Alternative gift guide for Tokyo

We already brought you the best of the year gift guide for Tokyo, but not everyone on your gift list is going to be content with thing so "popular."

For more discriminating friends, we offer these alternative gift ideas.

For eccentric foodies:
Edible art by Ayako Suwa
Give an artistic offering to the stomach. These food boxes are beautiful works of edible art created by Ayako Suwa, a renowned food artist. She both dabbles in color theory and taste combinations to make sure each provides a feast for all five senses.
Price: Starting at ¥31,500
Where to buy: Sold online at www.foodcreation.jp (Japanese) or tel. 03 5428 5178

Fondue sets at LOFT

For the cutesy-wootsy girlfriend:
Fondue set
Hit that romantic melting point with fondue sets covered in sickly sweet prints. Even the forks are oozing with love, and everyone loves dipping into the melty on a cold winter night.
Price: Starting at ¥3,675
Where to buy: LOFT Shibuya, Udagawa-cho 21-1, Shibuya-ku, tel 03 3462 3807, www.loft.co.jp

YU Spa at Four Seasons Chinzan-so

For the Alpha Male:
YU Alpha Male Bliss Massage
This massage at the YU Spa inside Four Seasons Chinzan-so entails "two therapists using traditional rhythmic Asian and Balinese techniques in perfect harmony with warmed signature essential oils." That should sound as great as it feels.
Price: ¥38,000 for two hours
Where to buy: Sekiguchi 2-10-8, Bunkyo-ku, tel 03 3943 2222, www.fourseasons-tokyo.com

Roses from the Rose Gallery

For the ultra-romantic girlfriend:
Roses from the Rose Gallery
These roses are apparently "raised by virgins dipped in silver at the foot of Odysseus on full moons." Actually, they are just rare breeds grown to perfection at the foot of Mt. Fuji in highly controlled environments and watered with the mountain's natural H2O. Same thing basically.
Price: About ¥1,000 per rose
Where to buy: Ginza Branch, Ginza 8-4-27, Chuo-ku, tel 03 3571 2066, www.rosegallery-l.com

Pentax k-x

For the color-coordinated cameraman:
Pentax k-x
The new Pentax k-x is a fancy DSLR camera. The real appeal here, however, is the 25 body colors and five grip color options, for a combined choice of 100 color possibilities.
Price: ¥69,800 with lens
Where to buy: Yodobashi Camera Shinjuku, Nishi Shinjuku 1-11-1, Shinjuku-ku, tel 03 3346 1010, www.camera-pentax.jp/k-x/

tiptoe pig jewelry

For the animal lover:
tiptoe's pearl pig jewelry
This elegant yet quirky pearl-coated oinker comes from Japanese jewelry brand e.m.’s tiptoe line. And if the recipient is a true animal sympathizer, there’s no need to worry because, as you can see, they use the whole pig.
Price: ¥9,240 and ¥10,290
Where to buy: Sold online at www.em-grp.com [Japanese]

Issey Miyake baseball glove bag

For the hip male urbanite:
Unique Bag
The Unique Bag series from Issey Miyake is the result of designer Hikaru Matsumura teaming up with a baseball glove artisan in Osaka. The only way this leather beauty would be better is if the pocket actually detached into a well-worn baseball glove and the handle was a jock strap.
Price: ¥115,500
Where to buy: Sold online at www.isseymiyake.co.jp/hikaru_matsumura

Moncler x Sacai down jacket

For the hip female urbanite:
Moncler x Sacai jacket
These super toasty down jackets are made by the maestro of down Moncler and spiced up with the design chops of Japanese brand Sacai. Down jackets are all the rage right now, and these limited pieces are much better than the alternative.
Price: ¥97,650
Where to buy: Seibu Shibuya, Udagawa-cho 21-1, Shibuya-ku, tel 03 3462 0111, until December 25

Le Patissier towels

For family types with a sweet-tooth:
Le Patissier washcloths and towels
These washcloths and towels look just like tiramisu, parfaits, swiss rolls and shortcakes. They would almost be practical, if anyone actually dared to remove them from their amazing packaging.
Price: About ¥500 each
Where to buy: Tokyu Hands Shinjuku, Sendagaya 5-24-2, Shibuya-ku, tel 03 5361 3111, www.hands-net.jp