Tokyo Japanese Outlet

Tokyo Japanese Outlet (or Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle) is a chain of retail outlets that mainly sells Japanese toys and cutesy products. There are 20 locations in Southern California and a few in Las Vegas. This review is for the store in Sawtelle Japantown, West LA. It’s located in the same strip as Hurry Curry, Tatsu Ramen, Manpuku Tokyo BBQ, and other Asian restaurants and businesses at the south corner of Sawtelle Blvd and Mississippi Ave.
Parking can get tight in this shopping center. Complimentary valet is available. I suggest parking for free along one of the residential side streets west of Japantown. You might have to walk a couple blocks, but you won’t have to deal with potential parking hassles at the strip.
The store is small, but packed to the brim with all sorts of wares. It can be a bit overwhelming trying to take everything in. This is a great place to buy gifts, especially for ladies and children. I think this store mainly appeals to ladies and children because of the sheer number of plushies, stuffed animals, kids toys, female gadgets and accessories, and make-​uppy stuff. The latter items are similar to what you can find in the inventory across the street at Daiso. There are compact sections dedicated to animé and manga featuring action figures and models containing potentially good finds. However, otaku and hobbyists are probably better off going to a store like Animé Jungle in Little Tokyo.
If you or someone you know likes Rilakkuma (リラックマ, Rirakkuma), they have all sorts of Rilakkuma stuff like stuffed animals in various sizes, purses, pouches, coffee mugs, tea cups, tea pots, plates, bowls, spoons, keychains, and what I think are miniature cooking sets. My girlfriend bought her sister a Rilakkuma mini plushie as a gift. Animé-​wise, they have a decent assortment of My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ, Tonari no Totoro) goods, of which my girlfriend purchased a coin pouch. Models and action figures include Gundam (ガンダム), Dragon Ball Z (ドラゴンボールＺ), Saint Seiya (聖闘士星矢（セイントセイヤ）, my favorite), One Piece, and various other Bandai properties. We picked up a really cool Stargazer Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, GSX-​401FW model, made in Japan. The real deal.
There isn’t a whole lot of video game merchandise (at least, not that I saw), but they do have small collections interspersed throughout the store. For example, there’s a shelf with Nintendo characters (e.g. Mario, Pokemon). Unfortunately, I didn’t see any Sanei products, but the ones I did see looked alright. Other random stock includes phone covers, dog key covers, wallets, jewelry, artwork, socks, backpacks, lunch boxes, eating utensil sets, snacks, candies, and tea. In general, the prices seem reasonable.
This shop is certainly worth checking out if you’re in the neighborhood.

THis is located in a rather popular strip mall that is across the st from anotehr asian strip mall and next to Blockhead Shavery. Decent size store that has all sorts of Sanrio and other Asian items like japanese lotions and stationary but pricing wise, it is not discount. I think prices are higher here if anything. There are a lot of rement sets and items straight from Japan. CC is a $ 10 min

Great place to get Japanese and Animé-​themed apparel. Huge selection of stuffed animals, candy, incense, backpacks, posters, key chains, and everything in between. The staff is nice and helped me with what I needed. Some things in the stores are a little pricier than one would usually find them, such as the flavored Kit-​Kats, but worth the price since these pricier things are little hard to find. Worth a stop by if you want to get something Japanese themed.

Had a fun time coming in. I don’t think they had the Godzilla when I came in though! There’s a lot of variety of things — bentos, chopsticks, beauty, art supplies, etc … I could drop a lot of cash in this place. I legit want everything. Oh, and they have gundam kits. Paradise. Some of the stuff is kind of expensive for what it is but I had fun looking around. I could sink some serious cash at this place, so I can’t wait to come back with my next paycheck.
Would be a great place to buy gifts for people, hint hint.

This place is filled to the roof with fun Japanese toys and nick nacks. There are lots of stuffed animals and it’s just fun to go in and browse. They have a large selection of Japanese pens and stationary, so I usually end up pick up some of those. I resist buying toys and more Hello Kitty stuff, which can be kinda hard since there’s so much cute stuff in here!!!

