souvenirs, of sorts
aka, the many things i brought back from taiwan and japan
This one goes out to the girlies who pack light so they can buy more. I mean, are you even living if you don’t come home with one more suitcase than you left with? Wouldn’t it be too easy if you weren’t stuffing every last crevice with random things you grabbed at the convenience store on the way out? If you didn’t have to hand carry something that is too precious to travel with the rest of your suitcases?
Trips to Asia are like shopping excursions that happen to involve some sightseeing or social obligations interspersed within. The goal is to check off as much of the shopping list as possible, and while doing so, take mental notes for other things that are worth keeping an eye out for.
My suitcases were filled with holiday gifts, which meant a lot of extra room to fill with new things. Gifts and sharable things, and some things for me.
So anyways, here’s the damage done after 3 weeks in Asia, and the source of my winter joy this year. And I genuinely think these are good purchases for any visitor.
This doesn’t even include the clothes and other personal shopping items I impulse bought.
TAIWAN: PINEAPPLE CAKE
Starting with the low hanging fruit, the obligatory haul. I admittedly went a bit overboard this year, but look at this spread and tell me it doesn’t feel like an accomplishment when it’s all laid out.
TAIWAN + JAPAN: TEA, and more tea
Listen, I really like tea, ok. And when in Taiwan and Japan there is no shortage of tea to drink and purchase for home. At any given time I have no fewer than 10 kinds of tea on hand, but my staples tend to be high mountain oolong tea, black tea, sencha and hojicha, so it made sense to stock up while at the source.
From Taiwan, I brought back half a kilo of really good high mountain oolong tea (ordered in bulk straight from, well, the mountain), and some nicely packaged boxes of tea bags for gifting. I love Zenique’s packaging because the tea bags match the design of each box. I also grabbed some dong ding oolong tea and sun moon lake black tea from Maji for gifting coworkers.
From Japan, I had to exert real self control. I stopped by Itoh Kyuemo and got some loose leaf sencha, hojicha, and a tin of matcha.
tea and pineapple cake, the perfect pairing, which made for very cute goodie bags for friends
TAIWAN + JAPAN: CERAMICS
Probably one of the most annoying and stressful things you can travel with, but I have very little self control when it comes to pretty ceramics. This wasn’t even everything I wanted, but I figured I could save some for future trips.
Since I got the tea already, it felt necessary to also purchase a vessel in which I can honorably brew the tea. This full tea set was a limited edition collaboration between an architect and Lohas, a pottery shop from Ying Ge, a township known for ceramics.
While in Kyoto, I had much less time than I hoped, and many of the shops I had bookmarked did not have hours compatible with my trip. Thankfully, I was able to go to Kawataki Kyoto Kitchen Shop in Nishiki Market on my last day, and picked up some pretty pieces.
Back in Taipei, I also stopped by some of my favorite shops in Zhong Shan and Dao Dao Cheng to peruse plates, bowls and everyday use items. Because I like to pretend that if I can make my home feel like an aesthetic cafe, I’ll be less inclined to spend absurd amounts of money going out.
TAIWAN: miscellaneous ARTISanal stuff
Taiwan has a thing for nostalgic streets and tourist areas that cater to local and foreign tourists, filled with cute shops and vendors selling local crafts and self-designed goods. It’s like Taiwanese Etsy but in real life. I always end up buying something. Do I need any of this? Nope. But it is a nice way to support small businesses and local communities.
TAIWAN + JAPAN: SKINCARE
When in Asia, one must stock up on Asian skincare. I swear by Asian sunscreen, so I always restock while I’m here. From drugstore staples like sheet masks to emerging brands for serums, I tell myself it’s cheaper here as I add more things to my basket.
JAPAN: DRUGSTORE HAUL
In Japan, all tourists are flooding the drugstores to hoard whatever is most trendy at the moment. On my layover in Tokyo, in addition to buying a hilarious amount of basics from Uniqlo (I mean, had to take advantage of the exchange rate), I stopped by a Don Quixote for some snacks for sharing and goodies for gifting (not pictured are the mini masks and Tiktok-viral color-changing lip balms).
JAPAN: MUJI HAUL
Literally can’t pass a Muji without stopping in, and when it is half the price that it is in New York AND duty free? I set out to stock up on essential oils for my diffuser but clearly got distracted in the snack aisle
TAIWAN: SNACKS, LOTS OF SNACKS
Food always feels like a somewhat responsible thing to purchase. As in, it’s fully consumable, so it’s not like adding to the amount of stuff I have in the longterm. It’s also usually an economically viable choice, dangerously so, because you don’t have to think before buying. But again, I file this under winter joy.
Stumbled upon this spice shop that not only had so many different kinds of chili seasoning products, but also had snackable options too.
Picked up some candy and dried fruit from Maji and my favorite Full Mountain health shop on Dihua Street.
bonus, drug store pick ups for everyday toiletry bag staples: really really minty gum (truly American gum and mints have nothing on Airwaves) and Strepsils, the cough drops I swear by (well, I swear by the traditional herbal ones but these are tastier)
TAIWAN: COOKING THINGS
In an adjacent category to snacks is cooking goods, pantry staples if you will. Purchases that feel practical, almost responsible, one could argue.
Shallot goose oil, perfect for mixing with noodles and steamed vegetables, and truly a staple in my household
Planning ahead for summer, winter melon sugar, perfect for refreshing drinks with lemon and aiyu jelly.
JAPAN: SAKE
Shopping to the very last minute. My hotel shuttle dropped me off at NRT a few hours before my flight, and well before crowds settled in so it was fast to enter the terminal. Which meant ample time to panic purchase alcohol at the duty free shops. Between the base price, special sales, tax-free and favorable exchange rates, it was a steal. Almost wanted to buy more. But then remembered I am already carrying too much stuff (see above, tea set). And didn’t want to have to deal with customs state side. So we capped it at two.
Dassai 39, retails for $40-50 plus tax in the US. Purchased for just under $20. No wonder everyone was going for the premiums (and no wonder there was a cap on how many bottles each person could buy).
Admittedly this was just a “fun” buy, one final impulse buy because idk I love yuzu flavored everything. Retails for $20-25 plus tax in the US, purchased for $15.
So now you see why I needed an extra suitcase?
see also
POST-TAIWAN SNACK HAULS
SNAPSHOTS FROM KYOTO