One thing I heard so much before our trip was, don’t second guess yourself. If there was something you wanted to get, buy it. And while I thought I took that advice, it turns out that I didn’t take that advice as much as I should have. There were things I wanted that I didn’t end up getting, and there were things I wanted but I didn’t buy enough of. Lesson learned and I won’t make that mistake again. But I will say, so far, nothing I brought home has turned out to be a waste.

That said, here is a look at what I did come home with and my honest opinion on all of it.

I have tried Matcha here in the States before, and honestly it was kind of yuck. I knew that I wanted to try Matcha in Japan, obviously given its origins. I love tea, all kinds, I always have. Matcha just seemed like there was way too much hype around a mediocre product. Then when I got to Japan, I tried it once and fell in love. I am not ordering Matcha in the US, but after my first try, I had it everywhere we went in Japan. I originally had a visit to Uji on my list for us. That got pushed off for other things. Then we randomly ran into fellow travelers from the Bay Area who highly recommended a trip to Uji to get all our Matcha fixings. Of course, we changed plans and set aside time for a day trip to Uji. More about that later, but as for what I picked up – I couldn’t be happier.

I purchased a variety of Matcha, some grassier, some more naturally sweet. I also ran across a locally made pottery store and that is where I picked up my chawan, chasen, chasen tate, and chashaku. I thought I took a photo of the shop, but turns out I didn’t.

Continuing with this trend are all of the things I picked up for my kitchen, this is another area that I wish I had gotten more. But what I did pick up were; metal mixing bowls, metal strainer, tongs, chopsticks (some custom engraved), chopstick holders, cute neko plate, vegetable knife, saucer, onigiri form, rice spatula, bamboo tea cup, bamboo cooking chopsticks, ramen bowl and bamboo spoons.

Some of these items I use near daily, some less often, and a few I am still too scared to use and ruin. I know, I know, they are meant to be used. I will get there. I will say, my favorite purchase in all of this are the metal tongs, mixing bowls (which all get used daily) and chopsticks. I learned a lot about the different styles of chopsticks, so it was really nice to pick up some that really work best for me.

We didn’t come back with a lot of miscellaneous stuff, but I think a nice variety. I like to collect magnets, so we ended up with 5. One of Mount Fuji, 3 cats for our three cats, and one cute black cat that looked like you might be able to hang something from his tail. Except the magnet isn’t strong enough, so it is just decoration. A few goodies from capsule machines, several pins from either the Harry Potter store or the capsule machines. If Jacob didn’t stop me, I would have gotten so many pins. Of course Jacob got a picture frame from his visit to Tokyo Skytree, a patch, teal golf balls that I talked him into, and some baseball cards.

Some favorites include a custom stamp we got from Don Quijote, my coin purse which was handmade and I used every day, the water bottle from the Harry Potter store in Harajuku (which I am using as I am typing this), and the bag I purchased that rolls up. The bag was one of the most used items on the trip, apart from our hand towels, which are not included in this picture. And finally, I am sure Jacob would say his favorites were the manga books. Apparently there is a new one sold each week and since we were there two weeks, he was able to get 2 of them. They are pretty impressive in size, detail, as well as how inexpensive they are. Even considering the conversion. And I am shocked that we managed to get them home in such good condition.

While we aren’t big shoppers, we did pick up some apparel. We both got a shirt from Kyoto. His was from Fushimi Inari and mine from Arashiyama. Most importantly, we bought shoes.

On a scenic walk we spotted some teal shoes in a store window. Obviously we went in so Jacob could try them on. We did not know that they are leather, made from a species of kangaroo, until after we decided that we loved them. Don’t judge, the rest of the shoes were from Converse. I wanted to buy so many pair, but Jacob kept me at 3. One pair of blue-grey-ish and one pair of black. The black are slightly different than you get in the States as they are made in Japan. The others are exclusive to Japan and have support that you don’t find here. Jacob also got himself a pair of the black, made in Japan. And you betcha, we both took home a pair of the exclusive Jurassic Park pattern.

I don’t think I brought home a lot of health and beauty products, but I do think I got a variety. Which means, I have not had a chance to try all of them, yet.

The Fino hair masks are one of those viral products you see everywhere. At first I was confused about why you would want to buy this in bulk. Then I learned, unlike a traditional hair mask that is recommended for once a week use, this product is recommended for daily use. And yes, you can buy this product in the States, however, it is much more expensive. Next time I am in Japan, I will be buying more of this. I haven’t been using it long, and I haven’t used it for every wash, but so far I really do love the way it makes my hair feel. Since my radiation treatment, I have really struggled with moisture and damage. And now that I have such curly hair, it is always thirsty. This product really helps. Also, not pictured, I pair this with the &Honey oil and my hair absolutely loves it!

As for the head and neck products, people really raved about these and I look forward to trying them. I just haven’t yet. Honestly, I forgot I had them. Ooops.

Last, but certainly not least, is all the skincare that I purchased.

There are 6 different types of face masks: Sakura, Lululun, Derma Laser, Keana Tightening Mask and Keana Moisture Mask, and Biadance. So far, I have only tried the Keana Moisture Mask, but I have gifted some of these to others who have raved about them. Yes, I have turned into a person who does a face mask every night and it is amazing.

Sunscreen: I brought back 4 bottles, 2 types, 3 different types of application. Nivea Gel and Biore Aqua. So far, I have included the Biore Aqua Rich in my daily skin care routine. It feels so refreshing to put on, it actually makes me want to wear sunscreen on my face.

I also purchased the Melano CC lotion and Gokujyun Premium lotion. For context, lotion in Japan is essentially what we call a toner. I started using the Gokujyun Premium lotion and purchased the cream (lotion as we know it) that goes with it. This has been my daily skincare routine along with the Biore Aqua Rich sunscreen, and my seborrheic dermatitis has been the most under control it has ever been since I was first diagnosed 20+ years ago. So safe to say, the hype is real.

3 other products I have not tried yet are the Hirosophy Tokyo Caviar eye cream (will open this once I finish the current eye cream I am using), VC Vitamin C Special Essence, and Hijiriko Moisture Essence. Essence is their recommended second step in the skincare routine and is a priming step before you apply serums or creams. I have only not tried these yet because I didn’t want to introduce too many new products at once to my routine.

With my skin condition, skincare has always been a challenge for me. But right now, my skin is in the best shape of it’s adult life. Japanese skincare is absolutely worth the hype.