Onsen Manju And Other Popular Souvenirs From Atami
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A popular resort destination, Atami is within day-trip distance from Tokyo. We'll introduce eight places to buy Atami's most well-known souvenir, onsen manju, as well as other great local products.
Atami is a well-known onsen resort and beach area, located close enough to Tokyo for a day trip. It’s typical for visitors to bring back Atami’s staple souvenir, onsen manju.
Manju are Japanese sweets, made of dough balls filled with bean jam. Strictly speaking, “onsen manju” are manju which have been cooked in steam from a hot spring, but the term widely refers to manju sold at onsen resort areas. Atami has many varieties of onsen manju, sold as souvenirs at hotels, ryokan inns, shopping streets and more.
This time, we’ll introduce you to some particularly popular Atami onsen manju varieties.
1. I-ra Manju
Photo courtesy of: Atami Chamber of Commerce
Ever since 1960, the I-Ra Manju (160 yen for one piece) has been the flagship product of Abe Shoten, located on the Heiwa-dori Shopping Street. In addition to the manju’s aroma of brown sugar, it comes in three colors, resulting from the mixture of green tea and perilla into the dough. It is somewhat large, compared to the many smallish-sized varieties of onsen manju. The jam is tsubu-an, and is said to be filling.
Sold at: Abe Shoten Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Tawaramoto-cho 5-7 Phone: 0557-81-3731 Hours: 9:00-18:00 Closed: No fixed holidays Website: Abe Shoten
2. Usukawa (Thin Skin) Manju
Photo courtesy of: Atami Chamber of Commerce
This manju uses azuki beans from Tokachi in Hokkaido. In order to get the best use out of the azuki bean flavor, the beans are diligently kneaded through a proprietary process before being wrapped in a soft, thin dough wrapper. One manju is 100 yen.
Sold at: Izumi-ya Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Tawaramoto-cho 4-5 Phone: 0557-81-4288 Hours: 9:00-17:30 Closed: Thursday
3. Onsen Enmei (Long Life) Manju
Photo courtesy of: Atami Chamber of Commerce
When this manju was created, it was imbued with wishes for human longevity and the development of Atami Onsen. It uses no preservatives or other additives, giving it a simple flavor. The homemade bean jam is wrapped in a thick, fluffy dough shell. One piece is 92 yen.
Sold at: Enmeido Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Kamijuku-cho 3-28 Phone: 0557-81-2246 Hours: 9:00-20:00（Until 21:00 on holidays） Closed: Wednesdays. some irregular holidays
4. Atami Daidai Manju
Photo courtesy of: Atami Chamber of Commerce
This richly flavored manju contains an Atami specialty product, the bitter orange (“dai-dai”). Flesh, rind and juice from this fruit is kneaded into the white bean jam. The refreshing citrus aroma and the taste of white bean jam go perfectly together. A pack of three is 300 yen, and a pack of six is 600 yen.
Sold at: Minami Seika Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Kiyomizu-cho 6-27 Phone: 0557-82-3806 Hours: 9:00-19:00 Closed: Wednesday
5. Sakurai Shoten Atami Onsen Manju
Through extensive trial and error, Sakurai Shoten were able to arrive at their unique flavor combination in this carefully-made manju. The tea-colored manju has slow-cooked tsubu-an jam, while the white manju has a lightly sweet koshi-an jam, each wrapped in a soft dough shell.
Try the brown sugar, steamed chestnut and green tea manju varieties for yourself to taste the difference. Both the koshi-an and tsubu-an manju are 80 yen apiece.
Sold at: Sakurai Shoten Address: Atami City, Tawaramoto-cho 6-4 Phone: 0557-83-5678 Hours: 8:00-18:00 Closed: Wednesdays (may close on national holidays)
6. Atami Sakura Manju
Photo courtesy of: Atami Chamber of Commerce
This manju contains yam paste kneaded into dough, wrapped around bean jam. It has a particularly fluffy texture. It is themed around the Atami sakura, the earliest-blooming cherry blossom trees in Japan. The sakura scent and faint hint of salt lends a flavor accent to the manju.
A pack of three is 330 yen, and a pack of six is 650 yen. You can buy them in various places, including the A-Plus antenna shop right outside Atami Station.
7. Karinko Atami
Photo courtesy of: Atami Chamber of Commerce
In this manju, moderately sweet koshi-an bean jam is hidden behind the aromatic flavor of Okinawan brown sugar. Its crunchy, crisp outer texture is characteristic of this brand. Karinko Atami is the standout product of this manju shop, which has been standing for over four decades. A pack of four is 390 yen, and a pack of six is 600 yen.
Sold at: Rikyu Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Tawaramoto-cho 4-7 Phone: 0557-81-5028 Hours: 8:00-18:00 Closed: Thursday Website: Rikyu
8. Kogashi Manju From Kinomiya Kenko-Pan
Photo courtesy of: Atami Chamber of Commerce
This manju is affiliated with the Kogashi Matsuri, a festival regularly held at Atami’s Kinomiya Shrine, which is a well-known power spot. It contains the special parched barley flour used in shrine offerings. The manju has a characteristic elegant sweetness and roasted barley aroma. A pack of three is 300 yen.
Sold at: Kinomiya Kenko-pan Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Fukumichi-machi 7-9 Phone: 0557-81-3378 Hours: 9:00-18:00 Closed: Wednesday
Non-Onsen Manju Souvenirs
In addition to onsen manju, Atami has sweets, seafood products and more.
The special cake Izu-no-Odoriko, themed around Yasunari Kawabata’s famous work The Dancing Girl Of Izu (460 yen for 4 pcs, 780 yen for 7 pcs, 1080 yen for 10 pcs), as well as the plum monaka “Hana Mai”, are some of the snacks with quintessentially Japanese appearances.
While there are many fish and seafood products available, most of them have limited shelf-lives or require refrigeration which means that you need to be careful when making your purchase.
At dried food stores, you can find dried bonito flakes, fish chips, senbei crackers and more, so if you’re interested, please check them out.
Izu-No-Odoriko is sold at: Mase Seika, main branch Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Ajiro 400-1 Phone: 0557-67-0111
Ume Monaka “Hana Mai” is sold at: Ota-ya Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Chuo-cho 9-6 Phone: 0557-81-4050
If You’re Shopping In Atami, Visit the Heiwa-dori Shopping Street in Front of the Station
The Heiwa-dori Shopping Street is just a one minute walk from Atami Station, and is lined with rows of restaurants, sweets shops, dried food stores, specialty shops and more.
The manju sellers we introduced before - Sakurai Shoten, Abe Shoten, Izumi-ya, Rikyu and the like - are here on this street. There are also plenty of restaurants where you can enjoy the blessings of the sea, in the form of sashimi. The street is conveniently located for you to drop by on your way home and grab a few souvenirs. However, be aware that many shops may be closed after around 6 PM.
Heiwa-dori Shopping Street Address: Shizuoka, Atami City, Tawaramoto-cho
Of course, you can buy onsen manju to take home, but we also recommend getting a freshly steamed manju from a store and eating it then and there. Piping-hot onsen manju are something you can only savor in Japan!
Lives in Kanagawa Prefecture. I am a writer who pursues good old Japanese spots and things, regardless of genre. I enjoy traveling with themes such as shrines and temples, hot springs, long-established bars, and vehicles such as trains. Other than traveling, my hobbies include drinking alcohol, watching sumo, art, and reading.
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