Updated August 5th 2023.
Are you looking for authentic Japanese tableware or gifts? The Japanese Shop UK is one of the first shops that appeared when we searched online so it definitely has good SEO ranking. However are their products really authentic? Are they the same as you would find in Japan?
If you have not already come across The Japanese Shop UK, you can find their website here. What you will see immediately are the same kind of designs you would see in Japan. They also have a huge selection of products ranging from Kimonos to Japanese stationary and even includes woodblock prints!
Ramen bowl shopping time
On this occasion, we were looking for some nice ramen bowls like the type you would be able to buy in Japan. This search started when a friend said they wanted to buy some online. Initially she bought “an authentic Japanese ramen bowl” on Amazon. However when she showed it to me after delivery the surface looked extremely fragile. I could see faint scratch marks even before it had been used. So my friend sent an email to the seller asking for more information about the bowl manufacturer. At this point the seller apologised profusely, said the bowl was not Japanese and immediately offered a refund!
Once again the task in hand was simply to find a good ramen bowl that you could expect in Japan that did not cost an extravagant amount. There are a few options that you will see immediately online, but the Japanese shop UK stood out due to their high quality collection and some amazing reviews – their customer review score is 4.9 after over 500 reviews! It makes sense to read through a few, and clearly the owners Hiromi and Jez Willard take care to provide the same excellent service you would expect in Japan.
The Japanese Shop UK tableware
We absolutely loved how many designs there were when we checked the tableware section. You can find a wonderful selection of bowls, plates, lacquerware, and dishes to choose from. Then there is a nice array of cutlery including soup spoons and tea sets with some cute designs too!
The ramen bowls that we bought in the end were the Sapporo Japanese Ramen noodle bowls. As you can see in the above image (first attempt at using a product box), they are ceramic bowls with a superb textured feel to it. The colour is a deep autumnal brown with a lovely flash of bright blue. On the site it says they are dishwasher safe, although we feel they are too beautiful to use in a dishwasher so it is hand washing only for us so far. If you have used them in the dishwasher, please feel free to let us know in the comments below!
Verdict
When it comes to quality and reliability, The Japanese Shop is the place to go. Offering not just authentic Japanese products, but also genuine Japanese service as well. The delivery was perfect with everything well wrapped up to avoid anything breaking. There was a small note from Hiromi too and I am sure that had there been any issues, they would get solved very quickly.
One point to consider. To be completely transparent, we only ordered ramen bowls and spoons. Perhaps you may say it is too soon to make a review. Fear not though, we will be making more purchases in the future and after 2 years, we are still using the ramen bowls and spoon and they are looking as beautiful as ever!
Thank you for reading this review and in case you are looking for information on Japanese supermarkets in the UK, you may be interested in this post. Also, if you have bought anything from The Japanese Shop UK, it would be really nice to hear your experience and how their products were for you in the comments box below. Thanks again!!
