If you’re looking for fun and cute things to collect, look no further than Japan for inspiration. Collecting things is a big part of Japanese popular culture, and competition is fierce for the newest, cutest, or coolest item to add to your collection. There are lots of ideas of things you could collect, but be warned: once you start this hobby can become addictive!

Japanese erasers are inexpensive and easy to collect. If you think erasers are boring, you’re probably thinking about the ones you used in school. Japanese collectible erasers are cute, fun, and made in every way imaginable, with painstaking attention to detail. Miniature foods are particularly popular and look good enough to eat. Who could resist a slice of cake, a hamburger or a miniature piece of sushi in the form of an eraser? Japanese erasers are widely available in online stores and very inexpensive, making it easy to start your collection and keep going.

Action figures are also a popular thing to collect in Japan and you can choose any type that interests you, from cute girls to action fighting anime heroes. Figures range from small, inexpensive versions bought from ‘gashapon’ vending machines to large, highly detailed, and expensive models. Try specialty Japanese goods stores or eBay to start your collection.

If you like comics, the manga is the obvious thing to collect. These Japanese comics are read by everyone in Japan, from school-age boys and girls to businessmen and housewives. As you can imagine, they come in a wide range of topics, and each series contains several manga games. The most popular stories have been translated into English and are available in bookstores and online stores in the US and Europe, but if you really want to get tough, you can also order the original Japanese versions.