Best Japan Souvenir Snacks To Bring Back To Singapore

Best souvenir snacks to buy in Japan

For some, shopping’s a quintessential part of every holiday to Japan. With the SGD to JPY exchange rates hitting record highs in recent times, now’s the best time to go on a shopping spree in between your Mount Fuji day trips and obligatory konbini runs to Lawson and FamilyMart.

But, you can’t forget about the folks left stranded back in Singapore. You’ve already teased them with snippets of cherry blossom season on Instagram, so it’s only right to dabao a couple of Japanese souvenir snacks AKA omiyage to quell their jealousy. From fan-favourites like Shiroi Koibito cookies to lesser-known regional specialties, here are some to keep an eye out for.

Breakdown of souvenir snacks in Japan

Souvenir snack	What is it	Price	Best place to buy
Ishiya Shiroi Koibito	Langue de chat cookies sandwiching a white chocolate filling	From ¥777/ box of 9, ~S$6.35	Hokkaido
Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwich	Butter cookie with white chocolate, butter & rum‑soaked raisin filling	From ¥580/box of 4, ~S$4.74	Hokkaido
Tokyo Banana	Banana-shaped sponge cake with banana custard filling	From ¥691/box of 4, ~S$5.65	Tokyo
Butter Butler	Small French cake with an intense butter flavour	From ¥1,080/box of 4, ~S$8.83	Tokyo
Yatsuhashi	Comes in a baked, crisp cookie form & a raw version made from folded sheets of glutinous rice flour with a core of paste	From ¥950/pack of 48, ~S$7.77	Kyoto
Momiji Manju	Maple leaf-shaped cakes with sweet filling	From ¥778/box of 6, ~S$6.36	Hiroshima
Hakata Torimon	Milk-flavoured bun with white bean paste filling	From ¥500/box of 4, ~S$4.09	Fukuoka
Ichiroku Tart	Swiss roll-like cake with yuzu-infused filling	From ¥1,058/roll, ~S$8.65	Ehime
Uiro	Chewy, steamed sweet made from glutinous rice flour mixed with sugar	From ¥519/box of 5, ~S$4.24	Nagoya
Hagi no Tsuki	Moon-shaped cake with custard filling	From ¥1,000/box of 8, ~S$8.18	Sendai

1. Ishiya Shiroi Koibito

Iconic cookies from Hokkaido known throughout the country

Probably the most recognisable of Japanese souvenir snacks, Shiroi Koibito (from ¥777/ box of 9, ~S$6.35) cookies were originally Hokkaido-exclusives when they hit the market in 1976. But, due to its meteoric rise in popularity amongst sweet tooths, the iconic snack has since journeyed eastwards and has become widely available.

You can also opt to buy tins of 36 and 54 cookies that contain milk chocolate variants.
Image credit: GOOD LUCK TRIP

The souvenir snack staple, which consists of 2 thin, buttery langue de chat cookies sandwiching a white chocolate filling, is made from premium dairy products that Hokkaido is known for. Today, it can be bought at most airports, train stations, and omiyage stores all across Japan, so you really don’t have to look hard at all to find a box to bring back.

2. Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwich

Butter sandwich filled with creamy white chocolate & raisins

The butter sandwich’s regal packaging mimics the design used by a historical butter label in Hokkaido, which also inspired its name.
Image credit: Rokkatei

Staying in the wintery wonderland that is Hokkaido, another treat that might be a bit more difficult to find elsewhere in Japan are Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwiches (from ¥580/box of 4, ~S$4.74). These sport a striking, retro-style packaging, and a bite into the sandwich’s creamy butter, white chocolate, and rum-soaked raisin filling is nothing short of heavenly.

Unfortunately, Hokkaido’s Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwiches aren’t as widespread as its Shiroi Koibito cookies, so be sure to purchase them if you’re visiting the prefecture. I missed out on these as I thought I could find them on my connecting flight at Haneda Airport, but alas, they weren’t sold there.

3. Tokyo Banana

Pillowy sponge texture hiding a sweet banana custard core

Image credit: Tokyo Banana – SG 東京ばな奈ワールド via Facebook

You can’t say you’ve been to Tokyo without having stuffed a box or 2 of Tokyo Banana (from ¥691/box of 4, ~S$5.65) into your check-in baggage on your flight back. It’s the best-selling omiyage in all of Japan, and for good reason. Like its name suggests, it’s a light and fluffy sponge cake shaped like a mini banana that conceals sweet inner banana custard within.

The attention to detail is immaculate; they’ve faithfully slapped on Pikachu’s lightning bolt-shaped tail on the back of their cakes.
Image credit: Nintendo

If their adorably dainty cakes aren’t enough to win both your heart and palate over, they’ve also gone on to do collabs with popular Japanese IPs to come up with treats that look too cute to gobble up. These include tie-ins with Pokémon, Doraemon, and Chiikawa. Also, if you’re flying out of Tokyo, be sure to keep an eye out for the Haneda Airport-exclusive honey-flavoured Tokyo Banana.

