Shopping for cheap souvenirs

One of the cheapest and best places to find Japanese souvenirs is the local Daiso, or dollar store. I visited the Daiso in Harajuku and spent a couple of hours shopping here. This particular Daiso was huge, with about 4 floors. The first floor you walk in has a souvenir section. You can find mini cat statues, post cards, and even clothing items. The basement floor is filled with food & kitchen products-like snacks or decorative plates. The top floors have a lot of character goods, art supplies, and even school related items. You will find Pokémon & Hello Kitty products here. The best part about shopping at a Daiso is that everything is around $1.

I was able to spend $20 worth of souvenirs for around 8 people. You can find cute bath bombs,  pokemon balls, hello kitty pasta, and mickey mouse water bottles for $1 each. My favorite section was probably the food floor. They have strips of candy, cookies, and chips only costing $1. They can be torn and divided to make little gift baskets, which is what I did. 
 

If you are looking for something a little more sentimental, try shopping around temples. Almost every temple you visit will have lucky charms or keychains for sale. They all have a different meaning, like good fortune, wealth, success, and health. The middle one pictured below is meant for those with feet or foot problems. There are also some that give protection while traveling by car or motorcycle. These small charms will cost anywhere from $3 to $5. The best temple shopping I experienced was in Asakusa. Sensō-ji temple is very famous, and there are several vendors. Its a great place to find charms, but I was also able to find a good price on a tea set, chopsticks, and even Pokémon cards.