7 recommended tasty souvenirs from Aizu Wakamatsu. From cute sweets to sake and miso
From Japanese and Western confections to local sake and seasonings, Aizu Wakamatsu City offers a wide variety of delicious foods from the Aizu region. Here are some recommended souvenirs you can buy in Aizu Wakamatsu, including long-selling confections that the locals love, cute confections for gifts that are also carefully packaged, sake made from Aizu rice, and more.
<Recommended Souvenirs from Aizu Wakamatsu
1Aizu Nagato Ya "Fly Me to The Moon Yokan Fantasia
Yokan (yokan) that looks like a picture book with a scene that changes with each slice
A long-established Japanese confectionary store established in 1848. Fly Me to The Moon Yokan Fantasia" was born out of the desire to "spread awareness of the excellence of wagashi.
The lemon yokan represents the moon changing from a crescent moon to a full moon and birds flapping their wings. The toppings of dried cranberries, Aizu devil's walnuts, and raisins make it a perfect match with tea or wine.
The fantastic package was painted by an artist from Namie-machi, Fukushima Prefecture, and makes a perfect gift for a loved one.
Product name and price: Fly Me to The Moon Yokan Fantasia (Height: approx. 5.5 cm x Width: approx. 12.5 cm x Height: approx. 8.5 cm, approx. 500 g), 3,500 yen.
Best before date of expiration: 2 months from the date of manufacture
Shops】Nanoka-machi store, main store
- Aizu Nagato Ya Nanoka-machi Store
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3-30 Nanokaicho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
3 minutes walk from JR Nana-nichi-machi Station
From JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, take the Shuyu bus. 3 min. walk from the "Shichinamachi Eki-mae" stop.
9:30-17:30
Year-end and New Year's holidays
0242-29-7070
No parking (30 minutes free service coupon for purchases over 2,000 yen when using the parking lot of the Nanokaicho Roman Deck)
2Taroan "Aizu no Tenjin-sama
Soft and fluffy bouce that tastes great even when chilled
A confectionery with deep roots in the community with 15 stores in the Aizu and Koriyama areas. In the Aizu region, when a boy is born, a papier-mache toy called "Aizu no Tenjin-sama" is given as a gift, and "Aizu no Tenjin-sama" is a famous confectionery born from the desire to preserve this culture. It is a light Western-style pastry made of fluffy bouce dough sandwiched between a cream made of salted butter and processed cheese, with a perfect balance of sweet, salty and sour tastes.
In addition to the standard cheese and rum raisin creams, seasonal creams such as strawberry, lemon, caramel apple, and chocolate are also available. It is recommended to refrigerate or freeze them.
Product name and price: Aizu no Tenjin-sama, from 250 yen per piece.
Best-before date] About 7 days
Available at 15 stores including the Aizu Honten Store, Nanokaicho Kabo, Aizu Jonan Store, and Niidera Kobo Store.
- Tarouan Aizu So Honten
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- 1-2-2 Byakkora, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
- Approximately 8 minutes walk from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
- 9:30-19:00
- January 1
- 0242-32-2877
- Free of charge
3Kamikashiji Aizu Aoi "Koboshi
Cute confections for gift-giving with lucky local toys
The shop is descended from a tea wholesaler for the Aizu domain, and offers creative confections made by reading and understanding the Aizu domain's traditional cookbooks of menus and tea ceremonies. One of the most popular is a Japanese confectionery called "Koboushi. The "koboushi" toy is one of the three lucky charms of Aizu, and there is a custom to buy one more than the number of family members and offer it to the altar. The sweets are rolled into the shape of a Koboushi, with homemade azuki bean paste and white azuki bean-yolk bean paste in stoneware, representing the emotion of snow. The box also depicts a windmill, one of the three lucky charms of Aizu, with the wish that it will spin around cheerfully all year long, even after it has been eaten.
Product name and price: Koboshi (15 pieces) 1,500 yen
Expiration date: 2 weeks from the date of manufacture
Product name and price】Aizu Aoi Honten
- Kamigashiji Aoi Aizu Aoi Honten
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- 4-18 Otemachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
- Approximately 8 minutes from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station by car
- Take a bus from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station and get off at "Tsurugajo Kita-guchi" (north exit of Tsurugajo).
- 9:00-18:00
- No holidays
- 0120-26-7010
- Free of charge
4Byakkodo "Aizu Jyokko
Crunchy cookies with the aroma of butter and almonds
A long-established confectionery that has been in business since 1966 (Meiji 41). It has been preserving traditional confections such as "Byakko Ame" made from rice starch syrup and Daifuku (rice cake with a mallet) filled with homemade sweet bean paste.
The long-selling "Aizu Jyokko" is a cookie filled with sliced almonds and has a delightful, crunchy texture. The package is decorated with a picture of a kokeshi doll made by a kokeshi craftsman in Kitakata, which is also a source of comfort. The 10-pack comes in a box with a picture of a kokeshi doll on it, and is recommended as a souvenir for companies.
