Life is an Astounding Journey
A California family's love affair with Japan, one trip at a time.
It Started with a Honeymoon
Our very first trip to Japan was our honeymoon, and everything changed. The culture, the food, the kindness of strangers, the way even the smallest details felt intentional and beautiful. We walked through temple gardens in Kyoto, stood in awe at Fushimi Inari, ate standing sushi at counters near the fish markets, and fell completely in love with the country.
We kept going back. And when our kids came along, we brought them too. Watching them experience Japan through their own eyes, at their own pace, with all its wonder and weirdness and warmth, was something we'll carry with us forever.
Traveling as a Family
We travel to Japan as a family of four, including our special needs teenager. Japan can seem intimidating from the outside, but our experience has been the opposite. The trains are accessible, the people are patient and kind, and the structure of daily life in Japan has been something our whole family thrives in.
Every trip is a balance of adventure and routine, spontaneity and planning. We've learned to move at our own pace, to find quiet moments between the busy ones, and to let every member of the family shape the experience. Some of our best discoveries have come from following our kids' curiosity.
Every time we visit, we find something we've never seen before. Japan has a way of making the familiar feel extraordinary.
From Suitcases to Storefronts
Every trip to Japan, we'd fill our suitcases with things we couldn't find back home. Disney park exclusives from Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. Hand-forged knives from shops in Kappabashi. Stationery, capsule toys, vintage finds from Book Off and Hard Off. Friends and family would see our haul and immediately ask where they could get these things.
The answer, most of the time, was they couldn't. These items are exclusive to Japan. You have to be there, in the shops, at the parks, walking the streets. So we started bringing things back for them. And then for their friends. And that's how KonnichiCollect was born.
The Magic of the Parks
If you're a Disney fan, you already know: Tokyo DisneySea is in a class of its own. The level of detail, the exclusive merchandise, the food, the atmosphere. We've been fortunate to visit multiple times, and we still find new things every trip.
A huge part of what we source comes from the Disney parks. Limited-edition pins, park-exclusive plush, seasonal merchandise that sells out the day it drops. We go early, stay late, and bring back the things that collectors and Disney fans can't get anywhere else.
Sharing Japan with You
We started KonnichiCollect because we believe everyone should have access to the incredible things Japan has to offer, even if they can't make the trip themselves. Every item we list has been selected by hand, sourced in person, and brought back to California with care.
We're a small, family-run operation. There's no warehouse team or corporate structure. When you buy from us, you're buying from the same people who walked the streets of Tokyo, browsed the shelves of specialty shops in Osaka, and stood in line at the Disney parks to get that limited-edition release. We know the story behind every item because we were there when we found it.
Traveling with our family, including our teenager who experiences the world differently than most, has taught us that the best things in life are the ones worth slowing down for. Japan rewards that kind of patience. And we want to share what we've found with people who appreciate the same things we do.
Sourced Firsthand Across Japan
Disney Park Exclusives
Limited-edition merchandise, seasonal items, and park-only releases from Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea.
Japanese Knives
Hand-forged blades from artisan shops in Kappabashi and specialty stores across Japan.
Vintage and Thrift Finds
One-of-a-kind discoveries from Book Off, Hard Off, and vintage shops throughout the country.
See What We've Found
Browse our latest sourced items on eBay, or reach out about custom sourcing for something specific.