KOBO

First I visited the smaller Kobo on E Roy which is near where I'm staying. I love the situation/location where the E Roy Kobo hides. For a small shop, I thought it close to being in Japan n was tickled to find a good buy. This bigger Kobo has of course more variety. I bought another gift here. I will definitely visit both Kobos on my next visit to SEA. I love that it has some old pieces to purchase.

Cute store in the international district. I think it's in the Japantown part, if I remember correctly. Pretty big, but kinda feels like a secret hole in the wall and has, what looks like, high quality items for sale. I think this is a great visiting location, or a good spot for a getting gifts for people so I recommend you stop by and see what they got.

This is one of my absolute favorite shops in all of Seattle! I've been to both the ID and Capitol Hill locations and both offer a beautifully curated selection of items--everything is a work of art. Even better, so many things are made by local artisans. Anytime I want a special unique gift for someone, this is my go-to store. It's always such a joy to shop here!

Beautiful store filled with Japanese art, jewelry, apparel, paper goods, and housewares. The selection is outstanding and many of the items are designer or locally designed. Just walking in it felt like a fancy art gallery, but it's much more relaxed in atmosphere. Picked up an adorable ninja owl tee shirt that was designed by a local artist and some unique greeting cards. The tee's were just too adorable. They have kids apparel too. Pretty much everything in this store was fabulous and it took a lot of shopping restraint to not buy one of everything. The jewelry was very minimalist and gorgeously designed. There were some unusual items under the glass counter, they even sold porcupine quills oddly enough. They have lots of good luck charms and little lucky cats. If you're in the Chinatown area check this store out, the art and decor are very pleasing to the eye. The ladies running the store were funny too.

What a great gift shop! They have so many one of a kind items. Jewelry, books, artwork and more. I actually came in here as part of the tour for Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, courtesy of the Wing Luke Museum. In the corner of this shop is where they house items from several decades ago when this shop was run by the Murakami family. It was fun to learn some local history and also browse through the curated northwest art.

Kobo is one of the few shops in the International District that is there to appeal to tourists and shoppers who want a higher end shopping experience in the neighborhood. What I love about Seattle's International District is many of the shops, restaurants, bakeries and such have a more "this is what we do in everyday life" kind of vibe. I have only been to a handful of Chinatowns in the country but the one in Boston is much more souvenir and tourist oriented. At least it seems like that to me.Seattle's International District still has a plentiful amount of things to see for out of towners too. It is a healthy mix of both ideas to me.Kobo seems to capture this healthy balance by having things like cards, home decor and artwork while having plenty of things accessible to tourists.Everyone here is very friendly and more than eager to answer any questions you may have.It is a fun boutique!

Cute books, pottery, art, and trinkets can be found through Kobo. If you enjoy a Japanese/PNW aesthetic, you're sure to find something to like in here! Great for gifts!Some interesting historical bits about this location:Located in what's left of Seattle's historic Nihonmachi (Japantown), this shop occupies what used to be known as the Higo Variety Store. The Higo Variety Store had been in that spot for over seventy years and managed to survive World War II (when the owners, who were Japanese American, were forced to go to the Japanese internment camps), the subsequent collapse of Nihonmachi, and a couple of generations-worth of ownership.

Everything in this store is so beautiful! It's expensive but each product feels curated and purposeful. They have a great selection of Japanese home goods, jewelry, clothing, and books. This is a good spot if you're looking for a gift or something special for your home.

which translates from Japanese as "artist's workspace," is an artisan gallery featuring Japanese and Northwest fine crafts. KOBOMany Japanese crafts have a long history, and many of them make you feel emotional and artistic.Akabeko was famous even in my hometownIt is a shop that brings back nostalgic memories and the joy of experiencing craft culture in America.Oh. . . Akabeko was here!

I usually love this store and have been several times. Really lovely items at pretty high prices, but its always enjoyable to look around - except when you are being treated like a potential shoplifter everytime. This is probably my last visit since they do what they can to make anyone feel unwelcome that they think looks suspicious. They are so paranoid about theft they rope off entire sections of the store to make it harder to navigate, and give you disposable plastic covers for your bag to keep you from stealing. Talk about tacky and totally wasteful! I was asked to cover my bags and rather than take the plastic I just offered them to the lady who looked very confused. Usually a store will just offer to hold your bag for you if they are concerned. Most of the other clients in the store were not approached or asked to cover their open bags so it felt rather targeted.Don't run a gift shop in an area if you're that concerned about shoplifting that you make customers uncomfortable. It was almost enough to keep me from purchasing anything. Best of all - white lady running the shop and treating guests like thieves. Super disappointing.