This confectioner sells mochi drinks and chestnut sweets but it’s kuzu-yu, a traditional Japanese dessert drink known as the Fountain of Youth, that you should make a beeline for. Neatly packaged boxes are beautiful designed and it is said the drinks cure sore throats, sniffles and hangovers.

With approximately 25 stores across Japan, this luxury department store is the perfect place to get gifts to bring home. The bottom two floors sell food and alcohol; the confectionary counter alone, piled high with chocolates, will take a substantial period of time to work through. Most staff speak excellent English and can help you choose the right sake or Genmaicha tea. Conveniently located inside the Kyoto Station Building, it makes halling your purchase home that little bit easier.

Shu Uemura, SK-II and Shiseido have reached international cult status but Yojiya, a famous cosmetic store founded in Kyoto over 100 years ago, remains largely unknown outside Japan. Oil-blotting paper is something most Japanese women keep in their makeup bags and Yojiya’s are one of the most popular. At certain times of the year they do a limited edition fragrances; around April they might do a sakura (cherry blossom) edition.

Japan is synonymous with stationery and Tokyu Hands is stocked to the rafters with it. Explore the multilevel stationery-store’s array of elegant notebooks, garish stickers and colourful bento boxes, as well as paper to tester your origami skills. There’s even a cafe to sit in with a coffee while you write postcards to home.

When in Rome guys. If it’s cheaper and offers more choice it means you’re not a heathen; merely a savvy shopper. Uniqlo, Gu and Muji are all worth a quick browse while abroad for an updated edit of their latest offering. If you’re lucky you might pick up a Yukata or Kimono in muted colours.

Set on former railway tracks, Log Road features a selection of small, stylish stores in wooden-cabin interiors. Log Road houses a brewery, outlet clothing shops, a café and deli, as well as a slice of greenery and outdoor seating area. It’s only a small area, just 220m long, so combine the visit with a trip to Daikanyama’s boutique stores and the T-site for a calm, half-day shopping trip away from the crowds (but still just walking distance from central Shibuya).