Daiso In Japan: What To Buy & Things To Know Before You Go

Don Quijote, also known as Donki, is another popular chain of discount stores in Japan. Don Quijote has stores with eight floors and floor-to-ceiling items on them.

For help shopping there, check out our post about what to buy at Donki in Japan.

What To Buy At Daiso In Japan

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Two quick things about this list. First, it’s filled with things that I’ve actually bought. Second, it’s based on the Daiso stores in Japan. There are international Daiso stores, but the prices are different and the things I would recommend buying are different as well.

Compressed Facial Masks

Daiso sells a bag of compressed facial masks. There are between 24 and 50, depending on the bag.

They’re individually wrapped and easily expand when you need them. You can soak them in your own toner (or someone suggested using leftover liquid in the bag from other sheet masks), so you can choose exactly what you’re putting on your skin.

If you’re planning any self-care when you’re in Japan or when you get home from traveling, pick this up. It takes up very little room in your suitcase and you’ll have enough for a whole month of daily face cleansing.

Black Cotton Swabs

I go to Daiso specifically for the black cotton swabs there. There are two types, one with a flat end and one which has an end separated into sections.

I prefer the latter.

We got them from a Japanese hotel once and they were just the most fantastic cotton swabs I’ve ever used, so now when I go to Daiso, I always stock up.

Japanese Washcloths

If you’ve ever slept over my house, you have used a Japanese washcloth. I keep them in our guest bathroom for our guests to use because they’re life-changing.

They’re an extra-long, exfoliating washcloth, which keeps your skin so incredibly soft. I’ve gotten so many people hooked on them.

If I tried to buy them in a Japanese store in America or on Amazon, they’re very expensive. If I buy them at Daiso, they’re 100 yen. So anytime I go to Japan, I buy a bunch.

Socks

My brother once said, “White socks are a wasted opportunity,” and ever since then I am very conscious about wearing and giving fun socks as gifts.

When you’re in Japan, you take your shoes off anytime you’re in someone’s home, and at some restaurants, so people are seeing your socks more often.

If you only packed plain white socks, go to Daiso and pick up some cute socks for yourself.

Snacks

If you saw my suitcase photo on Instagram, you know that half of it was filled with Japanese snacks. Those are the souvenirs I came home with.

Daiso has a huge section of packaged Japanese snacks, drinks, and other food items like furikake.

It doesn’t sell the souvenir-like snacks like Don Quijote, which sells Kit Kats in Mount Fuji-shaped packaging. But, you will be able to get all the snacks for you at Daiso for less than you’ll pay for them in the grocery store.

Bowls And Plates

I love using Japanese bowls and plates, even when I’m not making Japanese food. I use donburi bowls for soup and rice bowls.

The section of housewares in Daiso isn’t huge, but you can get cute bowls, plates, and cups there. I was on the hunt for donburi bowls and couldn’t find them there, at least not the ones that I was looking for, but I did come home with rice bowls that I didn’t really need but were adorable and only a couple hundred yen.

Stationery

Japan is known for its stationery stores. There are so many throughout the country, which sell really high-quality paper and pens, stickers and stamps, and origami paper.

You can find a lot of this in Daiso as well.

This is a really good place to shop for stationery items if you aren’t planning on going to a specialty store during your travels. You can pick up pretty good quality stuff here.

Cool Spray

So, I was influenced by influencers and I picked up the Cool Spray at Daiso that everyone was raving about. It was so hot in Japan, and we stopped at Daiso on the first day, so I was excited to find this.

So, this might be something you’re looking for also.

I sprayed it on myself, and I felt like I was spraying a minty deodorant on me. The menthol-infused mist cooled me down for a minute, but not long enough to justify all the influencer videos I’ve seen about it.

Pick this up just to try it if you want. But if you’re really hot, check out the electronic section for a portable fan instead.

Electronics

My brother has a wire that connects his phone and headphones via a USB. Pete saw it and instantly wanted one.

So, when we went to Daiso, I said they probably have it. And what do you know, they did.

The electronics section has so many wires that no matter what you’re looking for, there’s a very good chance you’ll find it. It also has chargers, phone cases, screen protectors, practically anything you need for your phone.

There are also tiny speakers and other small electronic devices.

People say buy electronics in Don Quijote because it has a huge selection, but Daiso is much more affordable.

Spa Headbands & Wristbands

I’m old now, so I didn’t grow up in the age of childhood skin care. I remember washing my face when I was a child and splattering water everywhere and getting my bangs really wet. I still kind of do that now, to be honest.

I’ve wanted a nice spa headband for a while, but I never found any I liked. When I went to Daiso, I was so overwhelmed. They had so many choices.

