Tamaya

Wow! What a cute store! I was a here a little while ago to purchase a gift for my friend who is a Rilakkuma fanatic and I found just what I needed (if not, more than enough.) They offer free gift wrap services and will let you choose the colors and decorations! The lady who helped me out was SO nice and a very qualified employee!
I also couldn’t help but notice that this shop has a great selection of pens, folders, and stationary! I bought some amazing erasable pens and these grip mechanical pencils that work very well.

Best Stationary store ever! They always have the most recent collections and it’s inexpensive (in my opinion). They also have a rewards program for every 5 you spend and when you complete the little card, you get a gift certificate for your next purchase. I will always go to this store! Staff is very friendly. They sell both San X and Sanrio Items. They also have a wide collection of thin point pens! I go crazy at this store every time!

Cute overload! A great place to stock up on San-​X goods. Imported cuteness comes at a price, but I always find something I «need» every time I visit. San-​X school supplies, stuffed animals, cell phone cases, kitchen goods… lots to choose from! Small but well-​organized shop. They also have a points/​rewards card for frequent purchases.

This store is to die for. It has everything cute from San-​x you could imagine. I mean price wise it’s what you expect from japan imports but there are definitely things you can get if you’re on a budget. I’ll definitely come back!!!

Favorite place to go get gifts and things for myself (pretty much myself). Was introduced to San-​x from my friend and was super excited after I found shop in Irvine. I would go regularly to try to win the awesome raffle prizes. Now I go to this location and everyone here is super friendly.
They have so much selection I can look around for hours. I usually go for other people and end up getting things for myself.

Super cute store! Wonderful selection! So much to choose from! The owner was the nicest person to chat with too ^_​^ I will be a regular for sure: D

I had to visit this place when i went down to socal and it was awesome! i dont rmbr what i purchased, but there were a lot of san-​x supplies in this store. I will probably visit again when i head down to socal.

This store is awesome. It’s the BEST place outside of Japan to get San-​X stuff!
The owner, Hiro, is super friendly and is great with customers. He loves to talk about what products will be coming in, and so you can always ask.
Prices are SO GOOD. Like, you won’t find better prices anywhere for the real stuff.
The storefront itself is beautifully decorated, nice and clean, and just so much fun to wander through. It’s not huge, but you can just get lost in all the awesome stuff!
Definitely worth checking out!

Boyfriend made me mad so decided to buy me things at Tamaya. I was just going to get a yellow mamegoma, but they did not have medium sized so I bought a small one. I named it Twinkles. We looked around some more. I stared at the yellow chicken and boyfriend asked if i wanted that one too. There were only two small sized chickens left. The plush were priced well compared to other places. For example, the chicken at tokyo lifestyle was 13 dollars but here it was 11 dollars (the japanese version). They have a discount card in which you fill 15 spots and you get 5 dollar certificate. Cool store, lots of cute things. Will somehow convince bf to come here again someday…

An absolutely adorable store that definately needs more recognition! The store is in a little corner in the plaza but inside is a total different story. The store is filled with plush toys, stationary, handbags, and much more. It’s heaven for a SanX lover. Staff is super friendly and helpful too. Another cool thing is that they have point cards and stamp for each $ 5 you spend on SanX purchase. Fill it up and you get a $ 5 certificate! Though the products may seem pricey, it is surely a cheaper way to go than paying a ridicously higher price online (Ebay).
So everyone should go if you have a hunger for cuteness! Any of Tamaya’s merchandise can be a super great gift.

Super obsessed with this cuteness, what else can I say. I do feel a bit weird as I am in my twenties but I can’t help it and will continue to love anything kawaii. The store has so much cuteness and Rilakkuma is hard to resist, must buy something everytime.

OH MAAAAAAAN
It makes me so sad that the items are kinda pricey but I still love the selection.
It’s definitely a little more difficult to find a large variety of Rilakkuma/​San-​x in general merchandise so this place is really awesome to have nearby.
They have lunchbox items to kitchen items, stationary, plush dolls, so MUCH!
There’s lots of goodies here that are hard to find.
The woman working here was really nice. I had a hard time understanding a few words I felt so bad! But she stayed nice about the whole thing haha
I spent around 34 $ for a little notebook, pen, a pack of small notepads and paid to participate in the raffle which i won two Rilakkuma magnets.
It’s definitely a pretty penny for small stationary items but getting to write notes on kawaii paper using a kawaii pen is priceless.
I will be back for more. I need the Rilakkuma hanger! and some cups!

