Start planning your trip
{{ inputValue.start }} - {{ inputValue.end }}
With:
The Best Sweet Souvenirs from Kyoto: Top 18 Items Perfect as Gifts
This service includes sponsored advertisements.
We introduce 18 types of edible souvenirs from Kyoto. The list includes traditional sweets and modern confections, along with items that have become the talk of the town. Some of these items have a long shelf life, making them perfect as gifts to friends.
Popular Edible Souvenirs from Kyoto
Kyoto is a tourist destination with many appeals, making it a place travelers long to visit again. With a wide variety of local products that make great souvenirs, most people might have difficulty deciding which item to choose at the end of their trip.
This article, penned by a MATCHA writer residing in Kyoto, introduces 18 popular edible souvenirs. The list includes traditional Japanese sweets, unique Western-style confections, and modern treats and cookies, which have recently garnered popularity. Those who are wondering what to buy should take a look!
Kyoto Sweets and Food Souvenirs
Traditional Japanese Confections
1. Toraya: Yokan Jelly Confections
2. Ajari-mochi Cookies
3. Sasaya Iori: Dorayaki Sweets
4. Sanjo Wakasaya: Gion Chigo-mochi
5. Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo: Yuko Sweets
Western-style Confections
6. Umezono Oyatsu: Mitarashi Butter Sand
7. Malebranche: Cha no Ka
8. Kyobaum: Baumkuchen
9. Ito-ken and Sou･Sou: Castella Cookies
10. Good Nature Market: Matcha Financier
Talk of the Town
11. Tsuruya Yoshinobu: Tsubara Tsubara
12. Suetomi: An Financier
13. Taneka Shoten: Tanemi
14. Kameya Yoshinaga: Sliced Yokan Jelly
Popular Cookie Packages
15. Murakami Kaishindo
16. Yonemura the Store
17. Cafe Marble
18. Koé Donuts Kyoto
Read also
1. Toraya: Yokan Jelly Confections
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Toraya, founded in Kyoto, boasts a history of more than 500 years. The confectionery company is a purveyor to the Imperial Household Agency.
Their main product, yokan (sweetened red bean jelly), has a comprehensive lineup, with "Yoru no Ume" being the most popular flavor. Carefully selected adzuki beans create a delicate taste. Toraya also offers seasonal flavors called "Kisetsu no Yokan."
Toraya's yokan is a popular choice among Japanese confections and is selected frequently as a gift on various occasions.
Shiro-miso is a yokan that can only be purchased in Kyoto. It is made with saikyo miso (white miso) and produced by Honda Miso Honten, another long-established company based in Kyoto.
2. Ajari-mochi Cookies
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Ajari-mochi, first sold in 1856, has a history of over 100 years, and loved by Kyoto citizens.
It is made from carefully selected Tamba Dainagon adzuki beans, egg, and flour. These ingredients create a not-too-sweet paste with a slightly crispy skin. Ajari-mochi is an embodiment of Kyoto's tradition and should not be missed.
While the product can be purchased at Kyoto Station and department stores, the main store, located 7 minutes on foot from Demachiyanagi Station, offers freshly baked ajari-mochi. It will still be fresh after being taken home and can be warmed in a microwave or oven.
3. Sasaya Iori: Dorayaki Sweets
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Sasaya Iori, founded in 1716, has been making confections for the imperial family, shrines, and masters of tea ceremony. It has a history spanning more than 300 years.
Their main product is dorayaki. It was created in the late Edo Period, upon request from a monk, using only plant-based materials. Flour is heated on a plate, and then bean jam is added before it's wrapped in a bamboo leaf.
Its cylindrical shape, different from conventional dorayaki (bean paste in small pancakes), makes it the second-oldest block-type confection after yokan. Sasaya's dorayaki is handmade, not mass-produced, and sold only from the 20th to the 22nd of every month.
Give it a try if you can taste this unique, time-limited product!
4. Sanjo Wakasaya: Gion Chigo-mochi Delights
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Sanjo Wakasaya, founded in 1893, is located at the entrance of Kyoto Sanjo Shopping Street. Their main product is Gion Chigo-mochi. The name comes from Gion Matsuri, one of the three major festivals in Kyoto that takes place annually in July.
Chigo-mochi is made by cooking shiro-miso, wrapping it with gyuhi (thin, kneaded rice cake), and skewered with a bamboo stick.
One set consists of three sticks wrapped in red, white, and yellow papers. The package is designed after Chiaki, sold at Gion Matsuri, to ward off evil. Chigo-mochi is also said to help avoid bad luck and bring good luck.
Read also
5. Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo: Yuko Sweets
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Nama (raw) yatsuhashi ranks among the famous Kyoto souvenirs. It is a triangle-shaped confection with bean paste wrapped in chewy gyuhi, a soft variety of mochi (glutinous rice).
