Karen Tee The Oedo Antique Market is the largest and oldest outdoor market of its kind in Japan and offers an eclectic range of second-hand finds. Souvenir shops all around the world overflow with mass-produced magnets, postcards or other random trinkets. Like many travellers, I have always found the urge to pick up keepsakes while on vacation irresistible.
But over time, as I watched those trinkets pile up into a gaudy, dust-collecting heap at home, I realised something had to change. They felt disconnected from the places I had visited, and worse, failed to spark memories of my adventures. So how could a shopaholic traveller like me satisfy the urge to shop, but in a more meaningful way? Already a subscriber? Log in Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month $9.
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Why you should go second-hand shopping on your next holiday
Souvenir hunting for such items is a sustainable, meaningful way to connect with places.