I enjoyed revisiting Hana two weeks ago, so I thought I would take a trip to another of my DC picks for Japanophiles. This shop is called Ginza, and they specialize in hard-to-find Japanese goods. You can find them at 1721 Connecticut Avenue.

I found this store last April when I was walking to a restaurant with John. We noticed some anime inspired figures in the window display, and decided to check it out. We weren’t prepared for the treasure we found inside.

You see, ever since we could remember, we’d always wanted a kotatsu. But online, they’re extremely expensive, tough to ship, and possibly dangerous due to the difference in foreign outlets. Many people suggest making your own to avoid the hassle. So when we saw one in the store for an affordable price, we did a double take. We ended up bringing it home — yes, a space heater/table — in the middle of spring! We haven’t had many chances to use it, but I’ll have to post about it very soon.

Most of the furniture is kept upstairs. You have to ask the owners to see that floor, but it’s worth it for the unique items. Downstairs, as in the picture below, there’s a lot of smaller goods.

The wall of stationary is full of unique paper products. I love the variety of origami paper.

There are always new yukata here whenever I visit. I think these must sell out frequently since I am always seeing new patterns. The store also sells scrap fabric for making your own Eastern inspired sewing projects.

I love the selection of bento boxes and bento-making tools. I especially like a large three-tiered “picnic bento” that can store a picnic lunch for a group.

I would buy these sushi and Japanese snacks erasers, but I would never have the heart to use them to actually erase anything.

Even if this Pachinko machine isn’t functioning, it’d still make a wonderful piece of art.

Thanks to Ginza for allowing me to take pictures inside the store!