Handcrafted Japanese Items to Add to Your Holiday Gift Basket

If you’ve been thinking of making a loved one’s day with a little surprise, or even treating yourself to some much-deserved self-care, there’s no better time than now to do so. With autumn being associated with bountiful harvests and winter filled with gift-giving holidays, both seasons are seen as times of gratitude and giving across many cultures.

Whether you’re looking for a belated Friendsgiving thank-you gift, an early Christmas present, or a token of appreciation for someone special, you can’t go wrong with a personally curated holiday gift basket filled with treats to delight your loved ones (or yourself). And if your family and friends are into all things Japanese, you’ve come to the right place: MUSUBI KILN boasts a collection of handcrafted Japanese items that are as delightful to use as they are to behold.

Not sure where to start? Not to worry! All under US$100 and carefully crafted by skilled artisans, these picks make perfect additions to any Japanese-themed gift basket.

As the ultimate comfort food, ramen can be enjoyed even at its simplest, but with the right tableware, it can look and feel fancier. For starters, ramen can be spruced up by serving it in this beautiful Arabesque Ramen Bowl. Classy yet practical and budget-friendly, it features the timeless sometsuke blue-and-white design. And, as it can also be used for donburi meals, it’s a great gift for anyone who loves not only ramen, but also Japanese cuisine in general.

No ramen-themed gift set would be complete without the right utensils. These sleek Grooved Tip Non-Slip Chopsticks, designed to catch slippery foods like noodles with incredible precision and control, are perfect for both beginners and experts at handling chopsticks. Pair them with the adorable White Rabbit Chopstick Rest that recalls the Japanese folk tale of the moon and the rabbit, or the Autumn Harvest Chopstick Rest shaped like the season’s bounties, such as persimmons and chestnuts.

Your recipient will also need a ramen spoon for the broth. Available in red and black—the classic colors of Japanese lacquerware—the wooden Round Lacquered Ramen Spoon from Ishikawa Prefecture, renowned for its exquisite lacquerware, will no doubt go well with the non-slip chopsticks. Comfortable to hold, capable of holding a generous amount of broth, and versatile enough for donburi dishes and soups, this spoon is extremely well-rounded, both literally and figuratively.

Finally, take this gift set to the next level by adding instant ramen or take-home kits from popular ramen shops. 

Enjoying sake isn’t just about the sake itself; it’s also about choosing the right vessel. The shape and material of each one can affect the taste, aroma, texture, and even temperature of the sake—and thus elevate the overall drinking experience.

Relay your best wishes with this quaint blue-and-white tokkuri sake carafe. Decorated with the auspicious tokusa (horsetail grass) pattern, it is considered a symbol of prosperity as this plant grows skyward. With heat-retaining properties thanks to its narrow neck, this tokkuri carafe is best for warm sake.

Complement the tokkuri with a fine sake cup to fully appreciate the aroma and taste of sake. MUSUBI KILN offers sake cups in the same tokusa pattern, but if you prefer a little variety, how about the Plum and Chrysanthemum Ochoko Sake Cup, adorned with Japan’s beloved winter and autumn blooms, both of which are auspicious symbols.

Alternatively, enjoy art and sake together with the Hokusai Wave Ochoko Sake Cup, which features Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa on a fine porcelain surface.

Don’t forget to complete your gift basket with a bottle of sake. There are excellent sake options to suit every budget, but if you want to go for the very best, make it a junmai daiginjo, the highest-grade and most refined type of sake.

With the matcha craze reaching a new high across the world over the past year, chances are you have a loved one (or two) who’s obsessed with Japan’s most iconic green tea. Give your matcha-loving friend or family member a gift set to remember by assembling an entire matcha starter kit consisting of a bowl, tea scoop, whisk, and, of course, ceremonial-grade matcha and wagashi sweets.

For a matcha bowl suited for the season, go for the Golden Moon and Rabbit Matcha Bowl, a harmony of elegance and cuteness. With jumping white rabbits, gold details, and a bright round moon against a base painted in shades of gray to resemble the night sky, this bowl’s design is evocative of tsukimi, Japan’s traditional moon-viewing custom in mid-autumn.

You’ll also want to get a proper tea scoop known as a chashaku. This utensil is one of the essentials of the Japanese tea ceremony and a reflection of the practitioner’s aesthetic sensibilities. This gently curved chashaku comes in four versions differing in color, patterns, and texture, all made with bamboo from Kyoto and meant for neat, easy scooping of matcha powder.

