This Is the One Souvenir You Should Get in Japan

Japan is a country where you should certainly bring an empty suitcase on a visit. There’s such amazing shopping, it’s hard to pin down a single must-have souvenir. But there is one little thing I can recommend for any visitor. More culturally meaningful than flavored Kit Kats, easier to get home than the much vaunted Toto Washlet, and certainly cheaper than a Visvim jacket: it is the common, pocket-sized omamori good luck charm.

Omamori are usually sold at shrines and temples. They usually take the form of a little brocade pouch containing a prayer, and you can buy different kinds based on specific needs. For example, there are charms for general good luck or a specific request like safe travel, getting pregnant, finding love, business success, or passing an exam. They are meant to be kept close to the person they protect, so you’ll often see them hanging from purses, key chains, and rearview mirrors.

The practice of wearing protective charms goes back at least a thousand years in Japan. Sutras would be carried in a pouch or scraps of cloth with the name of a god sewn into kimonos. By the 17th century, shrines and temples were selling bits of wood or cloth inscribed with their names or deities. Believers wore them on strings around their necks as talismans against illness and injury. Over time, this evolved into the colorful sachets seen today.

Omamori remain a huge part of Japanese culture, evolving with modern life. Kanda Myojin Shrine in the techie mecca Akihabara, for example, now sells omamori that protect electronics against damage or theft. Fukutoku Inari Shrine near Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) offers omamori for safe flights. Otori Shrine in Akasaka has a special omamori for golfers, since the character for “eagle” appears in the shrine’s name (“eagle” is a golfing term for two under par).

In fact, every shrine and temple has its own version. With a vast array of colors and designs, including even secular collaborations with Hello Kitty and other popular characters, you’ll undoubtedly find one that will look nice dangling from your bag. And with a price between 300 and 1,000 yen (about $2 to $6.80 USD), you can easily get one for everyone back home, too.

The best thing about omamori? After a year, they are supposed to be brought back to the issuing shrine or temple to be ritually burned in gratitude for their hard work keeping you safe and happy. Guess you’ll just have to come back to Japan …