Japanese temples and shrines. Different symbols are supposed to bring different energies. For example, the Hello Kitty omamori symbolizes friendship (yes, there is a real shrine based on the cute kitty loved all over the globe in Togo Shrine in Harajuku, Tokyo). Around springtime, you can find pink cherry blossom/sakura motifs that can translate to love and luck.
Some places where you can find these sakura souvenirs are at the Sakura Jingu Shrine in Setagaya. and Hirano-jinja in Kyoto.
2. Keychain
I’ve seen various videos on how train stations in Japan give out gifts if you sign up for their mailing list for free. Origami paper, chopsticks, you name it.
This year, it is the JR East Souvenir Keychain available at the Tokyo Station, which you can acquire for FREE once you register for their mailing list. The keychain bears their logo and comes with a cute pink transparent Sakura motif that can be a rare find for cherry blossom souvenirs Japan shoppers!
3. Sakura Stamp
If you do a little research, you’ll get to know that one of the most popular FREE activities in Japan is ‘city stamping.’ It really is as it is titled, and you’ll find different spots to add in stamps in your collection from malls and train stations (eki stamping) to literal granite places such as this unique Sakura one below!
If you do a little research, you’ll get to know that one of the most popular FREE activities in Japan is ‘city stamping.’ It really is as it is titled, and you’ll find different spots to add in stamps in your collection from malls and train stations (eki stamping) to literal granite places such as this unique Sakura one below!
If you are in Narita-san Omote-sando in Tokyo, you’ll be able to find this cute flower on a granite floor.
4. Goshuin
Goshuin are artistic stamps found in shrines and temples, which you can get for ¥300-¥500. You can find cherry blossom souvenirs with a special handwritten temple seal during February to April. to the time of year at the sacred sites, including at the Sakura Shrine, Setagaya City, Tokyo.
5. Goshuin-Cho
You can collect all your Goshuins in a special stamp book,Goshin-Cho, which is sold at both religious places and even stationery shops in a variety of designs. If you manage to visit a temple or shrine during the pink season, you’ll be able to find the special one that makes a great cherry blossom item collection. The limited edition sakura Goshincho works as an amazing keepsake of your visits!
Disclaimer: As much as I love stationery and journaling, it is said to only use the Goshuincho for the purpose of strictly collecting Goshuin. Please do not use them as normal diaries or journals to write on.
6. Manhole Card
Okay, I get it. If you are hearing the title of this feature for the first time, you must be thinking, ‘What is a “Mahole Card”?’ Well, they are free cards distributed by different government bodies such as community centers, City Hall, and tourist information places, among others.
As if this concept weren’t unique enough, you can actually find a design that features a beautiful sakura season in full bloom on the manhole, and you get the card for free in Musashi-Koganei City, accessible via the JR Chuo Line in Tokyo.
7. Omikuji
Omikuji are fortune slips that you can get across in temples or shrines for around ¥300-¥500. Just like the Guichons, each location would be different. In a dollar or two, you may only get a slip in place, or in others, a small statuette!
You unfold the paper to know what your fortune says, and if you like it, you can take it home as cherry blossom souvenirs Japan or tie it to a place dedicated to it.
8. Tasurikawa
Did you know Japanese people recycle only card parts and use them to make charms that hang at the bottom of the car? These are called Tasurikawa, and I have found a perfect one you can attach to your car, a literal cherry blossom one!
9. Ema
An Ema is a wooden plaque . They usually have a folk or today’s anime set that represents a particular wish or purpose, such as love or fortune. This is another religious and cultural practice that you can find at different shrines and temples.
On the back of a wooden plaque, you write or draw a wish or a prayer! Then, hang them in the intended frames or racks at the shrine/temple. Similar to the process of tying up Omamori.
Still, since we are talking about limited edition sakura items, you can find these cute puppies with a background of blooming sakura ones at Kawagoi Hashiman Shrine and take your meals home as well as a reminder.
10. Goshuin Book Band
To keep your Goshuincho, or stamp books, which we talked about before, you can get cute cherry blossom items like this pink band with a sakura motif to keep your Goshuinchos perfectly aligned. If you keep on collecting goshuins at different sites, the nook may become bulky and increase the chances of crumbling. The secure elastic, such as this one, would not only look pretty but also make your book secure.
11. Special Tenugui
Tenugui is a printed or hand-dyed warm or cold towel that is used before eating to keep your hands clean and fresh. They can be used as a wall hanging or even be framed. The lightweight clothes make amazing wall art, and I’ve seen videos where people use them as a bandana, hairband, or in other ways, including wrapping a present in as well, making them a top choice for what to buy during cherry blossom season in Japan!
To End
This gets us to the end of our list. See, you can do so much more than just try the latest snack that includes Sakura as an ingredient. I hope you have found some amazing things you like on what to buy during cherry blossom season in Japan, whether they are regional, cultural, or just bear the immaculate cherry blossom aesthetic from this collection!
Note: All the images used belong to the cited sources and are used for informational and illustrative purposes only.