Product name and price] Aizu jyokko (1 piece) 120 yen (tax not included)
Expiration date] 3 weeks from the date of manufacture
- Byakkodo
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- 1-51 Babamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
- 20 minutes walk from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station.
- From JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, take a bus to Aizuwakamatsu City Hall and get off at Aizuwakamatsu City Hall (5 min. walk).
- 9:00-18:00, Sundays and holidays 9:30-17:00
- Closed on weekends and holidays
- 0242-22-1123
- Free of charge
5Matsumoto Family "Mizuyokan
Higashiyama hot spring's specialty: exquisite mizu-yokan (water jelly)
Founded in 1819 in Higashiyama hot spring in Aizu Wakamatsu. At first, it served mizu-yokan (water jelly) to visitors to the hot spring as a rest stop that also sold daily necessities, but there was no end to the number of requests to take it home as a souvenir, so it has been operating as a yokan specialty store since the Meiji Era (1868-1912). The mizu-yokan, once known as "inaka-yokan" (country yokan), is made with only azuki beans, agar, and sugar, and is additive-free and handmade. It is freshly made using the famous water of Aizu, and has a reputation for being naturally sweet and easy to eat.
Other popular yokan products include "Shio-koji Yokan" (salted malt yokan), created in collaboration with "Aizu Tenpo Brewery," and "Aihime Yokan," a bite-sized yokan.
Product name and price: Mizuyokan (about 2 cm (length) x 15 cm (width) x 2.5 cm (height)), 5 pieces, 1,120 yen (with a cold storage box)
Consumption period: 3 days from the date of manufacture.
- Matsumoto Family
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- 123 Yumoto, Higashiyama-cho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
- Approx. 13 min. by car from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station
- Take a bus from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, get off at Higashiyama Hot Spring Station, and walk about 2 minutes.
- 8:00-17:00
- Wednesday
- 0242-27-2009
- Free of charge
6Mitsutaya "Miso
A long-established store founded in Edo with a variety of original miso and seasonings
A miso specialty store established in 1834 at the end of the Edo period. It is the head family of "Aizu Tenpo Brewery" in Aizuwakamatsu City, and sells Mitsudaya's original miso as well as miso pickles, side dish miso, cooking oil, and more. The original miso products include a variety of unique miso, such as sweet white miso "amahoji-miso," medium-hot red miso "inaka-miso," and medium-hot brown miso "genmai-miso" made from Japanese brown rice. In addition, miso and seasonings from "Aizu Tenpo Brewery" are also available.
The store, which was converted from a miso warehouse, also has a Dining Area, where you can enjoy miso dengaku, a local dish of Aizu. Mochi and taro, which are coated with a secret miso sauce and grilled over a charcoal fire, are exceptionally delicious.
From right to left: "Manda-ya amahoji miso" 530 yen, "Aizu koshihikari miso" 1,360 yen (500g each)
Consumption period] Approximately six months from the date of manufacture
- Mitsutaya
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- 1-1-25 Omachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
- 10 min. walk from JR Nanokaicho Station
- Take a bus from JR Aizuwakamatsu Station, get off at Shiroki-ya-mae Nanoka-machi bus stop and walk about 3 minutes.
- 10:00-17:00 (Dining Area "Miso Dengaku" 10:30-16:30 *L.O. 16:20)
- Wednesday
- 0242-27-1345
- Free of charge
7Aizu Shurakukan Watanabe Sota Shoten "Local sake of Aizu
An impressive selection of sake from the Aizu region
This store specializes in local sake, offering a wide selection of sake from the Aizu area. The owner, who is also a sake connoisseur, visits the brewery himself and offers sake recommendations while sharing the producer's thoughts and the story behind the product. Ninety percent of the products in the store are sake from the Aizu area, and the lineup is centered on products made from local rice. The store offers a wide variety of local sake from Aizu Wakamatsu City, including the nationally popular "Miyazumi," as well as "Aizu Chusho" and "Aizu Musume.
Other popular items include "Tenmei Homura Mune," "Sasasamune," and other original sake made by local breweries for Sake Rakkan. Most of the products are available for tasting, so we recommend this store for those who want to find their favorite bottle.
From right to left: "Aizu Chusho Junmai Ginjo Yume no Ka" (1,540 yen), "Rouman Junmai Ginjo Ippatsu Hi-iri" (1,510 yen), "Aizumusume Jyunmai Kamikumi" (1,705 yen), "Miyazumi Junmai Sake" (1,430 yen), "Tenmei Kaen So" (1,650 yen each at 720 meters)
- Aizu Shurakukan Watanabe Sota Shoten
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- 1 Byakko-cho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture MAP
- 5 min. walk from JR Aizuwakamatsu Stn.
- Open 9:00-19:00
- Tuesdays (open if Tuesday is a national holiday, closed the following day)
- 0242-22-1076
- Free of charge