I really liked this fuzzy one that had a huge cat head on it. There was a similar one with a giant onigiri on it, which I thought would be funny to use every night, but it was really heavy and hot, so I ended up getting a sweatband-like one with Cinnamoroll on it. I use it every night and it makes me so happy.

They had matching wristbands also, but I don’t worry about my arms getting wet when I’m doing skin care. I did, however, buy a Pochacco one to use as a sweatband when we went to Universal Studios Japan.

Ice Rings / Cooling Neck Tubes

This is pretty specific, but if you go to Japan in the summer, it’s very hot. You’re going to be doing everything possible to keep cool.

When my mom went to visit her Japanese friend, she was wearing an ice ring. It’s a frozen tube, almost in a complete circle, that goes around your neck. I’ve never seen them here in America. Most people wear neck fans, but this is a pretty great — and much quieter — alternative.

Since they’re not popular here yet, you’ll wanna buy it when you’re in Japan. If you see one, grab it. Because if you don’t, when you get home and you’re hot, you’re gonna be kicking yourself.

Rice Ball Maker

So my mom’s friend actually got me this as a gift from Daiso. You put your rice in the rice ball maker and shake it and it makes perfect rice balls.

When I was growing up, my mom and grandma would hand roll rice balls for lunch. I saw a similar rice ball maker on social media about a year ago and I sent it to my cousin saying my grandma would be so amazed to see that.

So, if you make rice balls or you have a Japanese grandma whose hands are getting tired from forming them, look for this.

Chopsticks

I have so many pairs of nice reusable chopsticks at home. But, when I’m in Japan, I always pick up a large count of wooden disposable chopsticks. They’re just good to have.

They’re especially good if you’re staying in an Airbnb in Japan. If you get food from the grocery store or the konbini, you may not always remember to ask for or grab a pair of chopsticks. So having disposable chopsticks at home just in case is pretty helpful.

I know they’re disposable chopsticks, but we actually rewash them and reuse them. So, this isn’t a waste of money or something that’s bad for the environment. It really is a convenience purchase that’s so much cheaper at Daiso than it is when you get back to America.

Of course, you can buy cheap reusable ones there too, if you want to do that.

Cabbage Shredder

Before our Japan trip, I sent my mom a video of someone using a cabbage shredder. It looked so easy. She was like, “I need that.” I said, “Me too.” And our hunt was on.

During our first Daiso trip, my mom and I crossed paths and she moved a cabbage shredder from her basket into mine.

I saw it later at Don Quijote — for six times what we paid at Daiso.

I’ve used that cabbage shredder more times in the last month than any item in my kitchen. I’m exaggerating, but I have used it a couple times a week to make Japanese cabbage salad.

Daizo, Daiso’s Mascot

In 2025, Daiso introduced a Daizo, its new elephant mascot. Its name is a combination of the store (Daiso) and the Japanese word for elephant (zo).

It’s a pink elephant, carrying a D-shaped purse, and has Daiso’s signature chevron symbol on its nose.

Although Daizo is the store’s “official character,” not every store has a statue of him. In fact, we went to three Daiso stores in three different cities and only saw him at the Namba location.

You can find him digitally across the Daiso social platforms, on its website, and as stamps in the LINE app (which is a free, all-in-one communication app, similar to WhatsApp).

Visitor Tips For Shopping At Daiso

To make sure you’re completely prepared, I wanted to give you a couple tips to help you out.

Store size: There’s no uniform size for Daiso stores. We’ve seen some that are multi-level and some that are small, singular floor. Currently, the largest Daiso, in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, is six floors. The store in Nishiki Market in Kyoto, is a singular floor, situated above Standard Products (which, fun fact, is a Daiso sister brand).

Products: Not every Daiso carries every product. There is a lot of overlap of inventory, but larger stores can carry more items. And some stores sell out of items. So, if you see something you like, buy it. Don’t assume that you’ll go to another store later and find it there.

Checkout: Most Daiso stores have self-checkout. Not all, but many have been remodeled to have this. When you get to checkout, you can choose “English” on the screen and checkout in English rather than Japanese.

Payment methods: Most Daiso stores will accept cash. You can pay via most credit or debit cards, but double check that with your credit card company or bank because you may be charged a foreign transaction fee. IC cards (like Suica and Pasmo) are also accepted at most locations. Tap-to-pay and mobile wallets are accepted at most locations as well, although you’ll want to look into that since you’re using it in a foreign country.

Shopping bags: As of July 2020, retailers in Japan started to charge for plastic shopping bags. Daiso does charge for bags and is in compliance with this. So, you can buy plastic bags at checkout or you can bring your own reusable bags.

Side note: If you buy breakable products, Daiso does provide packing paper at no charge to customers.

Tax-free shopping: Tax-free shopping is really popular at large stores in Japan, like Don Quijote and Onitsuka Tiger, but Daiso does not offer it.