If you want to shop for a variety of useful everyday items crafted by artisans of the region, Tohoku Standard Market (東北スタンダードマーケット) will have just what you’re looking for. Tohoku Standard Market’s Miyagi location opened in July 2016 and is located just a stone’s throw from Sendai Station. The market’s mission is to bring traditional craft from the six prefectures of Tohoku into daily life. To that end, select handcrafted housewares, sundries, and groceries made by Tohoku artisans are showcased neatly in specially made wooden compartments.

For the dishware lover, Galerie Arbre (ギャルリ アルブル) is a shop you won’t want to miss. The pleasure of eating in Japan is experienced as much through the eyes as through the mouth, so a proper Japanese meal exhibits great attention to detail in both the food as well as the dishware. It’s brilliant the way a utilitarian item, like a chopstick rest, is turned into something artistic and ornamental. Japanese dishware like this is a surefire way to bring smiles to a table, whether at a restaurant or your own home. Galerie Arbre sells decorative chopstick rests as well as many other kinds of artisanal dishware, all handmade by Japanese craftsmen. The prices are very reasonable, so you can buy quite a lot without hurting your wallet. The dishware here would make great gifts for friends, or you might want to keep it all for yourself to add to your collection!