While working or studying in Japan, many take the opportunity to travel around the country. However, some travelers are surprised to learn about the Japanese gift giving culture called Omiyage. Some foreigners find this expectation annoying, although they can often get away with not bringing back souvenirs by playing the “foreigner card”.
Even so, if one looks deeper into the Omiyage culture, it is actually quite sincere and generous. When the traveler brings something back from the region they have visited, he or she is sharing experiences via local specialty.
For me, taking part in giving Omiyage is about including and educating my friends, family, and co-workers. I love sharing what a particular region has to offer. In a few cases, friends were inspired to travel to that region themselves.
In my experience, the most crowd-pleasing Omiyage is shareable and edible, such as a box of sweets. This also happens to be the most convenient and cost-effective route for the gift-giver. Win-win!
Below is a list of well-traveled areas in Japan and simple Omiyage suggestions:
1. Omiyage from Okinawa
Benimo (purple sweet potato)
You can find these in the form of cookies, cakes, tarts, Kit Kat’s, etc.
Goya (bitter melon)
Usually served as a savory dish, fried with eggs and Spam. In gift format, you can offer it as a fun cookie flavor (the sugar alleviates the bitter taste).
2. Omiyage from Hiroshima
Lemon
Hiroshima produces the most in all of Japan. You can share this fact with others through lemon-flavored treats.
Momiji-manju
Maple-leaf shaped cakes originally from Miyajima, where maple leaves run wild. Traditionally, the cakes are filled with sweet red bean, but you can find other flavors such as custard, chocolate, sesame, etc.
3. Omiyage from Kyoto
Matcha-flavored treats
Green tea powder is amazing in dessert format! You will find many varieties in Kyoto.
Yatsuhashi
A soft, flat, square piece of Mochi folded into a triangle, holding a dollop of sweet bean paste. Other flavors include sesame, Matcha, cinnamon, etc.
4. Omiyage from Mt. Fuji
You could offer a box of Mt. Fuji-shaped cookies, but note that Mt. Fuji is actually located in Yamanashi, and there are great many local flavors to be shared!
Seasonal Fruit Flavors
Yamanashi is a huge fruit growing area with many farms offering all-you-can-eat fruit picking. Share what’s in season through fruit-flavored snacks.
Shingen Mochi
Pillowy mochi cubes covered in Kinako (soybean powder) and brown sugar syrup. You may need to prepare this before serving.
5. Omiyage from Hakone
Sulfur Egg
Hakone is known for their hot springs and eggs boiled in sulfur water. While I don’t recommend bringing the eggs back from Hakone, I do suggest nose-friendly treats (cookies, cakes) that promise a hint of that sulfur so your friends don’t miss out.
Manju
Hakone is also known for their buckwheat soba noodles, so it would be appropriate to share Manju, which is a cake made of buckwheat and filled with sweet bean paste.
6. Omiyage from Izu Peninsula
Wasabi-flavored treats
Potato chips, crackers, Kit Kats, the list goes on. Shock and awe your friends!
Mikan (Mandarin Orange)
You can find this flavor in candies and jellies, but if you’re kind enough, bring a box of these easy-to-peel crowd pleasers.
7. Omiyage from Hokkaido
Snacks with milky or cheesy flavors
Hokkaido is Japan’s Mecca for dairy production. Good dairy isn’t easy to come by in Japan, so share the love!
Lavender
In the summer, visitors flock to Furano to view gorgeous purple fields. Bring some of that beauty back with Lavender-flavored sweets.
The same Omiyage rules apply for when you are returning from travel outside of Japan. You should’ve seen the look on my co-workers’ faces when biting into Durian candy from Malaysia! But hey, it was authentic and made them more curious about that country.
After being exposed to Omiyage culture, sharing my travel experience through taste has become part of my coming-home routine. There is just something about local flavors that can really transport you to that region!
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During both my trips to Japan I stayed in peoples homes so, being aware of Omiyage, I decided to bring something with me. nothing too special, choclate, Khalva (a sweet made of sesame seeds), but it was well received nonetheless.
I went to Vegas last year to see my childhood best friend . Being military brats on Okinawa I had lost contact with her for 40 yrs. We reconnected via Facebook . I had forgotten about omiyage tradition. She brought omiyage & I was pretty embarrassed that I had forgotten in the excitement of the trip. I tried to make up by buying gifts & tickets for a show. I don’t think I’ll ever forget again.
Another reason why I love Japan, every prefecture and even every town has its own kind of food, snacks, drinks, habbits,. There is sooooo much stuff on this island, just not enough time to taste and try everything in a human life, so I think the omiyage is great. I gladly bring omiyage back when Ive been abroad, the looks on their faces is fantastic. “You eat this in Holland????????” “I sure do” heh
BTW, Wasabi flavored treats? Time to visit Izu I guess.
Very much like in the Philippines. We call it “Pasalubong”.
When we came back to Australia from Japan weeks ago, we bought a lot of green tea Kit Kat, Royce chocolates, Tokyo banana and other sweets from Kyoto to our friends here. They are all happy and we are glad to share what we had experienced in Japan.
SAdly its not like that in Norway, Sweden or any of the other Northern European countries:/ I’ve brought omiyage’s home from my numerous travels several times, but nobody really seem to appreciate it or care about it. Well, except for grandparents etc of course, but the rest hardly even want to try it ( Norwegians are very suspicious to all things new…)