Shiba Stuff in Japan

I'll start the entry with the one thing that I really regret not buying. I just couldn't figure out how to get this home without it getting ruined, and shipping things was going to be complicated and expensive, so I left it behind.

Another cute thing that I figured would get broken in my luggage.

These keychains had little flashing lights on them, hence the name, Twinky.

A different view of the Twinkies.

This shiba cell phone strap was found, of all places, in the gift shop on the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

You can even get shiba items in vending machines (known as gashapon)! This is no ordinary shiba, of course, this is Shiba Wanko.

This is a display of Shiba Wanko figures. These are sold as collectibles in Japan, and come in various series. In Japan, the boxes are sealed, so that you cannot see which item from the series you are purchasing (sort of like the collectible card games that are sold in the U.S. -- you don't know what cards you are getting until you open the package). My assumption is that in Japan you are meant to trade these figures with friends and other collectors, and you help each other to obtain the complete set.

However, there are also stores in Japan that make money by opening the boxes, and then selling the figures in plastic, so that you can see which figure you are purchasing. This allows you to easily complete your set, without purchasing duplicates or finding people with which to trade. J-list has some of these figures for sale, if you're interested.

A display of Shiba Wanko plush toys.

Yet another plush shiba. Maybe I regret not buying this one a little bit.

This plush shiba was almost life-size! In fact, it probably was Tsuki-size.

This shiba was animatronic.

A shiba statue at Puppy* the World.

This T-shirt was also at Puppy* the World.

This one, too.

Another shiba statue. Too bad I couldn't manage to get its ears in the picture.

And, finally, the insane amount of shiba stuff that I brought home. This was taken on our last night in Tokyo, as we were trying to figure out how we were going to get everything back with us. In the end, we had to buy an extra suitcase!