When you step into a shopjapantastic.com, it’s like opening a box of surprises. The items are whimsical, charming and full of the Japanese flair which makes each item unique. Be it the new technological device, a cute plushie or delicious snacks that will make your taste buds dance, when shopping on a Japanese online store, it is a door to limitless opportunities.

Local shopping is fine but when you are shopping in Japan, it is different. You are not really purchasing a product you are learning a culture, a style, an aesthetic that is totally unlike what you have ever seen. Each and every product even the packaging stories something. I say, during a time when I ordered a snack in Japan and was completely surprised at the way it is packaged? It is as though the appearance of the product is part of the experience.

I recall how I first went online to visit a Japanese online shop. I was simply window shopping as one does and I noticed a pair of chopsticks that resembled those used in a typical Japanese tea ceremony. The details and handicrafts on those chopsticks were outrageous. I was not in the market to purchase any goods that particular day, but I could not resist. It is the way with such stores, you feel compelled to keep clicking add to cart.

And may we speak of the diversity. I mean the most techy and the most adorable things, such as phone cases with an in-built hologram and a sweet bite, such as mochi and Kit Kats with a matcha flavor. The assortment of merchandise is sufficient to spin your head. However, it is not only the variety that is remarkable. It’s the quality. Every single product seems to be carefully selected or designed regardless of the type of product, be it an essential keychain or a high-end skincare item. The attention to details is somehow relevant and can not be found on any other online store.

What I also do not understand is the surprise factor. You go online to shop a certain product, but as it happens, you stumble upon something that, you had not heard a single word about but which is in serious need in your life. It is as though these stores know which side of you is always inquisitive, which side would love to see new things, new styles and cool little things that may not even be on your radar. It is treasure-hunt and with the advantage of online shopping.

The costs are also exceptionally low, particularly, given the distance certain of their products have covered. Shipping is different of course, but most of these websites have fantastic offers, and, frankly speaking, it is worth that price to see that package delivered to you in Japan. That increment of effort to have something shipped to you, no matter what part of the globe you happened to be in, is a little excitement to the process.

Purchasing Japanese goods online is not merely a purchase task but a means to a culture that is usually difficult to access. Of course, you can find Japanese snacks in your local supermarket, however, it is not the same thing to receive them delivered directly to your home as the part of that culture in each bite. And, there is always the thrill of discovering something difficult to be found elsewhere. It is a kind of secret, and secret like a tend of a mouse click.

The more I frequent these stores the more I learn that it is not only about getting what one needs but about the excitement during the discovery. You can never tell what you are going to come across next. It can be an adorable stationery or a rare Japanese cartoon character but you will always have something new and exciting in store. And that is why it is so entertaining to go shopping in a Japanese online store. You plan what to do, but it is a trip that is always rich in pleasant surprises.