Welcome to Tochigi. With breathtaking mountains and astounding waterfalls as its backdrop, this prefecture is blessed with over 600 onsens to keep you warm, and innumerable shrines and temples.
With Tochigi’s traditional rustic atmosphere at the forefront of our minds, we curated our favorite assortment of traditional sweet, savory offerings, and tea. This month we want you to join us in becoming immersed in the history of Tochigi.
Enjoy Tochigi Traditions.
Yashu Takamura (Tochigi)
This traditional candy has been sold during festivals across Japan for centuries. The makers at Yashu Takamura have artfully and uniquely crafted each piece to resemble Japanese motifs. Inside its colorful packaging you’ll find figures in the shape of a maneki-neko (beckoning cat), Mt. Fuji, a cherry blossom, a sumo wrestler, and a daruma doll.
Common Allergens: None
May Contain Traces Of: Dairy, Wheat, Soy, Apple
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Granulated sugar (manufactured in Japan), starch syrup, oligosaccharides
Nikko Foods (Tochigi)
While walking through the streets of Nikko, you’ll be overcome by the amount of yuba promotions decorating restaurants and souvenir shops alike. This crunchy, fluffy soy treat is made from crispy fried yuba. They are the perfect light snack with a hint of salt.
Common Allergens: Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Shrimp, Crab
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Yuba (domestic soybeans (not genetically modified)), vegetable oil), salt, scallions
Hagiri (Shizuoka)
Aged Sencha is made by slowly maturing carefully selected tea leaves at low temperatures. As the tea leaves age, the sharp bitterness fades into a refined, mellow taste. It is said that shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu was a great admirer of aged sencha.
Common Allergens: N/A
May Contain Traces Of: N/A
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Tea (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Motohashi Confectionery (Tochigi)
With red bean paste cooked fresh every morning and dough kneaded from scratch, it’s easy to see why these donuts are Motohashi Confectionery’s signature product. These delicious bite-sized treats have gained popularity across Japan from word-of-mouth alone.
Common Allergens: Egg, Dairy, Wheat, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Sesame
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Sugar, wheat flour, vegetable oil and fat, sweet bean paste, syrup, chicken eggs, glucose, margarine, skimmed milk powder, salt/expanding agent, emulsifier, flavor
Tengudo (Hokkaido)
Black sesame seeds are intricately kneaded into soft mochi to create this delectable treat. Its chewy texture and sesame flavor perfectly exemplify traditional Japanese sweets.
Common Allergens: Wheat, Sesame, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Dairy, Walnut, Apple, Almond
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Starch syrup (manufactured in Japan), sugar, wheat flour, maltose, glutinous rice flour, sesame, bean jam, oblong bean paste, soy sauce/Ca carbonate
Wako Foods (Tochigi)
Refreshingly sour with a hint of sweetness, this particular yokan flavor is quite rare to see. It’s inspired by Tochigi’s lemon milk beverage and features cute retro packaging.
Common Allergens: Dairy, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: N/A
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Sugar (manufactured in Japan), white bean paste, syrup, agar, salt/flavoring, carotenoid color, emulsifier (lecithin)
Minoya Arare (Kanagawa)
These tiny morsels of arare are seasoned with Minoya Arare’s original dark soy sauce and carefully selected chili peppers. The arare is then intermixed with butter peanuts. The spiciness of the arare and the sweetness of the butter peanuts make this a treat you can’t put down.
Common Allergens: Wheat, Peanuts, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Egg, Dairy, Shrimp, Crab, Almond, Cashew, Beef, Sesame, Chicken, Pork, Apple, Gelatin
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingradients: Glutinous rice (from Thailand), fried peanuts, soy sauce, protein hydrolysate, sugar, chili pepper / thickener (processed starch), caramel color, seasoning (amino acid, etc.), sweetener (extract of cassia)
Futaba (Tochigi)
These crunchy peanuts are deliciously wrapped in a mayonnaise and wasabi shell. Enjoy the spiciness of the wasabi mixed with the creamy, umami flavor of Japanese mayonnaise.
Common Allergens: Egg, Dairy, Wheat, Peanut, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Soba, Shrimp, Crab, Walnut, Squid, Cashew, Sesame, Banana, Almond
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Peanuts (South Africa), wheat flour, cold plum flour mix (starch, glutinous rice flour), sugar, wasabi mayonnaise seasoning (contains egg), mayonnaise flavor seasoning (contains egg and milk ingredients), vegetable oil and fat, powdered vinegar, syrup, aosa bean/flavoring, seasoning (amino acid, etc.), processed starch, expander, spice extract, emulsifier ( Emulsifier (derived from soybeans), micronized silicon oxide, acidulant, silicon dioxide, thickener (tamarind seed gum), antioxidant (V.E.)