While the confection was first made in 1805, Yuko, named after the heroine of the novel Gobancho Yugiriro, has become a prominent brand.
In addition to the standard type, there are seasonal, time-limited flavors and packages. The Kyogoku Ichiban-gai store hosts a yatsuhashi workshop, where participants can try making the confectionery.
A baked yatsuhashi is rectangular and has a strong cinnamon fragrance. It is strongly recommended for those who prefer that particular flavor.
A time-limited package design during the Gion Matsuri.
6. Umezono Oyatsu: Mitarashi Butter Sand
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Umezono Oyatsu is a confectionery founded by the third-generation owner of Umezono, located along Kawaramachi Shopping Street.
Oyatsu, blending Japanese confections and Western materials, produces Mitarashi Butter Sand, based on the mitarashi dango (dumplings) by Umezono, a popular product.
The confection features a sweet and sour mitarashi sauce wrapped in cream made with daiginjo sake.
The outside features crispy biscuits with a drawing of skewered dumplings. While this confection has to be kept in a refrigerator, it's recommended to warm it before eating at room temperature. This causes the cream to be soft, creating a delicate texture and a mild sake fragrance.
7. Malebranche: Cha no Ka
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Malebranche is a confectionery founded in Kitayama, Kyoto, in 1982. It is one of the newcomers compared to long-established companies.
Cha no Ka, their main product, is a langue de chat, sandwiching fragrant white chocolate with cookies made from high-quality matcha (powdered green tea) produced in Uji.
The cookies are printed with three letters: kyo (Kyoto), cha (tea), and ka (confection). The balance between the sweet cookie and bitter matcha is perfect, and this confection has charmed many travelers over the years.
Namacha no Ka is a chocolate fondant using full-flavored matcha of fine quality. The texture is like a brownie with a deep matcha flavor. The confection will retain its flavor even after being stored in a refrigerator.
Cha no Ka can only be purchased in Kyoto. Various Malebranch stores offer time-limited packages, so don't miss them!
8. Kyobaum: Baumkuchen
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Kyobaum is a type of Baumkuchen that uses matcha green tea by Morihan, a long-established tea factory, soya milk made with Kyoto groundwater, and domestic flour. It has a matcha fragrance with a delicate taste and texture.
The confection is slightly sweet, so it will surely grow on you. Overseas tourists are said to be hooked on it!
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Atelier Kyobaum opened in November 2023.
It handles various souvenirs, including kyobaum. Inside the facility, there's also a museum of sweets, one of the largest in Kyoto. A cafe and a factory are also housed in the three-story building.
9. Ito-ken and Sou･Sou: Castella Cookies
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Ito-ken, a confectionery with a history of 160 years, and Sou･Sou, a popular fashion brand, teamed up to make this confection based on the popular sponge-cake known as castella.
The egg-flavored castella cookies are shaped into numbers, per Sou･Sou style. Their simple taste and cute shape should make both the giver and receiver happy.
Picture courtesy of PR Times
The fashionable design, combined with a long-established confectionery, marks the new trend of cute, soothing, and delicious souvenirs.
10. Good Nature Market: Matcha Financier
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Good Nature Market is known as an eco-friendly company. Good Cacao is one of their new brands, using cacao hulls which are usually discarded. Matcha Financier, which went on sale in June 2024, is a part of that brand.
Ground cacao hulls are sprinkled on the financier, adding a caramel-like fragrance and a bitter-tasting touch.
In addition to the matcha produced in Uji, the financier has whey derived from milk produced in Miyama, Kyoto to create a deep yet light taste.
To reduce food loss, the confection is packed in a container with a year's shelf life.
Picture courtesy of PR Times
The container will keep the product fresh. Given its long shelf life, it can also be eaten in emergencies.
With a Japanese-style design and an adorable illustration, this eco-friendly and sustainable product is perfect for sharing with friends and family.
11. Tsuruya Yoshinobu: Tsubara Tsubara
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Tsuruya Yoshinobu, a confectionery founded in Nishijin, Kyoto in 1803. It has produced many confections during its history, which spans over 200 years.
Tsubara Tsubara is a dorayaki which went on sale in 1996. The paste, made with Tokachi adzuki beans, is wrapped inside carefully baked pancakes.
The pancakes are soft and chewy, making it one of their best-selling products.
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Irodori, located in Kyoto Station Hachijo Exit, is a store Tsuruya opened in 2015, which handles new brands. It has re-opened after renovations in May 2024.
At Irodori, visitors can order a nama Tsubara to go. It is only sold at Tubara Cafe, next to the Tsuruya main store at Nishijin.
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Irodori handles new products, which is a breath of fresh air for the world of Japanese confections. One of the items is Iromonaka, which resembles a macaron and is perfect for a souvenir.
