The Chatuchak Market in Bangkok is a warren of ephemera. I don’t think there’s anything they don’t sell, and I didn’t even realize some of the things they sell existed - seated Buddhist abbot statue, anyone?
Hoi An is famous for its tailor shops. I’m not yet sure whether that’s because they’re good, or simply because there are loads of them (I believe over 500 and they certainly seem to make up around half the total businesses in town, including one with the somewhat controversial name of My Lai). With all that choice, selecting a shop was probably more difficult than the fabric or cut, but we both ended up getting a few pieces from the ladies at A Dong Silk. So we’re now in a position to settle the quality issue.
Aritsugu is a knife store in Kyoto’s Nishiki Market, and is one of the most famous knife shops in Japan. Sam could not resist leaving without his own personalized souvenir.