Noren Asakusa: Japanese Cultural Items To Suit Your Budget

They wanted to create a festival atmosphere that will last all year, and they succeeded in doing just that.

Noren 暖簾 in Japanese are fabric dividers hung over a shop’s entrance which you may have noticed when you enter a store or restaurant. The store got it’s concept from this idea, they wanted to create an atmosphere of a helpful “entrance” for foreigners through offering Japanese daily necessities and souvenirs to satisfy their curiosity of the Japanese culture. 

Join me today as I walk the streets of Asakusa and discover, what makes Japanese traditions and why it’s very popular to foreigners world-wide. 

Entering Noren is like getting a crash course in Japanese traditional items. How? They place information cards in front of their items, these information cards explain the origin of the items, the materials they were made from and their relevance in Japanese culture. That’s what I really appreciate about this store, aside from being informative, another thing I like about it is that they actually have an English speaking staff and that they accept up to 9 international credit/debit cards. 

They cover both the needs of Japanese people and foreigners alike, for festival and Kimono or Yukata owners, they offer really cute earrings that’ll match your outfit. One example of this is their Washi Paper Earrings, for foreign visitors they also offer beautifully designed tote bags, mugs, coin purses, solid perfumes and Japanese dolls like the Kimi Doll.

One of the shop’s goal is to create a Festival-like atmosphere all year round, being located in Asakusa where the Japanese culture is rich and festivals abound; this goal is very fitting! They have purses and hair accessories for Yukata and Kimono wearers, they also have traditional folding fans that’ll help you beat the summer weather. 

One of the items I really liked there was their ornately designed case for eyeglasses. My mom uses one and I’d like to buy one for her in the future, I’m sure she will like it very much!

TRIVIA

• Declining a drink being poured on your cup from a client or a person with a higher position than you is considered an insult in the Japanese business culture. 
• 60% of the world’s animated films and tv shows come from Japan.
• Japan has more than 6 million vending machines that offer choices from iPhones, to live crabs to fresh fruits.
• Visit their website for ongoing sale and other information: http://www.noren-net.jp

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