朱 SHU. by Vermillion — Local services in Kyoto

This is the gift shop you hope you find when you’re looking for something truly nice for someone back home. Small, beautiful gifts, easy to transport home, reasonably priced, and full of local flavor. Some parts of Kyoto are choking on gift shops taking advantage of the tourism surge and selling a flood of low-grade trinkets, but SHU feels like the real deal. They also sell Yahae socks, which are a little dangerous because once your hand comes in contact with them, you will probably want to set fire to your existing sock drawer and replace everything with Yahae, as they are the nicest socks I’ve ever...

This gift shop is amazing! We found it on our way down from Fushimi Inari and it had the some amazing Japanese souvenirs. The attendant was very helpful and patient with us, giving us information on every product. We ended up buying two beautiful matcha bowls (which are made by an artisan in Gifu province) and a set of mugs. After a few months of using these we are extremely satisfied with...

Got lost on the way down from the shrine, but found this little nice shop when it started raining. Owner let me come inside while I waited for the rain to stop and for girlfriend to come get me with...