One delicious type of souvenir that transcends regional boundaries is anything made with kinako, or roasted soybean flour. I am not especially health-conscious, but this looked tasty, so I bought a bag. Sometimes you want a kind of sweet...

I bought this set at a Hokkaido fair in Tokyo. Hokkaido is famous for an extraordinary range of delicious food, but as a devoted shellfish lover, I simply could not walk past the words “crab flavor.” I have also eaten my way through Hokk...

Surrounded by the sea, Chiba Prefecture naturally offers a great many seafood souvenirs. The products I have actually tried have nearly all been delicious, making seafood a category well worth seeking out. However, because you usually bu...

When you look for souvenirs in Chiba, you encounter a surprising number of products related to Ise ebi, or Japanese spiny lobster. “Chiba? Ise?” may sound confusing, and the name naturally makes many people think first of Mie Prefecture....

Chiba Prefecture has both sea and mountains, an abundance of nature, and many well-developed urban areas, making it an excellent place to explore. Each part of the prefecture has its own character and its own famous souvenirs. If Chiba i...

Here is an introduction to one of Aomori’s best-known sweets. Apples are probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Aomori, and apple products fill the prefecture’s souvenir shops. You could almost say that apples a...

I think there is a useful “one more small item” category in the world of souvenirs. When someone says, “I went to Hokkaido—here is a souvenir,” most of us unconsciously imagine receiving something in the 500-to-1,000-yen range. Trying to...

Castella is strongly associated with Nagasaki, but excellent versions are also available in Tokyo. I received this one as a gift, and it proved every bit as delicious as its elegant appearance suggested. After looking it up, I learned th...

Yoitomake is a famous Hokkaido confection. I bought this one at a Hokkaido fair in Tokyo. Its understated package looks as though it might appeal more to older shoppers, and my children objected to buying it. Their reaction was understan...

Chiba-kun is the official mascot of Chiba Prefecture. He is charming and probably has a great many fans. Chiba City has a dedicated Chiba-kun product shop, while roadside stations throughout the prefecture generally carry at least a few ...

Here is a nostalgic Aomori sweet that makes a delightful souvenir. I was genuinely moved to discover that it is still being sold today. Imo Ate is a playful Japanese confection enjoyed as a lottery. I have happy childhood memories of the...

Aomori Prefecture offers a wealth of delicious food, much of it powerfully and assertively seasoned. It would be inappropriate to praise that tendency merely because Aomori has historically had a low average life expectancy, but local pe...

Wakasaimo is a long-established Hokkaido confection and a familiar choice as a souvenir. Despite its potato-like appearance, it is made from white bean paste rather than sweet potato, making it especially appealing to people who enjoy tr...

Hokkaido has more delicious souvenirs than anyone could count. Since I live in Tokyo, however, I cannot visit the island frequently. Fortunately, the strength of the Hokkaido brand means that dedicated product fairs are regularly held in...

I have a distant memory of eating Hokkaido imomochi many years ago. The details are unclear, but I seem to remember finding them delicious, so I bought a package when I encountered them at a Hokkaido fair. Foods from Hokkaido containing ...

Recent online articles have asked why Funassyi seems to have disappeared, and the character's presence in souvenir shops has certainly diminished. Funassyi has already contributed more than enough to promoting Chiba, but fans are always ...

Hokkaido souvenirs usually fall into several familiar categories: sweet confectionery, seafood, or snack foods such as Jaga Pokkuru. I personally enjoy Jaga Pokkuru, but at a Hokkaido fair in Tokyo I found a different snack that looked i...

Everyone has at least one flavor that brings back memories of earlier days. The tanuki cakes introduced here are just that kind of treat. They used to be a familiar sight, but today they have apparently become quite rare, and few shops s...

Tokyo attracts an enormous number of visitors, so naturally it also offers a vast range of souvenirs. Each area has its own character, from Asakusa and Tokyo Skytree to Ginza and Nihonbashi, although airports and major stations often car...

Sometimes you want to bring a small souvenir back for a close friend at school or work. This is exactly the kind of product that suits such an occasion. If it is too expensive, the recipient may feel obliged, while something too large ca...

Loquats are one of Chiba Prefecture's specialties. Yet in northern Chiba, closer to Tokyo, there is little sense of a loquat-growing region. A short drive from central Tokyo is unlikely to bring you across loquats. The products most comm...

The product introduced here is definitely a souvenir to enjoy at home. Chiba Prefecture has several roadside stations, Fusa no Eki shops, and other places to buy souvenirs. At many of them, samples from this series of soups containing ga...

Following the previous article, this review is once again about senbei—and once again about Utsunomiya and gyoza dumplings. Why did I eat two products with such similar names in succession? They were displayed side by side despite lookin...

Rice crackers as a souvenir are about as classic a choice as you can make. They are convenient because they suit a wide range of recipients and occasions. Asakusa, Soka, and Fukagawa offer serious senbei brands rooted in their local trad...

I have bought and tasted many souvenirs from Chiba Prefecture, but until now I had never encountered the Peanut Monaka introduced here. Travel websites and magazines almost invariably recommend it as one of Chiba's best souvenirs. When a...

Many people in Japan have probably heard the famous advertising jingle for Ariake Harbor at least once. Ariake Harbor is certainly well known. Yet until this review, I had never eaten one! I learned that the sweet was created around sixt...

Products featuring Fukaya green onions can be found in almost every souvenir shop in Saitama Prefecture. Because Fukaya negi is a celebrated local ingredient, the products are generally well made and enjoyable. There are unusual variatio...

This time I am introducing candy. A single tin of candy may feel rather lonely as a souvenir, but it is a convenient extra item to add beside a substantial box of sweets. If you know the recipient’s family includes elementary-school chil...

Following the Original Dakekimi Donut, here is another Aomori local food. Apples and garlic are so famous that other specialties receive less attention, but gohei mochi remains a popular hometown snack. Many people name it when recalling...

During this summer’s trip to Aomori, I tried collecting souvenirs other than the familiar apples and garlic. Previous articles mainly featured local foods, but this time the subject is peaches. “Peaches from Aomori?” you may wonder, yet ...

I bought this product at the Hiraka Farmers’ Market, also known as Agrias, in Hirakawa City, Aomori Prefecture. Like the peach bouchée introduced in another article, it was displayed in a special Tsugaru Peach section. Since I was there,...

Peanuts are delicious plain or processed, and I am a devoted fan. They are irresistible when slightly hungry, watching television, or drinking. I often visit Chiba and have checked many souvenir shops, but its signature peanuts are expen...

Aomori is famous for apples and garlic, and souvenir shops are dominated by products featuring those two ingredients. They are delicious, but hidden recommendations exist too. One is the Original Dakekimi Donut, sold at Aomori Shunmikan ...