Cute, cheap quality, useless, you-don’t-need-stuffs are here. But people buy it anyway even though it’s so overpriced (ie key holder for i dont know, $ 9?) because it’s cute.
I don’t know why I was expecting things to be cheaper here, I guess because it’s supposed to be an «outlet» but really it’s just as big and as overpriced as all the Tokyo Japanese store locations.
The workers here aren’t very helpful or friendly either. They just kind of look at you and watch you as you walk around the store, to see if you’re stealing, which is OK, but not even a hi or do you need help? geez. Make people feel uncomfortable much?

I was really excited to stop by here to make some purchases on rilakkuma stuff and a onesie I saw but omg when I saw the price my jaws kinda dropped. The rilakkuma onesie was like $ 100 bucks! The hello kitty one was $ 97! Honestly I could get them on Amazon for much cheaper! Also they had cute little rilakkuma key chains I was interested in but it was $ 10.99 for a small little thing. Majority of their stuff were highly over priced so I ended up not getting anything. Cute stuff but not worth it.

I’ve been here so many times! Almost every single time I end up in the Sawtelle area I have to stop by to browse every little cute thing they have in stock. I can find almost anything I want here and 99.9% of the time it’s cute too.
It’s a small place but they really pack everything in here. You’ll be able to find anything from toys, stationary, kitchen tools, bath items, pens, pencils, socks, ear pickers, beauty products, etc etc. Every inch of this space is covered in good from floor to ceiling. I’m surprised they don’t hang everything from the ceiling too.
Notables faves include:
Light up light-​saber Star Wars chopsticks
Bear head shaped topped gel pens
Any of the Japanese split toe socks
Pineapple squishy pillow.
Matching chopstick, spoon and fork sets
Llama stuffed animal
There are some items that have been round for years and are regularly stocked but a lot of their stuff has changed through the years. I can almost always find something I like here… question is if I buy it or not of course. It’s great for gifts of course because you can make a nice gift bag from combining a few items together.
Everyone is always super nice here too and pretty unobtrusive as you walk through the store.
It’s easy to miss since it’s smack in the middle of one of the busy plazas but check it out if you’re around here for sure.

What else can you say about a Japanese Outlet store? They are a lot of fun to browse in and getting interesting items at a discount is a extra large bonus.

This place is awesome if you like all things cute. I know Daiso and Tokyo Japanese Outlet are two different types of stores but I love the selection of Japanese home goods at Tokyo Japanese Outlet. Yeah, yeah most of the stuff is more than $ 1.50 but the quality of the product is better for things like chopsticks which are actually made in Japan.
I also had to control myself from buying all the Rilakkuma selection in the store because God knows I can’t fit all that in my carry on. The staff is very pleasant and brought me a basket when I was clearly juggling all of the goodies in my arms.
I wish they had a bigger better selection of stationery like pens and notebooks.

Located in Sawtelle Blvd.
Similar to the Japanese Village Plaza location, every inch of this store is covered in cuteness. Little figurines, stationary, toys, bento box decorations, stuffed animals, etc. It’s all there. The cashier was friendly. He greeted us with a bright smile and gave us our space while we shopped. He also asked us if we needed help with anything. The store is neat and clean.
Found Hello Kitty face wash, body wash, and face mask from Japan. Score! The products are on the pricey side but compared to other stores I visited in LA, it’s more reasonable. If you’re looking for a cute gift for someone, Tokyo Japanese Outlet has you covered.

Their return policy is lame-​o.
Long story short, I bought a $ 20 pen the day before and the manager wouldn’t let me exchange the pen for a different color pen, all because I didn’t have the plastic wrapper for the pen. The pen was completely new and I had the receipt, but the manager wouldn’t hear it. I proposed to switch out the plastic wrapper of the other color pen with the one I was trying to exchange, but the manager wouldn’t honor any form of exchange or return… Not sure why I even spent $ 20 on a pen… at a store that clearly needs to revise their return policy… SIGH!
Side-​note: If you’re obsessed with Green Tea Kit Kat (like I am), do not buy it from this store. The Japanese market across the street sells it for a fraction of the price.

