If you are unsure, this is it! 8 recommended souvenirs from Ozu

• Table of Contents
• Introducing souvenirs you can't miss when you come to Ozu!
• Shigure
• Zangetsu
• moon window mochi
• During Bunraku
• Touman
• Garyu Brewery Craft Beer
• Yoro Sake Brewery
• Hijikawa Ramen
• summary

Introducing souvenirs you can't miss when you come to Ozu!

Ozu has a wide variety of souvenirs, including classic Japanese sweets and alcohol.

In this article, we would like to introduce 8 carefully selected souvenirs that you cannot miss when you come to Ozu!

We also recommend NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town as a base for walking around Ozu. If you are staying overnight, please also refer to the article below.

Check out the official website of “NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Castle Town”

Shigure

Shigure, one of Ozu's three major confectioneries, is a Japanese confectionery made by mixing azuki beans with sticky rice or rice flour and steaming the mixture in a bamboo steamer.

Shigure is something that every Ozu citizen has tried at least once, but it has a long history, and the long-established Tominaga Shoyeido has been making it since 1875.

There are about 10 companies that manufacture Shigure, and each store has a different taste and texture, so it's a good idea to compare the flavors.

Visit Ozu／Shigure

Zangetsu

Zangetsu, manufactured by Shippodo, a long-established store that has been in business for over 100 years, is one of Ozu's three major sweets.

Zangetsu is a baked confectionery made of white bean paste wrapped in flavorful dough.

Zangetsu's elegant taste is loved by people of all ages and has been loved locally for many years.

moon window mochi

The third of Ozu's three major confections, Tsukimado Mochi, is a Japanese confectionery made of strained bean paste wrapped in warabi mochi and sprinkled with green soybean soybean flour.

The origin of Tsukimado mochi dates back to the Edo period.

It was a favorite food of Lord Yasuoki Kato, the second lord of the Ozu domain, so the name Tsukimado mochi was derived from Yasuoki's pseudonym (another name), ``Tsukimado''.

Since its founding in 1624, Murata Bunpuku, the long-established store that manufactures Tsukimado Mochi, has carefully made everything by hand, preserving the taste loved by feudal lords for over 400 years.

Visit Ozu/Tsukimadomochi

During Bunraku

Bunraku Monaka is made with tsubuan wrapped in a 100% glutinous rice skin, and is loved by the locals for its delicate sweetness.

Fukueido, which manufactures Bunraku Monaka, is a long-established store that started making sweets in 1951, but due to the heavy rains in western Japan in July 2018, they were unable to continue operating.

However, due to the immense efforts of the owner and the voices of local residents who wanted the restaurant to continue, the restaurant reopened and continues to maintain the flavor that is loved by the locals.

The details of how Fukueido overcame the flood and resumed business are detailed below.

The story of Bunraku Monaka being revived after a flood

Touman

Touman (Tang manju) is a sweet made with yuzu bean paste wrapped in dough made from wheat flour and starch syrup.

It was introduced by the Dutch in Nagasaki at the beginning of the Edo period, and has long been famous as a representative sweet of the Nanyo region, including Ozu.

Touman is also introduced in the article below, so please read it as well.

[Japan's Hardest Sweets] Traditional Sweets Touman

Old folk house Ito residence Tomanya

263 Ozu, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture 7950012

A shop that fits perfectly into the retro atmosphere of the street. What you can enjoy here is Touman, a sweet that is popular in the Nanyo area of ​​Ehime Prefecture. It's a manju, but it's very hard, and the sign at the store says ``Japan's Hardest.'' In the summer, the shaved ice made with local sweet sake is also famous and very popular.

Garyu Brewery Craft Beer

Garyu Brewery is a brewery that produces craft beer in a red brick warehouse that has remained since the Taisho era.

The brewery produces a variety of craft beers, including traditional pale ale and beer with silk, typical of Ozu's cocoon production, and has won top prizes in international beer contests.

The bar attached to Garyu Jozo serves not only freshly brewed craft beer, but also lunch and dinner.

Of course, you can also take home beer in bottles as souvenirs, so be sure to buy the beer that interests you.

Visit Ozu/Garyu Brewery

Garyu Brewing

98-1 Ozu, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture 795-0012

Our brewery has a bar where you can enjoy freshly brewed craft beer. We also offer lunch and dinner dishes, so you can relax and compare the beers you're interested in. When you come to Ozu City, enjoy a special craft beer in a special space. Please feel free to drop by. This brick warehouse was built over 100 years ago as an orchid warehouse for a silk thread factory. The roof tiles, ginkgo trees, and metasequoia trees that were inherited from the demolition of Ozu Castle in 1898 were planted on the premises, and they became symbols of the area. In recent years, its survival was in danger due to deterioration, but with the help of preservation efforts by local volunteers, the brick warehouse was renovated, and the tables and chairs were both Western antiques and items from local old folk houses, recreating the atmosphere of the Meiji era. It was reborn as the ``Garyu Brick Warehouse''.

Yoro Sake Brewery

Yoro Sake Brewery is a long-established sake brewery founded in 1921, producing sake typical of Ozu, where the clear Hijikawa River flows.

We sell sake that is carefully made by hand, such as ``Kaze no Sato,'' which is handmade using the abundant underground water of the Hijikawa River, and ``Ushu,'' named after Ozu's famous cormorant fishing.

When sightseeing in Ozu, please enjoy Yoro Sake Brewery's carefully selected sake.

Visit Ozu/Yoro Sake Brewery

Hijikawa Ramen

The last dish I would like to introduce is Hijikawa Ramen.

Hijigawa Ramen is made in Hijigawa-cho, Ozu City, and is a local ramen that is characterized by thin noodles made from the clear Hijigawa River and a refreshing soup.

There are a wide variety of flavors, including tonkotsu, soy sauce, miso, and shio, so be sure to try them all and compare.

Hijikawa Ramen/Product list

summary

How was it?

The souvenirs introduced this time can be purchased at each store, but they are also sold at Machi no Eki Asamoya.

Please stop by when you are sightseeing in Ozu.

Ozu Town Station Asoya

649-1 Ozu, Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture 795-0012

A facility for attracting and interacting with customers in Ozu City, which also functions as a "comprehensive tourist information", including special products of the Ozu region. The facility has a tourist information center, product sales corner, toilets, etc., and a townscape concierge is always on duty.