Our favorite souvenir foods from Japan!

The bloggers at DEM Flyers love Japan, and a big part of it is all the delicious Japanese food. This extends to the wide variety of souvenirs you can take home. We’ve compiled our list of favorite snacks so you can look out for them on your next trip, or you can try them at home if they are available in your country!

If you don’t want to go to a physical store, often many items are available online; I’ve included online shopping links where applicable. If on Amazon Japan, you can sign up for a free trial of Prime and get them delivered to you in Japan for free, or shipped internationally! Some items are also available to buy on Amazon US for inflated prices, or in Asian grocery stores.

This is just a small list of the wide variety of souvenir foods Japan has! Japan even has a website dedicated to omiyage (Japanese for souvenirs) along with rankings: https://omiyadata.com/jp/. Let us know in the comments what your favorite food souvenirs are!

Snacks

Pastry Snaffle’s Cheesecake

Pastry Snaffle’s is a line of cheesecakes from Hakodate, with stores also in Sapporo, New Chitose Airport serving Sapporo, and Tokyo. They can also be found on Amazon Japan, but with inflated shipping costs.

Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory

Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory is a brand of wafers with flavored cheese fillings, such as Salt & Camembert, and Honey & Gorgonzola. I really love these snacks and frequently buy them for friends. You can find them in department stores, airport duty free stores, as well as Amazon Japan / Amazon US.

Press Butter Sand

Press Butter Sand is a line of cookies with rich fillings that look like a pressed sandwich. You can find retail locations around Japan, and can also buy on Amazon Japan.

Cha-no-Ka Okoicha (strong green tea) flavored langue de chat

Cha-no-Ka is one of the most famous souvenirs from Kyoto, sold by Malebranche Kyoto Kitayama. It is an okoicha (strong green tea) flavored langue de chat cookie. They have an online shop, or you can visit one of their branches in Kyoto. They also sell a number of other desserts in store, such as a limited edition Mont Blanc which you can read about here.

📍Malebranche Kyoto Kitayama Main Store
40 Kamigamo Iwagakakiuchicho, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8053

LeTAO Cheesecake

LeTAO is a bakery in Otaru, Hokkaido, famous for their cheesecake. You can find LeTAO in stores all over Japan, Amazon Japan, or you can visit their store up in Otaru and walk along the cute streets there.

📍LeTAO Main Store
7-16 Sakaimachi, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0027

KitKats

KitKats are a classic Japanese food souvenir. They’ve become hugely popular in Japan, with many interesting flavors like matcha and sakura. KitKat sounds like “surely win” in Japanese, which helped make it popular.

You can find these all over Japan – I like to buy from Don Quijote, a chain of megastores in Japan. You can also buy on on Amazon Japan. There are even dedicated KitKat stores to visit where you can make your own KitKats.

📍KitKat Chocolatory
〒171-0022 Tokyo, Toshima City, Minamiikebukuro, 1 Chome−28−1 Seibu Ikeburero Main Store B1

📍KitKat Chocolatory Miyashita Park
6 Chome-20-10 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001

Shiroi Koibito (White Lovers) Cookies

Shiroi Koibito is a very famous line of langue de chat cookies with white chocolate from Ishiya in Hokkaido. You can even visit their factory and theme park up in Sapporo! I buy these all the time as gifts for friends. They are available almost anywhere in Japan, as well as Amazon Japan / Amazon US.

📍Shiroi Koibito Park
2 Chome-11-36 Miyanosawa 2 Jo, Nishi Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 063-0052

Kinokuniya Chili Oil Shrimp Crackers

Kinokuniya is a high end grocery store in Japan. We love these chili oil shrimp crackers from them. You can buy them at Kinokuniya stores all around Japan, or at Rakuten with additional shipping charges.

Sapporo Okaki Yaki-toukibi roasted corn snack

Hokkaido is well known for its produce, like corn! This is a tasty roasted corn snack from Hokkaido. They can be found in grocery stores in Hokkaido, as well as major airports. You can also buy on Amazon Japan.

Calbee Hokkaido

Other produce Hokkaido is known for are potatoes! Calbee is a major Japanese snack manufacturer, and they make a line of snacks with Hokkaido ingredients. There are potato chips, potato fries, bean snacks, etc! You can find these all around Japan, especially up in Hokkaido and New Chitose Airport. You can also buy on Amazon Japan.

Fleurs d’été

Fleurs d’été is a cake shop from the exclusive restaurant été by Natsuko Shoji. Both are very difficult to reserve, but you can reserve the cake from Omakase.

BLANCA Basque Cheesecake

BLANCA is a line of desserts from the Michelin starred Spanish restaurant acá in Tokyo. You can order online on Omakase.

Ingredients / Seasonings

Kyo Ra-yu Furikake

This brand of furikake (rice seasoning) is loved for its spicy and umami flavor. It is sold by Ochanoko Saisai, a store found in Kyoto. Look out for it if you are in Kyoto, or you can buy it online on Amazon Japan / Amazon US.

Hokkaido Butter

As mentioned above, Hokkaido is known for its delicious rich milk and milk products, including butter. Snow brand is the most commonly found brand, found in almost every grocery store in Japan, but you can look for other brands too, like Yotsuba. Amazon Japan.

Aged Soy Sauce

Soy sauce can be aged to create a even deeper flavor. There are a number of brands of aged soy sauce sold in Japan. Japanese Taste has a good article, and you can also buy directly from them. Here are some standouts:

Yamaroku soy sauce is from Shodoshima, an island in Japan known for their soy sauce. Tsuru Bishio is a soy sauce from them aged 4 years in barrels. You can buy on Amazon Japan.

