Best Gift Shop for Children

Feel guilty spending next to nothing on a birthday present for your niece in Boston? Don't. Kids don't know or care how much a gift costs; all they want is something fun, unique, colorful, and cool. So unless you're trying to impress the child's parents, there's no reason to drop large sums at FAO Schwarz. Kinokuniya in Japantown has a nifty selection of multihued papers, stickers, pens, and other knickknacks imported from Japan. Most of the goodies are refreshingly inexpensive, with the large selection of Afroken stickers in particular attracting a steady stream of schoolchildren. (Hello Kitty is so over, don't you know?) The only hitch is that you likely won't be able to get away year after year with similar presents for the same lad or lass -- they're bound to get wise. So wait awhile, until they're old enough to appreciate one of the modern, elegantly designed desk pens.