whenever my giant pink HELLO KITTY furry suit is looking kinda worn, i pop into TOKYO JAPANESE OUTLET for a new one.
TJO is a cute little store with useless but fun little Japanese character-​themed products and very useful but utilitarian-​looking household utensils, containers, and gadgets. when i need a container for organizing, i sometimes try here. it used to né called Tokyo 98¢ but nary a product costs as low as 98¢ here. well, possibly a couple.
of course, it’s fun to just wander in for a chuckle after dinner, boba, and cooing at the bank for tomatoes. and when the HELLO KITTY nose hair trimmer speaks to you, you’ll be glad you did.
happy Unilocaling and here’s to tasting life! :)

Great selection of Japanese gifts! I got my ultra kawaii stationary here. Everything is on the pricier end ($ 4 for one pair of really cute socks I had to convince myself I could live without), but they stock items hard to find elsewhere except online. Cashier was friendly and unintrusive (as compared to some small gift shops where employees have a tendency to glare at you as you shop).

This is a fun place to browse and it is always neat and clean even though they carry a ton of small things. There is a range of prices. They have the best deals on the mini food erasers which look great and erase well, if you happen to use them. I have also bought some household stuff, a cute silky purse, stickers to decorate my phone, phone charms and assorted Hello Kitty goods (other Japanese characters as well).
The people here are friendly and I like how they’ll leave you alone and not aggressively follow you around the store. There is a $ 10 minimum to use a debit card.
This is my go to place for small presents and stocking stuffers. The next time you’re in the neighborhood or waiting for food to go, check out this cute store.

TKO gets yon-​stars:
* for its über close location to me (read: convenience)
* for all the Asian knicknacks one needs around the house or in their bag/​man-​purse
* for the clean, open shop appeal
* for the always-​streaming Miyazaki films in the background
* for lovely hair products (read: Tsubaki)
* for one-​stop shop necessary after post-​grubbage in Little Osaka (aka Sawtelle Blvd)!
WOA:
* street parking, avoid the valet in plaza during evenings
* credit cards require a minimum purchase

Cut place to get last minute gifts. They have a wide variety of items for giftees 2 years old to 28 years old!
They have those cute personal hygeine and toiletry items that you can only find in these types of stores.
Nice selection of pencils and erasers.
Kinda pricey.
NO parking. I MEan, there is a parking lot because it is in a center but it is valet parking. And the street parking is horrendous. You have to park at least 2 or 3 blocks away.

They should change the name to «I need to kill some time on SAWTELLE» cause that is exactly what this place is about…
This place has been around for as long as I can remember and they sell the cutest crap ever. Animé robots, animal beanies, plush toys, Hello Kitty, Tupperware, Rilakumma, silverware, assorted stationary…
It’s a good spot to hit up waiting in between restaurants or post restaurant.

OMG this store had my attention and kept me entertained from the time I entered until I exited. First they get you with Hello Kitty paraphernalia (school supplies, toiletries, beauty products, etc.). Then you walk over to the other corner of the store and they have these tiny little kitchen accessories (mini mandolins, sifters, spoons, forks, tiny veggie cutters).
Then the excitement begins… whoa…towards the end of the store, there is this whole section dedicated to very inventive beauty products.
— a nose roller… they have several versions of this neat looking contraption
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— lip pucker-​upper
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— a pore squeezer
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— this is not in english but looks pretty gruesome
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I was there giggling with other girls in the store trying to figure all this stuff out. I ended up spending about an hour here, totally unexpected. BUT I did not buy anything… it was totally worth the entrainment, however.

Cute, Cheap, and Convenient.
The 3 Cs.
Tokyo Japanese Outlet is a small knick knack store in the center of Little Osaka (Sawtelle Blvd’s other nickname) with all kinds of small gadgets, stuffed animals, cosmetics, and such from the one-​of-​a-​kind culture of Japan.
Some of the coolest:
— Hello Kitty backpacks and merchandise
— Pikachu and friends like Angry Birds
— All shapes and sizes of little storage boxes and containers
— Eye Lashes and Eye Tape (which Olivia buys)
— Japanese Candy and Gum hard to find in other stores
— A whole section of small things for the kitchen that you never knew you needed, but sure want.
The NY Times called Sawtelle the «Boulevard of the Rising Sun» because of the mix of Japanese restaurants, bars, salons, stores, and shops. Few of the Sawtelle businesses can match Tokyo Japanese Outlet for letting you bring a piece of Japan (made in China) home at good prices.