Traveling to Tokyo? Get your friends some Shinzo Abe souvenirs!

Tokyo’s population is hitting the roads, trains, and planes to get out of town for the Golden Week holiday, so there’s no better time than now to do some traveling in the capital! While you’re visiting tourist attractions, you’ll probably be overwhelmed by the huge volume of tacky souvenirs available and have no idea what kind to buy your friends and family as an omiyage. Here’s a suggestion: buy some Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sweets!

These “Shin-chan Manju” offer a popular bean paste-filled sweet for Mr. Abe’s fans. The box has the slogans “Beautiful Japan” and “Peaceful Japan” printed above the Diet building along with some peaceful doves. You might also notice the fugu swimming in the waters off Japan, a famous food of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Abe’s birthplace. [Available online here]

Fan’s of First Lady Akie Abe can buy a popular “AKII LUCKY COOKIE” box. They might be a better option for those of you who aren’t fans of the red bean paste found in Shinzo’s manju. [Available online here]

If you’re looking for the Abes as a couple, you might also like “Shin-chan with Akii Sweet Sand Cookes.” No, it doesn’t contain sand, it is just cookie sandwiched around some sweet cream. It also appears to come with a Shinzo/Akie cellphone strap. [Available online here]

An article from earlier this year claimed that the Abe sweets were not selling well, linking their lack of popularity to Shinzo Abe’s declining approval rating. However, his latest trip to America seems to have increased his approval rating, which might lead to better sales.

If you find Shinzo Abe a bit boring, you might be more inclined towards buying Foreign Minister Taro Aso’s Milk Castella sponge cakes. Aso is much more outspoken than his boss, and his position at the forefront of promoting Japan’s anime/otaku culture has earned him great respect in Akihabara. The box has little Japanese internet emoticons on it and mentions his love for manga. Although it isn’t clearly visible in the above picture, the stack of comics next to Aso includes a manga entitled “Taro 13,” since he once told reporters that he was a fan of the manga series Golgo 13. The back of the box has Aso declaring himself to be an Akihabara otaku:

Visitors to Akihabara will find that Taro Aso’s castellas are on proud display in front of many of the major electronics stores. However, the Abe souvenirs are slightly more difficult to find. One location where I have seen them is the above-pictured omiyage shop near the entrance of the Yasukuni Shrine. They are also available at the shop at the National Diet building. If can’t find them in person, you can always order them online. Hurry up and get yours today!