Salonge (Fukushima)
To the untrained eye, furoshiki wrapping cloth may just look like a piece of fabric. But furoshiki wrapping is an art, and a piece of Japanese history. The technique began in 710 B.C. Then, it was primarily used to wrap important goods and treasures in Japanese temples. In the present day, furoshiki cloth can be used to wrap gifts, bento boxes, books, and even bottles.
N/A
Sennarido (Kumamoto)
Amaou strawberries are known throughout Japan as the “King of Strawberries” for their supremely round, large, and sweet characteristics. The earthy flavor of these almonds perfectly combines with Amaou strawberry powder to create a delightful contrast of flavors.
Common Allergens: Dairy, Wheat, Almond
May Contain Traces Of: Peanuts, Wheat, Dairy, Shrimp
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Almonds (U.S.A.), powdered sugar (sugar, oligosaccharides), cold plum powder mix (starch, rice flour), shortening, strawberry powder (lactose, strawberries, dextrin), wheat flour, whole milk powder, sugar, syrup/acidifier, flavor, leavening agent, color (beet red), glue (pectin)
Ishidaya (Tochigi)
Common Allergens: Dairy
May Contain Traces Of: Wheat, Shrimp, Crab, Beef, Pork, Chicken, Soy, Gelatin, Sesame
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Rice (domestic), vegetable oil and fat, salt, seasoning (amino acid, etc.), flavor (including dairy ingredients)
Founded in the neighborhood of Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine, Ishidaya has been creating their lightly-baked rice crackers since 1907. This treat is named after craftsman Hidari Jingoro, who carved the wooden sleeping cat located at the shrine. The cat is so adored in Nikko, Ishidaya made it their logo.
Aoi Nosho (Tochigi)
This strawberry sweet is made from Skyberries, a premium strawberry produced in Tochigi, and mascarpone cheese exquisitely placed between a bittersweet crispy cookie.
Common Allergens: Egg, Dairy, Wheat, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: N/A
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Chocolate (manufactured in Japan) (sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, vegetable oil and fat, mascarpone cheese powder, lactose, strawberry powder) wheat flour, sugar, margarine, egg white (fermented butter, vegetable oil and fat, butter oil, others) nonfat milk powder, cocoa powder, regular coffee, oil and fat Processed Foods / Emulsifiers, Colorants (vegetable dye, safflower dye, caramel, carotenoids), Acidifiers, Expanding agents, Flavoring, Sorbites
Nakajima Taishodo (Hyogo)
This bite-sized sweet is the perfect marriage of smooth yogurt and sweet and sour strawberry jelly.
Common Allergens: Dairy, Wheat, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Egg, Almonds, Orange, Kiwi, Sesame, Banana, Peach, Apple, Gelatin
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Sugar (manufactured in Japan), isomerized liquid sugar mixed with syrup, natural cheese, food made mainly from dairy products, dairy lactic acid bacteria beverage (sterilized), candied strawberries, processed oil and fat food, strawberry paste (contains wheat), agar agar/gelator (processed starch, polysaccharide thickener: from soybean), ph adjuster, flavor, carotenoid color, pyrophosphoric acid Na, antioxidant (V.C.)
7/16
Uni, or sea urchin, has a delightfully creamy texture and a delicate blend of sweet and briny flavors. Here, uni is combined with salt from the Seto Inland Sea and 100% domestic Japanese rice to create a satisfyingly crisp rice cracker.
Common Allergens: Wheat, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Shrimp, Crab, Egg, Dairy, Peanuts
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Ingredients: Rice (100% domestic), vegetable oil, sea urchin paste, sake, mirin, soy sauce (including wheat and soybeans), salt, vegetable protein, kelp seasoning extract, sugar, chili pepper, garlic powder/seasoning (amino acid, etc.), lecithin, paprika color, carotene color, flavor
Yamakyu (Gunma)
Indulge in the unique texture of this chestnut-filled bite-sized manju. With its moist dough and mildly sweet seasonal filling, it's the perfect treat for a cozy afternoon with a cup of tea.
Common Allergens: Egg, Dairy, Wheat, Soy
May Contain Traces Of: Walnut
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Sugar (manufactured in Japan), wheat flour, white kidney beans, maltose, eggs, syrup, chestnuts, sweetened condensed milk, vegetable oil and fat, reduced syrup, agar, fermented seasoning, soy sauce/expanding agent, casein sodium, emulsifier, coloring agent (gardenia), phosphate (sodium), antioxidant (V.E.), seasoning (amino acids), acidifier
Sokan (Tochigi)
Renkon, or lotus root, is a mainstay in Japanese cuisine. For this treat, lotus root is made into a light chip and flavored with the aroma of plums.
Common Allergens: N/A
May Contain Traces Of: Wheat, Egg, Dairy, Peanuts, Shrimp, Crab
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Ingredients: Boiled lotus root [lotus root (from China)], vegetable oil and fat, starch, salt, dietary fiber, plum seasoning/seasoning (amino acid, etc.), acidifier, flavor