4. Butter Butler

Intensely rich butter financiers, galettes & millefeuilles

For a treat so sinfully indulgent, look no further than Butter Butler. It’s another Tokyo specialty, but while Tokyo Banana tantalises with its light notes of banana-flavoured sweetness, Butter Butler’s devotion to, well, butter, is intense.

Image credit: Entabe

Crack open a pack of their famous Butter Financiers (from ¥1,080/box of 4, ~S$8.83) for yourself, and you’ll notice at once the enticing aroma of butter mixed with maple syrup wafting through the air. The square-shaped cake is lightly crisp on the outside, yet tender and springy when you bite into one, and trust me when I say that their deep, buttery taste is nothing short of addictive.

Image credit: Shopee Singapore

Butter Butler’s other products are no slouch either. Their melt-in-your-mouth Butter Galette (¥972/box of 9, ~S$7.95) cookies are , while their Butter Millefeuille (¥1,620/box of 5, ~S$13.25)promises a pop of the brand’s trademark flavour in the form of a fermented butter cream filling sandwiched between caramalised pastry.

5. Yatsuhashi

Comes in 2 forms, a bridge-shaped cracker & an unbaked one with tasty filling

When you’re touring the historic city of Kyoto and would like an edible memento to remember it by, you can’t go wrong with Yatsuhashi. Dating back to the 1600s, this Japanese sweet comes in 2 forms – baked and raw. The baked version’s the OG, and is a thin, crisp cookie that’s shaped like a roof tile, and traditionally comes in a cinnamon flavour.

Image credit: Food in Japan

Other than the fact that this crunchy delicacy pairs perfectly with a toasty cup of tea, it also has quite a long shelf life of around 3 months. Should you need brand recommendations for baked yatsuhashi, Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo (from ¥950/pack of 48, ~S$7.77) has been in the game for over 200 years, so you can’t go wrong with them.

Image credit: Chopstick Chronicles

Meanwhile, raw yatsuhashi is a more modern take on the traditional sweet, having been created in the 1960s. When unbaked, yatsuhashi takes on the form of folded sheets of glutinous rice flour that envelop a core of delicious paste, which come in a variety of flavours. For a taste of the best raw yatsuhashi, have a look at the ones by Otabe (from ¥702/box of 8, ~S$5.74); they’ve got a wide range of flavours such as matcha, cinnamon, and black sesame to name a few.

6. Momiji Manju

Maple leaf-shaped baked cakes from Hiroshima

Image credit: Dive! Hiroshima

Hiroshima is an absolute stunner in autumn, as the prefecture’s renowned maple leaves reach peak vibrancy and blankets all in a sea of reds and oranges. For a taste of fall, there’s no better snack than Momiji Manju. First created in Miyajima, a small island located in Hiroshima Bay, it’s a soft, baked confection in the shape of a maple leaf stuffed with a sweet filling, typically red bean paste.

Of course, they come in a whole host of flavours as well, which include chocolate, cheese, matcha, and yuzu. There are also more exotic variants of Momiji Manju as well, although these are better enjoyed on the spot, such as ice cream-filled ones and even a deep-fried version. As for bringing a couple back for loved ones to try, look out for award-winning Momiji Manjus made by Nishikido (from ¥778/box of 6, ~S$6.36).

7. Hakata Torimon

Milk-flavoured dough stuffed with white bean paste from Fukuoka

Image credit: Food in Japan

Fukuoka’s must-buy omiyage comes in the form of a milk-flavoured bun called Hakata Torimon (from ¥500/box of 4, ~S$4.09). This pillowy, cake-like snack contains a white bean paste within that’s mixed with butter, cream, and a hint of condensed milk, elevating it above your average bean-paste sweets. Fun fact – it’s named after the Torimon dancers and performers who strut their stuff at the annual Hakata Dontaku Festival parade.

This decadent snack must be doing something right, as it has clinched the Monde Selection Gold Award, a well-respected international quality award, for over 20 consecutive years. Moreover, it set a Guinness World Record for the highest sales of a bean-paste-filled snack in a single year, having sold a whopping 64 million units in 2019.

8. Ichiroku Tart

Sponge cake wrapped around a sweet red bean paste infused with yuzu

Image credit: GOOD LUCK TRIP

For fans of oranges, Ehime’s the place to be. The northwestern prefecture is known for being the “citrus capital”, as they produce the freshest citrus fruits, especially mikan mandarins. Naturally, their specialty souvenir snack, Ichiroku Tart (from ¥1,058/roll, ~S$8.65), is similarly flavoured; despite its name, it’s a swiss roll-like cake wrapped around a sweet bean paste that’s enhanced with yuzu.

