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Thursday, May 24, 2012

CULTURE

Tokyo Trinkets

Tokyo Street

While many Japanese consider plenty of Western products worth obsessing over—Laduree macaroons and vintage Texas cowboy boots are particular cult favorites—the reverse is also true. Yet while a host of Japanese brands, from Muji to Pokemon to Uniqlo, are readily available in the U.S., the country nevertheless holds plenty of its own creations close. In fact, there's Japanese loot, from toys to clothing to electronics, that's super hard-to-find beyond the nation's borders. Unless, of course, you search eBay.

Tokyo Street (Photo Credit: Galina Barskaya)

  • New Tomica 103 Pokemon Pikachu Car (buy it now price, $6.99)
    The Japanese version of HotWheels, Tomicas are fashioned after everything from Pokemon characters to off-road trucks.

  • New Tsumori Chisato Embellished Hoodie Jacket (buy it now price, $24.99)
    While a limited amount of designer Tsumori Chisato's cool-but-cartoonish pieces is available in the States, her range is much broader in her home countryâ?"and much of it is more affordable than it is here. For example, while dresses sold in the U.S. often reach $800, in Tokyo, Chisator's store in the Daikanyama area of the city sells leggings for around $50 and dresses for as little as $160.

  • New LG L02B Unlocked Mobile Phone (buy it now price, $599.98)
    The iPhone may have been invented in Northern California, but the rest of the world's cool-looking phones come from Japan. This sleek flip phone is available in plenty of pretty colors, including this shell pink.

  • New Takara Jenny Sailor (buy it now price, $49.99)
    Jenny, the Japanese Barbie, is rarely found in the US. This version has Jenny dressed in her school uniform: a salior top and pleated skirt.

  • New Milk Fed Tote Bag (buy it now price, $33.99)
    Milk Fed, film director Sofia Coppola's 1990s fashion line, is alive and well in Japan. This cute set includes two tote bags and a polka dot handkerchief.

  • New Sharp Netwalker[/url] (starting bid, $499)
    Smaller than a netbook but bigger than a cell phone, these tiny laptops "or ultra-mini pcs, as they're often called"are all-the-rage in Tokyo.

  • Vintage Pachinko Machine (sold for $49.99)
    This game might be old-fashioned, but it's still ultra-popular across the Pacific. Many Americans buy vintage styles, like this one from Japan, and have them shipped to the US.

  • New Lowrys Farm Ruffle Tunic Dress (buy it now price, $27.50)
    Resplendent with pretty ruffles, florals and straw hats, contemporary brand Lowrys Farm captures Japanese streetwear trends without making its wearer look like a teeny bopping Harajuku girl. This ruffled dress, for instance, is banded at the hem for an edgier look.

  • New Monokuro Boo Tissue Box Cover (buy it now price, $13.90)
    While some U.S. geek sites sell Monokuro Boo plush toys, they've yet to pick up some of the more whimsical products branded with the silly-looking character. This funny plush tissue box cover, for instance, is nearly impossible to score. "

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