What Fukushima souvenirs do locals want to recommend to foreigners in 2025? [TOP 10 reader survey]
What Fukushima souvenirs do locals want to recommend to foreigners in 2025?
[TOP 10 reader survey]
We will introduce the top 10 from the large number of answers received from Style Koriyama readers (including multiple answers).
No.1: Mamador (Sanmangoku)
First produced in 1967. A baked confectionery with milk-flavored bean paste wrapped in a buttery dough, it is a standard present from Fukushima. You can’t stop eating it because of its mild sweetness. It is famous for its commercial “Lots of smiles, the taste of mom’s cooking~♪”
No.2: Akabeko (A traditional toy from the Aizu region)
A papier mache doll modeled after a red cow. The name comes from “beko,” which means “cow” in the Aizu dialect. The way it shakes its head up and down is humorous, and it is popular as a good luck charm and for warding off evil.
No.3: Eccuson Pie (Sanmangoku)
First produced in 1960. A baked confectionery made of walnut-filled bean paste wrapped in pie crust. It has a mild sweetness and is filling to eat, making it a confectionery that is on a par with Mamador.
No.4: Fukushima sake
It is made using a method unique to Japan, and its main ingredients are rice, rice malt, and water. Fukushima’s sake is particularly highly regarded, and as of 2022 it has achieved the highest number of gold medal winning brands in Japan for nine consecutive years. Brewery tours where you can meet the makers are popular. On December 5, 2024, Japan’s “traditional alcohol brewing”, such as sake, shochu, and awamori, was registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
No.5: Usukawa Manju (Kashiwaya)
When it comes to manju in Koriyama, this is it! This bun has a thin skin and is filled with plenty of smooth bean paste, and is one of Japan’s three greatest manju. Founded in 1852, this is a long-established company that has been around since Koriyama was a post town.
No.6: Fruit (Peaches)
This is one of the representative fruits of Fukushima, the “fruit kingdom.” The season is from July to August, and there are many varieties available, including those with firm flesh and those with soft flesh. At the orchards in Fukushima Prefecture, you can enjoy picking peaches and a variety of other fruits throughout the year.
No.7: Lemo (Kashiwaya)
A carefully baked lemon-flavored cheese tart. The cheese used is 100% French Kiri® cream cheese. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked on the creamy cheese flavor and refreshing lemon taste. It’s also good to eat it chilled.
No.7: Kaden Yubeshi (Kannoya)
Founded in 1860. A long-established confectionery shop that started making yubeshi in the castle town of Miharu. This is a traditional Fukushima confectionery made by adding soy sauce and other ingredients to non-glutinous rice, rolling out the dough into a thin layer, wrapping it around sweet bean paste, and steaming it. It has an excellent balance of chewy texture and moderately sweet paste.
No.9: Weeble Wobbles (Okiagari Koboshi)
It is made from papier mache, like Daruma dolls and Akabeko dolls, and is one of the traditional local toys that have been passed down in the Aizu region for a long time. This typically Japanese item has been loved since ancient times and is known as a lucky charm for the saying “fall seven times, get up eight times” because of the way it always bounces back after falling.
No.10: Imokuri Sataro (Daio)
This sweet potato-based confectionery is based on a folk tale from Fukushima and has been a best-seller for over 30 years. This Japanese-style sweet potato is made by kneading sweet potato, chestnut and white bean paste together and baking it, and you can enjoy its smooth texture and the crunch of chestnut.
No.10: Cream Box (Koriyama city)
A local delicacy originated in Koriyama, Fukushima, and is a sweet bread made of thick slices of bread spread with milk-flavored cream. It has been loved as soul food in Koriyama for many years, and is popular outside Fukushima as well. Nowadays, various bakeries offer it in various flavors and shapes.