Each roll is hand-rolled by artisans to create a perfect spiral for a balanced flavour profile in every bite. There are also seasonal versions of the sweet; for example, visit Ehime during the summer, and you’ll be able to snag a box made from Amanatsu Mikan, or summer mandarins, which are said to be a tad more citrussy.

9. Uiro

Steamed rice flour & sugar sweet from Nagoya

Image credit: Visit Nagoya

Uiro is another classic traditional souvenir snack that can be found in Nagoya. It’s a chewy, steamed sweet made from glutinous rice flour mixed with sugar, whose texture somewhat resembles mochi but is not as sticky; think of it as a firm jelly-like snack. Like many traditional sweets, it comes in a variety of light flavours so as to not overpower the taste of rice, such as matcha, yuzu, sakura, and red bean.

Image credit: NIHONMONO

As for famous brands that produce quality uiro, Aoyagi Sohonke is as good as it gets. Founded in the 1880s, they’ve mastered the technique of making these bite-sized goodies. On top of buying a box of 5 pieces of uiro for ¥519 (~S$4.24), consider bundling your purchase with their signature red bean paste-filled Frog Manju buns (¥486/box of 3, ~S$3.97) that are equal parts adorable and tasty.

10. Hagi no Tsuki

Melt-in-your-mouth, custard-filled sponge cake that resembles the moon

Image credit: Japanese Souvenirs – Seesaa

Amongst many vacationers in Sendai, Hagi no Tsuki (from ¥1,000/box of 8, ~S$8.18) is the omiyage of choice to bring home, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a soft sponge cake shaped and coloured like a full moon, and filled with creamy custard that explodes in your mouth, akin to a liu sha bao. Its name is a nod to the hagi bush clover, a plant synonymous with Japanese autumn imagery.

The melt-in-your-mouth softness of the cake, coupled with the mellow and gentle custard cream that’s not cloyingly sweet makes for an excellent combination loved by many. A special antioxidant is also packaged with each cake, which ensures that it stays fluffy for about 2 weeks at room temperature, so you don’t have to rush this one back to your family back in Singapore to enjoy it at its freshest.

Bonus: Kyo-Rayu Furikake

Famous chilli oil furikake from Kyoto

Image credit: Simply Native

We Singaporeans just can’t get enough of all things spicy, so dabao a bag of Kyo-Rayu Furikake (¥600/bag, ~S$4.91) to sprinkle atop your cai fan orders back in the Little Red Dot. Originating from Kyoto, this versatile topping made from roasted sesame seeds, Kujo onions, garlic, and chilli oil will give your meals a savoury, crunchy texture with a mildly spicy kick.

What to know about buying souvenir snacks in Japan

If it’s your first time buying souvenir snacks in Japan, you’ve got to take note of a few things before stuffing your haul into your luggage.

Firstly, a lot of these snacks have a short shelf life, because Japanese manufacturers stray away from using preservatives and additives in their sweets as they prioritise freshness and texture. Some of these snacks can have best before dates as short as 1 to 2 weeks and as such, you should purchase them towards the end of your trip.

Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
Image credit: Japan Guide

Thankfully, it’s not difficult to find a place that sells omiyage in Japan, as they’re practically sold everywhere. In fact, you’ll be tempted to buy a box right as you land in the country, as the various airports in Japan are probably some of the best places to get them. You’ll find that the airports are teeming with gift stores and stands stocked to the brim with omiyage, so make a stop here before heading into the departure halls.

Image credit: Ruya Doble via Facebook

You also don’t have to worry about scouring entire prefectures for the best prices, as omiyage are generally sold at around the same price across the country. Other places that you can buy omiyage at include train stations, department stores’ food basements, local markets, factory outlets and regional specialty stores.

Of course, you can buy omiyage online as well, on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop, but sussing out the lesser-known ones, especially regional specialties, could prove to be difficult. Online prices will also definitely be higher than what you’d pay in Japan.

Image credit: Adobe Stock

Another plus point of buying them in-person is that you can ask to taste-test the sweets through samples, to avoid purchasing gifts that might not suit you or your recipient’s taste. Also, do remember to bring along your passport when venturing out to purchase omiyage. A lot of stores that sell them provide tax-free shopping, so they’ll need your passport to help you shave a couple of bucks off your purchase.

Bring home these souvenir snacks on your next trip to Japan

We’ve listed at least one souvenir snack from each major region in Japan to keep your eyes peeled for, so make sure you leave some space in your luggage to bring home these regional delicacies. But, you’ll still want to taste-test as many as you can; seeing how many varieties of omiyage there are out there, we’ve probably barely scraped the surface as far as Japanese sweets go.

For more things to do in Japan:

Cover image adapted from: Food in Japan, Dive! Hiroshima, Nintendo, GOOD LUCK TRIP