RILAKKUMA OVERLOAD.
SO MUCH CUTENESS OMG.
First step into this store, and I KNEW I was in trouble. Why? because I had a wallet full of cash for this So-​Cal trip and Tamaya was the first stop.
I’ve only heard of how awesome this place was, yet I knew so little before I walked in.
This clean & well kept petit store was brimming full of so much authentic San-​X items… especially of my weakness of Rilakkuma!
Picked up a haul (christmas themed plushies, cups, paper envelopes, bento picks…) and could have spent hours inside looking at all the merch… had I not had my poor, bored bf waiting for me.
I WILL COME BACK FOR YOU, TAMAYA!

I was just introduced to Rilakkuma recently after being a nostalgic Hello Kitty fan. Strangely, I am a huge crazy «quality, high end Teddy Bears» (ie JellyCat, Gund…) cute bear LOVER, but never really knew about Korilakkuma from Japan, or the high quality Korilakkuma manufactured by San-​x.
Then, my guy HOOKED ME in with my first RILAKKUMA, and even better, a Korilakkuma bear back pack by San-​x, which he purchased thru Amazon.
MELTED «in love» with San-​x quality and softness of Korilakkuma back pack, but it had a slight crooked nose. Instead of going thru Amazon, we researched the seller Tamaya, directly since they were also located in SoCal. :)
Called the Torrance location to request an even exchange with our Amazon order #. Yoko was so friendly, accomodating, customer service oriented, and agreed to help me do an even exchange directly, at the Torrance store, so I could hand pick the Korilakkuma back pack I wanted. She left a note for the person working the next shift, since she wouldn’t be there the next day. Very thorough and reliable follow thru!
So the next day, I drove a long distance to Torrance. The Unilocalers were so helpful with the strip mall location, Indian samosas next door (very yummy), Daiso $ 1.5 store down the street (cute casual inexpensive items), and most importantly — the worthwhile customer loyalty PUNCH CARD. Thanks!!!
Hiromi was working, and very aware of our even exchange. Yoko had already left the note yesterday, with a few extra back packs for me to select from, very nice touch! Hiromi even gave me a punch card for the recent Amazon purchase upon our request, and of course, we were completely drawn to their stellar service (from Hiromi & Yoko), and awesome, adorable, high quality merchandise! We were compelled to spend even more monie$, with another plush ‘laying down’ Korilakkuma San-​x, 2 more San-​x Rilakkuma fine kitchenware, & 2 Korilakkuma fine kitchenware. Already redeemed our first punch card discount, upon first store visit because its too easy to spend over $ 75. Well worth the monie$ for the priceless joy and cuteness you extract from the items. They say YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
LUV this place, worth the long drive, will def visit Irvine store soon. Easy place to find high quality San-​x merchandise! I am now a new devoted loyalist! Either for yourself, loved one, or thoughtful gift… You will find your soft spot here!

I could spend hours in here. Everything is so cute and the staff is SO incredibly friendly and helpful. They even offer to specialty order items for you if they don’t have them in stock there. There’s often lots of fun games like raffles for customers too. I’ve ordered from their eBay and Amazon stores too and that was always very speedy and packaged well. Would recommend to anyone that’s a fan of Rilakkuma and other cute characters. Amazing place.

I am so glad I stumbled upon this place! It’s too cute to imagine!
I’m already a huge fan of San-​X but I didn’t know of any local places where I can get my Rilakkuma fix. I stopped by the Indian grocer next door to get samosas and the place was open so I went in.
My mouth dropped when I saw Rilakkuma at the door! I spent as much time as I could in there before I realized I had my dogs in the car and limited money hehe. This store carries EVERYTHING cute! Wall chargers, phone cases, Dr. Grip pens, towels, book cases… you name it they got it. San-​X is a little high (as if Sanrio isn’t already) and you do pay retail. However I happily pay to own the cutest pens at work. They do offer a stamp card where you get $ 5 when you fill it. You have to spend a high amount but it’s so worth it!
I loved this store. It was so much more nicely laid out than any Sanrio store I’ve ever been to. You could tell someone spent a lot of effort into presentation and I enjoyed every minute of it. The lady behind the counter didn’t offer any help which was good cause I didn’t want to be bothered or stalked! She was courteous when I checked out. She even helped me put on my phone charm to make sure it would look ok before I checked out!
This review is totally biased because anyone who stocks Rilakkuma can do no wrong in my eyes. But with an amazing selection and good customer service?! Every two weeks you’ll know where to find me!
If you are a fan of anything cute do not miss this store!

