Page 60 - South Korea & Japan: Temples, Shrines & Seaside Treasures

• Crafts: The Japanese highly value traditional crafts and produce some wonderful goods.
Japanese artisans are skilled at traditional crafts such as ceramics, lacquerware, and
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• Regional Traditions: These destinations are well known for their products: Mikimoto
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products and Japanese pastry with elaborate work throughout Japan.
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and Kyoto.

• Electronics: Digital cameras, laser discs, CD players, calculators, and hand-held
computers are ubiquitous in Japan with good bargains common. In Tokyo you’ll want to
visit Akihabara, a huge electrical appliance district with open-front shops selling every
possible electronic gadget. Shoppers mob this district, so be prepared for crowds.

• Porcelain, Pottery: Japan is a big producer of high-quality pottery and porcelain items.
All of the big department stores carry superb pottery such as the Satsuma Arima, Hagi,
Bizen and Tobe pottery. Other famous ceramic companies are Kutani in Kanazawa and
Kiyomizu in Kyoto.

China
Throughout China, you’ll discover wonderful buys on a variety of gifts like chopsticks,
signature seals (which are known as “chops”), cloisonné, Mao hats, and silk scarves. These
goods—and much, much more—are available at local stores. You can pay with local currency
or credit cards. Occasionally shops will take U.S. currency or traveler’s checks, but this is
becoming more and more rare.
One thing to note about shopping in China is that bargaining is allowed (even expected) at
open-air booths/street vendors, but at these types of businesses you must pay with cash only.
Beware of counterfeit RMB given by street vendors as change—pay in exact change whenever
possible, and you’ll avoid being cheated.

U.S. Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges

For all things related to U.S. Customs, the ultimate authority is the U.S. Bureau of Customs &
Border Protection. Their website, www.cbp.gov has the answers to the most frequently asked
questions. Or you can call them at 1-877-227-5511.

The top three points to know are:

• At time of writing, your personal duty-free allowance is $800 for items brought with
you. Items totaling more than $800 are subject to duty fees.

• Items shipped home are always subject to duty when received in the U.S. Even when
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shipping to the nearest customs facility and payment of the export duties—not door-to-
door shipping or payment of the import duties. All additional duties or shipping charges

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