Yes, we are gift givers, especially when we return from a country we never visited before. There are many gifts we have in mind for the women on our list, but what kinds of gifts can one bring back for men? We have 4 men, ages 32-58, that my husband has already promised gifts to. Budget $50-$100

Thanks

$50-$100 per gift or all in?

BTW, the mabo crowd always expects gifts from visitors.

$50-100 per gift

OK, that said, are the recipients close relatives or just business associates?

For relatives I would go with some small collectibles, something nice that could be displayed in a den or desk. One of the better places to find these is in the Gift Shop at the Meiji Jingumae shrine.

The collectible angle may be just as good for business associates as well. Otherwise I would just traverse the Nakamise dori shops in front of the Sensoji Shrine in Asakusa.

Your budget should be fine either way.

If they are in to DIY/Home Improvement, or just basically love tools, the one gift pretty much all my male relatives (and their friends) practically fight over is a Japanese saw (noko).

Each time we go we have orders for more saws and more blades for the growing number of accolytes MrLapLap has unwittingly converted to the noko cult.

Very different from using a regular 'western' saw - you don't need a table to use it. The blades are easily interchangeable. You can use one blade to do the whole job (Western saws require you to use two - or even three - different kinds to get a good finish). Some of the blades are tough enough to cut down trees.

You can find noko handles at 'Tokyu Hands' (which is where you'll find almost anything you could ever want for the older man... my dad, under his breath, on leaving these hallowed grounds, murmured "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven" MrLapLap had never seen him look so happy).

There are two kinds of handle - Tokyu Hands generally have the standard ones (as in the picture) - in some really specialised stores you can find handles with a ball bearing in, which moves as you saw creating a draft that blows away the shavings.

The blades will be next to them and come in different gauges. They need to be bought seperately.

My Dad uses them as he would a Tenon saw and likes the fine blades best for dovetail joints and such. My mum's brother lives in Spain and mostly uses a thicker blade to cut branches off of pines and other trees.

Japanese chisels (nomi) are also admired by craftsmen, and these can be bought in Tokyu Hands too.

But if you somehow come out of Tokyu Hands without having found for yourself the perfect gift for them, I'll be amazed. Whether they're into tools or not.

The Village Vanguard stores also carry a fine collection of inflatable love dolls & sheep.

I found a lot of interesting gifts at various gift shops at tourist sites. If they like booze, a nice bottle of Sake, Shochu or Whisky is always good. If you are in Kyoto you can still buy actual Nintendo Hanafuda card decks.

wonderful! does anyone know of places in Tokyo that specialize in stationery ? We've thinking of pens as gifts, are there any pens/brand of pens that one can find only in Japan?

TOKYU HANDS!!!! (< click for wiki link) You can get all kinds of calligraphy pens (including disposable ones) there - but the choice on offer is mind boggling. I promise you won't have any problem choosing gifts once you're in Tokyu Hands - the problem is more likely when to put a stop to the purchasing and deciding what NOT to get.

I recommend the Shinjuku branch (just behind Takashimaya) Print out this map and take it with you if you thnk you'll need help finding it: http://www.tokyu-hands-shinjuku.com/map/map_pdf.pdf (stationery is on the top floor)

note for blokes - I have it on good authority that toilets in Tokyu Hands Shinjuku are far better than those in Takashimaya (which are best avoided). - Ladies shouldn't have a problem.

As LapLap mentions -Tokyu hands has massive variety.
Itoya (Ginza and Marunouchi branches) has some very nice higher end stuff.

There's lots of unique stationery with Japanese cartoon characters on it etc.

I also like the Tombow pencils with their dragonfly logo.... (especially like the ones with the fussy plastic cap to preserve the point).

Laquerware fountain pens (some with gold or silver inlay) can be ludicrously expensive - but worth gawking at if you spend some time in a store with a good display case of these hand crafted writing implements.