Lastly, simple as it may look, the humble chasen tea whisk combines flexibility and durability, as its bamboo prongs are meant to withstand swift whisking. Suitable for first-time and experienced matcha makers alike, the 70-pronged Ippuku Chasen Matcha Whisk will give any bowl of matcha the perfect frothy finish.

Kawaii, refined Japanese craftsmanship, and practicality all come together in these gift ideas for your feline-loving friends and family.

Designed to resemble two cats sleeping peacefully, this charming porcelain Cat Chopstick Rest Set will surely make your loved one smile. It makes a great gift for a couple, though it’s just as delightful for anyone receiving it on their own.

Add some whimsy and fun to mealtime with this Cat-Shaped Dinner Plate, available in three different colors and patterns. Shaped like a chubby cat with its ears sticking out, this unique plate is just the right size for snacks, finger food, or dishes for sharing. It also goes well with the adorable Coneco Cat Sauce Plate Set, which can be used for snacks and desserts too, not just sauces and condiments.

And for those who like both cats and tea, this Red Yarn Ball with Cat Yunomi Japanese Teacup will be perfect for days when all they need is some tea to warm them up. With its small size, easy-to-hold shape, and playful design, this cup can also make for a delightful present for children.

Of course, MUSUBI KILN has the perfect gifts for dog lovers, too. Japan’s beloved homegrown dog breeds, the Akita and Shiba Inu, are also well-represented in the world of Japanese tableware and ceramics.

A product of sustainable craftsmanship, this slip-proof wooden coaster shaped like an Akita is made from cherry bark sourced in Akita Prefecture. With its cute smiling face looking at you, you might want to just display the coaster instead of using it, after all!

If you or your special someone prefers the smaller Shiba Inu, this colorful sauce plate might be more to your liking. Adorned with chubby Shiba dogs, this Kutani ware plate can be used for snacks and small dishes.

The Shiba Inu in Sunny Spot Japanese Rice Bowl is decorated with quintessential Japanese motifs: two Shiba Inu admiring cherry blossoms and Mt. Fuji. The warm, earthy color of this stoneware bowl is reminiscent of a Shiba’s colors, and its material endows it with excellent heat retention, enabling your food to stay warm for longer.

Your minimalist loved ones might prefer this Dog Wave Mug, which proves that there is also beauty in simplicity. Tiny paw prints, an illustration of a dog trying to climb over, and a rim resembling perky dog ears are set against a pure-white porcelain backdrop, making for a charming juxtaposition of traditional artisanship and contemporary design.

Encourage your loved ones’ culinary experiments with affordable but high-quality Japanese kitchenware, and you’ll certainly be first in line to taste-test their latest creations! If they enjoy making Japanese food, having the essential tools and utensils will make their preparations easier.

For instance, cooking Japanese dishes requires longer cooking chopsticks. Any cook, whether amateur or professional, will want to get a pair of cooking chopsticks that they can rely on for years to come, and the Hashikura Season 01 Bamboo Cooking Chopsticks will be a worthy investment. Equipped with non-slip tips and partly painted in subdued colors inspired by nature’s blessings, these lightweight, easy-to-grip chopsticks can be used for cooking and serving alike.

Finely grated ginger, wasabi, and daikon radish are common garnishes in Japanese cuisine. Grate these ingredients in style with the Black Daikon Grater Plate. This sturdy boat-shaped tool will save considerable time and effort in both grating and clean-up, as its spikes are arranged such that food residue will be easy to remove afterward.

Solve your friend or family member’s dilemma of where to place their ladle, spatula, or other cooking utensils while not in use with this endearing Owl Ladle Rest made of Arita porcelain. Featuring an adorably silly owl with its eyes facing different directions, this ladle rest is both functional and decorative.

Lastly, help reduce cleanup time with the addition of reusable, hyper-absorbent kitchen towels to your gift set. These towels by BIRDY. are made of ultra-fine fibers that promote quick drying and last longer compared to regular kitchen towels. Thanks to their superior quality, they are widely used in the food and beverage industry, yet are perfect for home kitchens as well.

As these recommendations are sorted by interest, you’ll have no trouble assembling a holiday gift basket that feels personal and thoughtful. Each item you order comes wrapped in an elegant furoshiki cloth. You can also purchase an additional furoshiki if you plan to add items from elsewhere to your gift basket.

MUSUBI KILN offers many more unique Japanese gifts to explore, perfect for any occasion. Explore our full gift collection where you can search by recipient, occasion, category, and more.