The chewy nama Tsubara pancake pairs well with the white bean paste mixed with mascarpone cheese. The product comes in three flavors: vanilla, matcha, and yuzu.
12. Suetomi: An Financier
Picture courtesy of PR Times
JR Kyoto Isetan handles Suetomi AoQ, a new brand of confections produced by Suetomi, a confectionery with a history of 100 years.
Their main products are a financier using a special Suetomi bean paste, a fuyaki set, which pairs fuyaki senbei (a traditional confection in Kyoto) with bean paste, and an an-shio (bean paste and salt) bun. The store offers various new, eclectic confections, mixing traditional bean pastes with Western materials such as cream and chocolate.
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Suetomi AoQ Cafe Stand is a takeout-only eatery with a unique design. Visitors can enjoy light snacks and desserts made with homemade bean paste since opening in May 2023.
The wall is painted in Suetomi Blue, a century-old brand color that reflects the Japanese sense of beauty.
13. Taneka Shoten: Tanemi
Picture courtesy of PR Times
For over 70 years, Taneka Shoten, located in Karasuma Oike, has been producing monaka-dane (wafers) for famous confectioneries in Kyoto.
They also produce Tanemi, a monaka (bean paste sandwiched in wafers) shaped like a peanut, walnut, or almond. Each item symbolizes a flower language of the plants, such as close friends or hope.
Glutinous rice flour, made in Shiga Prefecture, is used, along with ground cashew nuts and almonds, to create a fragrant and crispy wafer. The paste consists of slightly salty peanut butter and tusbu-an (paste with whole beans).
The wafer and paste are packaged separately so that customers can make a monaka of their own. With an adorable shape, it is perfect as a gift or for one's personal delight.
14. Kameya Yoshinaga: Sliced Yokan Jelly
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Kameya Yoshinaga, a long-established confectionery, was founded on 1803. While their most popular product may be Ubatama, we recommend their sliced yokan, which went on sale in 2019. The product has recently become fashionable, so those visiting Kyoto should not miss it.
This thinly sliced confection should be eaten with toast, similar to cheese.
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Sliced yokan comes in many flavors. One is passion fruit, a season-limited item pairing ogura yokan, using Tamba beans, with a passion fruit-flavored yokan.
Give it a try if you have a chance to visit Kyoto!
15. Murakami Kaishindo
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Murakami Kaishindo, the first Western-style confectionery in Japan, was founded in the Meiji Period (1868-1912). The cookies, the main product, are made in the traditional style with a simple taste.
Picture courtesy of PR Times
The confectionery offers 11 types of cookies packed in a container. They are not mass-produced but carefully handmade by artisans—all appearing like craftwork.
While a reservation is required to purchase these cookies, it is well worth the time. It might be fun to taste a Western confection during a visit to Kyoto.
16. Yonemura the Store
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Yonemura the Store is a cookie store founded by Yonemura, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.
The most popular item is Yonemura Original Cookies, which come in 12 flavors and are made with various ingredients produced in Kyoto.
Some cookies, using matcha, shichimi (red pepper and spice), or cheese and pepper, even taste like a carefully prepared meal. A map of Kyoto, along with the illustration of the restaurant and maiko walking in the Gion area, are designed on the package, radiating with the city's aura.
The cookies can be purchased at the store, via the website, and at Daimaru Kyoto. Try this unique product made from local ingredients.
Read also
17. Cafe Marble
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Cafe Marble Bukkoji Store is located inside an old house near Bukkoji at Shijo Karasuma. The store produces handmade cookies with carefully selected ingredients.
There are seven types, including vanilla and cocoa sablé, shortbread using matcha and hojicha (roasted green tea), meringue that instantly melts in your mouth, and cumin cookie. The lid of the container features an adorable illustration of a brown bear, the store mascot.
18. Koé Donuts Kyoto
Picture courtesy of PR Times
Koé Donuts Kyoto, which opened in 2019, became instantly famous thanks to the bamboo basket-themed interior design by the architect Kengo Kuma and package design by the illustrator Yu Nagaba.
Koé Donuts Cookie Can, containing doughnut-shaped cookies, has become popular as a souvenir. Made with domestic organic flour and carefully selected eggs, it has 12 flavors, including lemon, caramelized nuts, white chocolate, and matcha. After opening the lid, the cookie aroma spreads out instantly, like a blooming flower.
FAQ
What is the best souvenir from Kyoto, Japan?
When selecting a souvenir from Kyoto, Japan, consider gifts that embody the city's rich cultural heritage and traditional craftsmanship. Unique options include Kyoto's renowned yatsuhashi sweets, made from rice flour and fillings like red bean paste or matcha, reflecting the city's sweet-making artistry. Wagashi, exquisite Japanese confections, offer a taste of Kyoto's dedication to delicate sweets. For a taste of authenticity, kyo-yasai (Kyoto vegetables) or kyo-kaiseki seasonings showcase the region's culinary specialties. Kyoto's high-quality matcha green tea, furoshiki cloths for versatile wrapping, and decorative tenugui towels make for practical and culturally rich mementos, ensuring a piece of Kyoto's timeless charm and traditions is brought home as a cherished keepsake.
