Satsuma Imports

Satsuma Imports is amazing for several reasons:
1. Owners: they’re a really cute couple that are both very friendly and talkative. Had a great time chatting with them and got a bunch of free samples along with my cosmetic purchase :)
2. History: this is the first American store that imports Shiseido from Japan and you can sense the rich history as soon as you step in
3. Location: it’s surrounded by a great deal of restaurants and you can easily find street parking during the week
Will definitely come visit again when in this area!

I went into this place when I saw the big sign «Shiseido” — big fan of that cosmetics brand. They have 2 lines of Shiseido you’ll not find in other stores, they are made in Japan and imported from there. The owner of this cute little shop is very nice and competent, her mother in-​law /​Japanese/​was the first one who started selling Shiseido cosmetics in the US :) There are authentic Japan stuff.

we love these people. our heart goes out to them and our prayers and good thoughts are with you as you recover fully from chemotherapy. may you be well. cho ku rei. hon sha ze sho nen. sei he ki. do kyo myo. do ko myo. raku. choku rei.
PS TO reviewer «I LOVE LUCY» …if you are at all humane you will retract your absurdly biased and ignorant review based on one phone call… May you be well.

Satsuma has a great selection of Japanese clothing, furoshiki, noren, tea pots, etc. A great place to buy a gift for a special friend or that unique item to dress up your home.
Very friendly and helpful sales people who helped me find exactly what I needed. They are currently only open M-​F, but it’s definitely worth it to plan a trip during the week. And some great restaurants nearby as well.

I don’t get to come here as often as I’d like but I do love coming here. I purchased my first vintage silk kimono from Satsuma for around $ 150.00. A very reasonable price seeing as these kimono are made of silk and they’re vintage. I will be returning to purchase another. Satsuma also has some beautiful Yukata and Haroi. My boyfriend and I have purchased a few of the sake sets from Satsuma as gifts to friends and family. I love coming to Satusma. It’s one of my favorite places to go. Oh, don’t forget their lovely selection of Obi :)

I thought I would have a hard time finding this gift this year: Japanese dish set actually made in Japan. Unilocal pulled up this place so I went down today to check them out. Sure enough it’s a mom and pop place with a great selection of dishes, tea/​sake kettles, rice bowls etc. I found exactly what I was looking for. A complete Japanese dish set with chopsticks and a sake set MADE IN JAPAN NOT CHINA. The owner even gift wrapped them for free with very fancy wrapping paper!
Cons: Metered street parking however I got lucky with a spot real close
Pros: Excellent service, super nice couple who run the shop, good selection, and most dish ware imported from Japan (if you are looking for authentic Japanese product)

like everyone else who has been to the store said, this is the cutest mom and pops store ever! Mrs and Mrs. Sakai has been running this store for decades. Both of them are VERY friendly and helpful! A group of us came in on an old night a few days ago to get some shiseido makeup. Mrs. Sakai took her time to answer all our questions about different skin care products and even gave us samples of some that she thought would work well with our skin. I would definitely go back as much as possible and give them all my business!
they have been married for 42 years! they have a lot of family pics in the stores as well. Watching them interact and work in the shop together really brought faith in love and marriage back for me. And they gave us a good rec for a ramen place. we really enjoyed our interaction with them. =)

Love this place, a little mom and pop owned store. Usually open, but when we went last, they had closed for a family emergency. I sure hope they open back up soon. A very fun place, as they have all sorts of kimonos, getas, and other japanese styled clothing. They also have some teapots, and other kitcheny stuff. I was looking for some Japanese metal pans, but alas they didn’t carry them. But I did buy some zori or Japanese slippers from them. And guess what they fit me and my not so small Asian feet. I am sure that they were not made in Japan, as my foot size would be equivalent to an XXL. Anyways, great place to hang out for a bit, and check out the back yard which reminds me of the Karate Kid of the 1990’s. Just like Mr. Miyagi’s backyard.

Satsuma is a great family-​run business that harkens back to the old days of Sawtelle when it was a West LA Japanese-​American enclave.
The service is very friendly and helpful and the selection of gifts, cosmetics, and household items is unique.
They will do great gift-​wrapping upon request.

