My fellow Perceptive Travel blog author Nia Malchik had a moment in the spotlight recently on the Going Places blog, which is part of the Cookie parenting magazine Web site.
Nia wrote about some fun wooden beads that she’d found for her son on a trip to Austria, and it got me to thinking about packable, easy-to-find kid’s souvenirs from other countries.
I thought I’d share photos of a couple of my favorites from Japan….
Kid-sized chopsticks and bento boxes.
They are a fun and inexpensive souvenir, and if your children are anime fans, it’s easy to find all sorts of anime bento boxes and chopsticks that go way beyond Power Rangers.
Any large Japanese department store will have an assortment, as will any toy store, houseware/kitchenware shop or large 100 Yen store (the equivalent of a Dollar General in the U.S.)
The bento box compartments are pretty teensy, but work well for small items like cheese cubes and grapes.
Plus, the “cool factor” when they are pulled out of a lunchbox is hard to beat.
Savvy use of chopsticks, however, may take a little more effort….
{ 2 comments }
I love bento boxes, and they’re perfect for picky kids who don’t like their different foods “touching”. Great tip.
Bento Boxes are great - I have trekked up to Japantown in San Francisco to find some for my child’s lunches. Actually, some of them are so nice that they would be great for an adult lunch too.
Thanks for the souvenir recommendation, I am always interested in alternatives to the norm!
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