Teraoka Organic Shoyu Japanese Barrel Aged Soy Sauce

Teraoka is a soy sauce brewery, making organic naturally fermented soy sauce. This soy sauce has a mellow taste and aroma. You can buy on Amazon Japan.

Haku Mizunara Whisky Barrel Aged Shoyu Soy Sauce

If you can’t get to Japan, Haku is made in Kyoto and sold abroad. This soy sauce is aged in whisky barrels for a deeper flavor. You can buy on Amazon US.

Noodles / Curry

MUJI Curry / Latte Mix / Instant Ramen

MUJI is a chain that sells their own branded low-cost but high quality items. This extends to a range of packaged food products like curry, latte mixes, and instant ramen. You can find MUJI stores all over Japan, and you can order as well on Amazon Japan.

Godaime Hanayama Udon

Godaime Hanayama Udon is a well known udon noodle restaurant, with the main location in Ginza, and branches in Nihonbashi, Ikaho, and Haneda Airport. You can buy every part of the meal separately or as a set, from the noodles, to the soup and sauces. Amazon Japan

AFURI is a famous ramen restaurant chain across Japan, known for their yuzu ramen. They sell an instant ramen that can be found at 7-11, as well as fresh ramen packs you can assemble yourself! The ramen packs can be found at AFURI stores and Amazon Japan.

Menya Ittou Instant Ramen

Menya Ittou is a famous ramen restaurant known for its tsukemen, but they also make great normal ramen as well. They’ve produced a line of instant ramen with a chicken based soup. You can find these at Lawson convenience stores.

📍Menya Ittō
1 Chome-4-17 Higashishinkoiwa, Katsushika City, Tokyo 124-0023

Iida Shoten Instant Ramen

Iidan Shoten is a ramen restaurant known by ramen connoisseurs located in Kanagawa just north of the onsen town of Atami. It is difficult to get reservations to the restaurant. Instead, you can buy this instant version at 7-11, or on Amazon Japan.

📍Ramen Iida-Shōten
〒259-0303 Kanagawa, Ashigarashimo District, Yugawara, Doi, 2 Chome-12-14

Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto

Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto is ramen chain with branches around Tokyo. They make super spicy ramen with a miso based broth. You can find the instant ramen at 7-Eleven, or on Amazon Japan.

Ippudo Ramen

Ippudo is a world famous ramen chain with branches in multiple countries. They are famous for their tonkotsu (pork broth ramen). They have a line of instant ramen as well as fresh ramen packs, which you can find in many convenience stores and grocery stores, as well as Amazon Japan / Amazon US.

Ichiran Ramen

Ichiran is a world famous Japanese ramen chain. They sell instant ramen as well as fresh ramen, which you can find in many convenience stores and grocery stores, as well as Amazon Japan / Amazon US.

T’s Tantan

T’s Tantan is a well known vegan ramen chain in Tokyo. They make a meat free tan-tan men which you can buy at convenience stores, grocery stores, as well as Amazon Japan.

Drinks

Orion WATTA Passionfruit beer

Orion is a brewery based in Okinawa, and WATTA is their line of Chuhai drinks with original Okinawa ingredients. We’re a big fan of their Passionfruit beer, but they have other flavors like Pineapple and Shikuwasa. You should be able to find these occasionally all over Japan, especially in Okinawa, or you can buy on Amazon Japan.

ANA Aromatic Kabosu Juice

This is ANA’s signature drink, made from the kabosu citrus. It is served on all ANA flights, and I find it delicious and refreshing! It is available to purchase on A-style, ANA’s online shop, or at ANA goods stores located in airports.

JAL Sky Time Peach & Grape Mix

Similar to ANA, JAL has their own signature drink called SKYTIME. It is a peach and grape juice mix. You can find it on JAL’s online shop or at JAL goods stores located airports.

Tsubaki Sozen

Tsubaki Sozen is a tea store with original tea products based in Fukui but with branches around Japan, including Tokyo. They have various products, such as fruit flavored teas, accessories, and others. My cousin always asks me to bring some back when I visit. They have an online store in Japanese, or you can visit a physical location.

Daigo no Shizuku Sake

Daigo no Shizuku is an unrefined sake (doburoku) using traditional methods from brewery Terada Honke. It is available in stores around Japan as well as their online shop, and Amazon Japan.

Masamune-kun no Zeppin Umeshu (Plum Wine)

Masume-kun no Zeppin Umeshu is a plum wine from Kawashiri Brewery in Hida Takayama. My friend requested me to buy this last time and it was excellent, with a rich and smooth flavor. It is available from their Japanese online shop, in shops around Hida Takayama, and possibly elsewhere.

Japanese Whisky

Japanese whisky has been getting very popular, such that some of the well known brands like Suntory have increased in price dramatically and are difficult to find. I sometimes still get lucky at Narita duty free! However, there are plenty of other brands that are very high quality and still affordable and easy to buy. Timeout has a good article with more.

Mars Iwai Tradition

Mars is a distillery up in Nagano, and the weather there means the whisky matures at a different, giving it a sweet, deeper profile. Many of the premium lines from Mars are hard to find now, but Iwai Tradition is still easily available for around 3000 yen. You can find it in liquor stores as well as Amazon Japan.

White Oak Single Malt Akashi