Tamaya offers a great variety of new San-​x items almost every month. You will absolutely love Hiroyuki and his staff, their customer service is by far the best I’ve ever had. Why is TAMAYA so awesome? because even if you are not in California you can still get a hold of these super kawaii products, «LIKE» them on Facebook and there you will not only be able to contact the seller but see what new products he has in stock… they ship anywhere in the U.S. ! :O
Regarding their prices, I must say they are pretty reasonable considering their products are coming from Japan and most of these items can be hard to find … I can honestly say that I spend at least an hour here, there is so much to look at. You will be amazed at the amount of things that this store has, everything is so well organized too. If you are ever in the area make sure to check this place out, your wallet might not be happy but you sure as heck will :) .
Oh Oh! I would also like to add that TAMAYA hosts raffles that San-​x retailers offer their customers in Japan, it’s a for sure win every time!
What are you waiting for? check them out now!

Love Tamaya!!! Like another Unilocaler I would have never found this place if I wasn’t browsing Unilocal!
I go here for all my San X needs!!! I hadn’t been here in ages and went recently and discovered Sentimental Circus and now I’m hooked! I love the «Plinko» game to get your punch card points doubled and tripled and love the «spot the differences game» Took my little brother in a couple weeks ago to see if he had won for May and he did =) Employees r nice too!!!

This is a hidden gem here. Never would have found this store if it wasn’t for browsing Unilocal during insomnic nights.
Tamaya is hidden in a strip mall on Sepulveda next to the Arco. The store itself is pretty small, but packed with San X goodies. They stock just about every character, but you’ll notice that their Rilakkuma (the brown bear) archive is the best stocked. Check out their website for a good idea of what’s there:
I am a bigger fan of Kutusita Nyanko (the black cat) and found their selection to be prime. During my trip I picked up:
— Nyanko spiral bound notebook (~A5 size)
— Nyanko grid subject notebook (~A4 size)
— Nyanko double clips
& — Rilakkuma double clips
Just perfect for kicking off grad school! Here’s a pseudo-​artistic shot I took of my new goods:
Their stamp card consists of 15 slots. When you spend $ 5 you get one stamp. Meaning, in order to get the $ 5 gift certificate, you’ll need to spend $ 75 first.
Wouldn’t go back for the sake of getting the stamps, but if you were going to be spending that much anyway, it’s a nice perk.
While I was there, there were moms shopping with their children (elementary school children). I got some stares, but that’s okay because I knew a long time ago that I’d be 30 yrs old one day and still use cute stationary. I’ll also be handing my co-​workers notes with doodles of cats on the margins. NEVER GONNA GROW UP.
Be prepared to melt in a pool of cuteness.

Yesterday my boyfriend said, «I found this cute store in Torrance. Do you want to go?» Does a baby bear poop in the woods?! I’m so there. When we walked into TAMAYA, we were surrounded by San-​X products. According to my boyfriend, I squealed a little and said, «I’m in heaven!»
TAMAYA in Torrance is an authorized retailer of San-​X products from Japan. Sanrio was my first love, but San-​X is my new love. Rilakkuma is pretty easy to find in kawaii shops, but I haven’t seen the other San-​X characters too often.
Right now my favorite character is Kireizukin Seikatsu, the raccoon. TAMAYA has quite a few Kireizukin products, and I was in heaven.
If you’re in the South Bay, go visit! The store owner is super nice, and they have a monthly quiz that you can fill out. They pick out winners from those who answer the quiz correctly and hand out cool prizes. If you’re not in the area, you can buy online from TAMAYA’s ebay shop. The link is on their website. Visit TAMAYA’s Facebook page for pictures of their latest inventory (
).