I was looking for my shisedo 60 SPF and asked the guy that answered the phone if they carried it. He told me yes and when I asked how much it was he told me it will be the same price everywhere. I told him I have found it cheaper by a few bucks other places and wanted to know how much he was selling his for. To what he replied ok then go to the cheaper places then. I was pissed!!! It was just a question! I thought of calling before going in but now thanks to this guy I don’t care if I have to buy it for more somewhere else but I REFUSE to give him my business. Why not just tell me the freaking price? Barneys sells it for $ 39 bloomingdales for $ 35. If he sold it for a bit more than bloomingdales I would have given him my business since his store is a walking distance away from me and would save me a trip to santa monica or beverly hills. but screw him now.
If you are reading this sir I would like to tell you that your rude attitude cost you a customer. If you are like that to other people you won’t last much longer.
WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN THIS SHOP! EVER!

I have passed by Satsuma many times on trips to Sawtelle, but never went in, the storefront is not very enticing. Anyway, dropped in today and so glad I did! I have been looking for some nice japanese ceramics, including a soy sauce dispenser (one that is nicer than the kikkoman ones, haha). They had such a nice selection, I also picked up a few large ceramic bowls for future ramen dinners. I did not have time to browse the whole store, but they have an extensive selection, and are reasonably priced. Definitely will return on my next trip to Sawtelle.

Ceramics, sandals, clothing, high-​end knives, cosmetics, lamps, shoji screens, noren curtains, cook books, greeting cards and various other knick-​knacks. All good quality, at great prices and imported from Japan.
They also have parking beside the store, in the driveway.
This place is my go-​to source for birthday presents for friends.
The owner has an encyclopedic knowledge of his inventory, so you can say something like «I’m looking for a 30^th birthday present for a hipster girl from Silverlake, and want to spend $x», and he will show you your best choices, like a human Google search of awesome Japanese products.
As a side note this store is a piece of living history, the last of the Sawtelle Blvd («Little Osaka») strip of family owned and run businesses.
Extra parking note: for free, 2 hour street parking, use Corinth, which runs parallel to Sawtelle and is one block away.

After living on Sawtelle for the past few years, I FINALLY went to Satsuma the other day. They have an impressive selection of Shiseido products, so I thought I would give the place a try. I’m so glad I did!
I love little shops like this. It’s the epitome of a «mom & pop store». The owners are a cute married couple who are so warm and welcoming. They have a vast array of Japanese items from kimonos to sake sets (some really nice ones for only $ 20). As mentioned, my main objective was to buy some Shiseido skin care products, so I had to fight off the temptation to shop for other things.
The woman there was happy to help me. She was extremely friendly and helped me pick out a moisturizer & foam cleanser. She also hooked me up with some samples and her husband gave me a folding fan to «remember the store by».
If you’re ever in the area, and they happen to be open, I highly suggest you take a look around. I will definitely be back.

Friendly store owners, clean and organized showroom with a myriad of knick knacks (some I haven’t seen in Little Tokyo), plus a good selection of noren makes this SATSUMA IMPORTS a gem. Satsuma also carries high quality bentos as well.

I love Japanese ceramics. I have mostly all Japanese bowls, plates, etc. Cute cute cute! They have a good selection of sake cups and bottles (which I want a set soon), and dishware as well. They have some books, kimonos, makeup, big chopsticks, etc.
Cute store if you’re in the neighborhood. Very friendly couple as well (probably the owners) :)

«it’s the last of the mohicans,» replied the store owner, «but we will be here next year.» i had wished him a merry christmas and a happy new year.
i spent about half an hour browsing all the imports from Japan — from kimono/​yukatas to tama cats to ceramic dish sets (bowls, plates, tea sets, sake cups) to wooden and glass sake sets to chopsticks and chopstick holders to porcelain goods to japanese wooden shoes (geta). they also carry shiseido cosmetics
super friendly guy and he wrapped all my gifts! japanese goods are expensive by nature because of the careful handiwork and high quality. at this store, the prices seem more reasonable and more affordable
this is the last store of its kind on sawtelle. kabuki and the other store has closed. if you want more imports, you’ll have to go to Little Tokyo or Gardena/​Torrance.
picture uploaded

Satsuma saves the day again! I was looking for a particular Japanese Kimono, and I found it at Satsuma. I can’t believe the wide variety of vintage Japanese clothing they have available. My wife loves the extensive collection of Japanese ceramic wear. My only complaint, is that they are not open on Sunday.