Planning a short trip to Nara Japan this summer. Visting all the famous temples and shrines. Wondering if any Fodorites have suggestions of what all I should buy there for myself and for gifts for family. Looking for small, affordable but unusual items.

Nara is famous for calligraphy brushes, Nara Dolls and uchiwa fans. There are shops on the streets from the two train stations to Todai-ji. Nara is also famous for it's deer, of which you can find all sorts of deer items including plush toy deer.

If you visit a shrine, you can pick up omamori "good luck" charms too.

One word of advice is that if you want to keep anything you have (especially things made of paper), keep them in a secure bag away from the deer. They can and will try to snatch things from you and eat them!

For Japanese, Nara is famous for Narazuke, a kind of pickled vegetables and fish in sake lees (precipitates). There are many shops selling them, some trading for 100 years or more. Goes superbly well with boiled rice and as accompaniment to hot sake, but because of its strong smell is something of an acquired taste for the uninitiated.