2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Curated by JapanCulture•NYC’s Fashion Editor Jen Green

We are back with JapanCulture•NYC’s 2025 holiday gift guide. This year we take you back to storefronts throughout the area as we feature new establishments or Japanese-related businesses that may not be on your radar yet. We’ll cover everything from vintage Japanese clothing to housewares to the finest teas to coveted stationery. Please enjoy this curated list to help secure a special gift while supporting local businesses that carry Japanese product. Happy shopping!

Sōrate

New location: 30 E. 18th Street, New York, NY 10003
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

103 Sullivan Street New York, NY 10012
Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

This Brooklyn-based Japanese tea company now has two Manhattan tea house locations that offer superior tea products from Ujitawara, the Uji region of Kyoto. Both locations host tea experiences from tastings to authentic tea ceremonies that would make an unforgettable gift. Reservations are required; please book online here.

Sōrate’s online shop has the finest teas, matcha, and accessories for the tea enthusiast in your life. Celebrate this holiday season with the return of Sōrate’s Matcha Panettone. It’s the perfect fusion of Sōrate’s owner Silvia Mella’s Italian heritage, infused with premium ceremonial grade matcha, creating the ultimate traditional holiday dessert. Enjoy at a holiday gathering or take as a hostess gift. Whether you want to gift an experience, a physical gift like a tea accessory, or even a gift card, please check out Sōrate for gifts for tea lovers.

Iki Kimono NYC

32 Bridge Street, Suite 103, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Saturday & Sunday 12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Thursday & Friday 1:00p.m.-6:30 p.m., closed Monday-Wednesday

Located in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, Iki Kimono NYC is a woman-owned business that stemmed from owner Monica Minier’s culmination of a lifetime of collecting and selling antiques and vintage clothing. After she was gifted a kimono, her obsession began, and she now specializes in vintage kimono and accessories in this gorgeous space that feels like a vintage atelier.

Iki Kimono NYC partners with women in Osaka, Kyoto, and Thailand, carefully sourcing vintage kimono, haori and happi jackets, obijime belts, and maekake aprons, some that could date as far back as the 1920s. Iki Kimono has some listings online, but we recommend visiting the shop for the full experience. If you are looking to gift someone a kimono, Iki Kimono NYC offers private shopping by appointment. Imagine the experience one would have when choosing a beautiful vintage kimono as a gift from you.

New York Tile Factory

6 W. 38th Street, New York, NY 10018

Monday-Sunday 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Don’t let the name fool you, everything New York Tile Factory sells are ceramics crafted in Japan, from the mainland to Okinawa. There are Japanese housewares such as dishes, chopstick rests, and coasters to home décor such as oil diffusers and decorative tile candles in this charming store that opened in March 2025.

Their selection boasts many unique gifts from stocking stuffers to main gifts. If you need to shop for someone who strives for sustainability, New York Tile Factory has aroma stones that are made from leftover clay roof tiles. Aside from items with classic Japanese imagery and icons, they also sell many NYC-themed ceramics, still made in Japan. New York Tile Factory does not have a website or sell online, so please visit the store as you shop this holiday season.

Nepenthes

307 W. 38th Street, New York, NY 10018

Monday-Sunday 12:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Japanese brand Nepenthes has a storefront location in the heart of New York’s Garment District. Founded by Keizo Shimizu in 1988 in Tokyo and later joined by designer Daiki Suzuki of Engineered Garments fame, the two brought this international brand to Manhattan. Nepenthes offers both men’s and women’s clothing, accessories, and footwear from various in-house brands such as CFDA 2008 Best New Menswear Designer winner Engineered Garments to the worldly Needles brand, as well as Hokkaido-based South2 West8, a brand known for merging function and fashion.

These Nepenthes brands sit alongside curated items from other known brands and stocks footwear from the likes of Vans, Reebok, and Clarks Originals, as well as many others. For high quality fashion that combines both workwear craftmanship and durability with streetwear looks, head to Nepenthes for an amazing independent boutique shopping outing.

Tokio7

83 E. 7th Street, New York, NY 10003

Monday-Sunday 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Established by Makoto Watanabe in 1996, this high-end East Village consignment shop is a regular stop for vintage designer collectors. Taking pride in his Japanese heritage, Tokio7 carries Japanese designer brands such as Yohji Yamamoto, Comme Des Garcons, and Issey Miyake. Alongside the Japanese brands you’ll find other luxury brands such as Rick Owens, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and the like. All handbags are authenticated using a software system that weeds out fake products to ensure the staff is always sourcing the very best items. Tokio7 is a great place to shop for a fabulous gift for the fashionable person in your life, all while being sustainable by purchasing second hand and giving these incredible designer pieces a new life.

Namamica

123 Wooster Street, New York, NY 10012

Monday-Saturday 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Nanamica New York is the second location of the brand store to open, and to this day it remains the only location outside of Japan. With the motto ONE OCEAN, ALL LANDS, the brand embodies the key words of “utility” and “sports” by mixing fashion and functionality in creating high quality clothing.

Often collaborating with authentic sports brands, they do limited edition drops with brands such as Japanese shoe brand REGAL Shoe & Co. and Japanese sandals brand SUICOKE. From outerwear to casual styles and sportswear, Nanamica stocks many options of versatile, high-performance clothing for all aspects of life.

Yoseka Stationery

63 West Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Wednesday- Sunday 1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., closed Monday & Tuesday

Founded in Taiwan in 1981, Yoseka is now in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, thanks to husband-and-wife duo Daisy and Neil Ni. Neil grew up in Taiwan with the original Yoseka, his parents’ shop, as his playground. Yoseka was introduced to the NYC area via pop-ups in 2017 and its first storefront in Queens in 2018. In 2020, the store relocated to Brooklyn and has been stocking various brands of Japanese stationery, along with other Asian brands, since.

Carrying quality items such as notebooks, pens, inks, stickers, stamps and washi tape, Yoseka offers many gift ideas on their online gift guide located here. 2026 planners and calendars from various Japanese brands such as Midori, Travelers Company, Hobonichi and many others are now available—order before they sell out! Smaller items like this Mt. Fuji eraser or Mt. Fuji pencil sharpener make the perfect stocking stuffers for the creatives on your shopping list. Yoseka sells gifts in all prices ranges, ensuring that you’ll be able to get gifts for a few people at this quaint shop with an extensive Japanese stationery collection.

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