What souvenir should I buy from Japan?
When seeking a memorable souvenir from Japan, consider items that encapsulate the country's rich cultural tapestry and meticulous craftsmanship. Traditional arts and crafts like ceramics, textiles, and lacquerware offer a glimpse into Japan's artisanal heritage, while Japanese snacks and sweets, including regional delicacies and matcha-infused treats, provide a taste of the country's culinary diversity. Practical yet elegant kitchenware such as Japanese knives or teapots, along with premium stationery items and traditional clothing like yukata, represent both functionality and cultural elegance. For a touch of regional authenticity, explore local crafts and art specialties, like Arita porcelain or Edo Kiriko glassware. Green tea, sake, or whisky from renowned Japanese distilleries make for sophisticated and culturally significant gifts, ensuring a piece of Japan's unique charm and tradition is brought back as a cherished memento from your travels.
What is the famous sweet in Kyoto?
One of Kyoto's most famed and beloved sweets is "Yatsuhashi," a traditional Japanese confection that epitomizes Kyoto's confectionery heritage. Made from glutinous rice flour and sugar, Yatsuhashi comes in two main varieties: the soft, unbaked "Nama Yatsuhashi" filled with sweet red bean paste or matcha, and the crispy baked version flavored with cinnamon and enjoyed as a crunchy snack. This iconic sweet reflects Kyoto's craftsmanship and culinary tradition, appealing to both locals and visitors seeking a taste of Kyoto's renowned confectionery artistry. Yatsuhashi stands as a symbol of the city's rich cultural legacy, offering a delightful way to experience Kyoto's traditional sweets and savor the flavors of this esteemed culinary treasure.
What is the traditional candy in Kyoto?
One of the traditional candies in Kyoto that is widely known and enjoyed is "Kyo-gashi". Kyo-gashi refers to traditional Japanese sweets specific to Kyoto, often crafted with meticulous attention to detail, using high-quality ingredients and time-honored techniques. These sweets are not only delicious but are also aesthetically pleasing, reflecting Kyoto's rich culinary heritage and cultural traditions.
Kyo-gashi encompasses a variety of confections, including wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) like daifuku (sweet rice cake filled with red bean paste), yokan (sweet jelly made from red bean paste), and manju (steamed bun filled with sweet ingredients). These sweets are often made with local ingredients such as Kyoto-grown matcha (green tea) or locally sourced red beans, infusing them with the flavors and essence of Kyoto's culinary legacy.
When exploring Kyoto's traditional tea houses, markets, or sweet shops, sampling Kyo-gashi provides a delightful way to experience the city's distinctive confectionery art and savor the flavors of its time-honored sweet treats.
What is the signature snack of Kyoto?
One of the signature snacks of Kyoto is Yatsuhashi. Yatsuhashi is a traditional Japanese sweet that originated in Kyoto and is particularly associated with the city. It is a type of rice flour sweet that is often flavored with cinnamon and filled with various fillings such as sweet red bean paste or matcha-flavored paste. Yatsuhashi comes in different shapes and forms, including baked or unbaked versions, and is a popular souvenir and snack both for locals and visitors exploring Kyoto.
What food is unique to Kyoto?
Kyoto, renowned for its traditional and refined culinary heritage, offers a range of unique foods that reflect the city's cultural roots and culinary excellence. Yudofu, a simple yet elegant dish of simmered tofu, captures Kyoto's dedication to purity and subtle flavors. Kyo Kaiseki, a multi-course feast showcasing seasonal ingredients and artful presentation, embodies Kyoto's emphasis on harmony and balance in dining. Kyoto's wagashi, delicate traditional sweets perfect for tea ceremonies, highlight the city's expertise in crafting exquisite confections. Obanzai, Kyoto's home-style cooking featuring small vegetable dishes bursting with flavor, exemplifies the region's commitment to local produce and culinary traditions. Kyo-gashi, Kyoto-style sweets rich in matcha and red bean paste, reflect the city's sweet culinary legacy, while Kyoto vegetables like kyoyasai underscore the importance of fresh, locally sourced produce in Kyoto's gastronomic scene, offering a taste of the city's unique and culturally rich culinary offerings.
Enjoy Kyoto's Popular Sweets
Kyoto offers many products, from traditional Japanese confections to modern, innovative sweets, that are perfect for souvenirs.
Use this article as a guide, and discover a gift for yourself or someone special.
This article is based on information obtained in June 2024.
Special Features
More
