5 Hokkaido Gifts To Pick Up At New Chitose Airport

Souvenirs from Hokkaido are some of the most popular all over Japan. From famous treats such as fresh melon from Yubari, Shiroi Koibito cookies and Raisin Butter Sandwich cookies, most people pick up edible souvenirs from their trip.

However, maybe you would like something that lasts longer or you aren't sure about your friend's and family's dietary preferences. We picked up five different gifs from Hokkaido that aren't edible. You can purchase all of them at the New Chitose Airport

1. Marimo - Cute Seaweed Ball Souvenirs

Marimo are naturally grown "seaweed balls". They can only be found in Japan, Iceland, Estonia, Scotland, and in recent years also in Australia. In Japan, they are mainly present in Lake Akan in Hokkaido. Souvenirs containing real marimo are very popular.

You can find all kinds of marimo souvenirs. It all depends if you want something to display at home or to carry with you. There are even pens displaying marimo in little water tanks on top of them.

Phone straps and keychains are especially popular. The keychain above is mixed with little plastic pearls that glow in the dark. You can purchase marimo souvenirs from about 400 yen.

2. Love Salmon Roe? Get the Ikura Eye Mask!

Ikura, or salmon roe in English, is one of Hokkaido's most famous seafood exports. Salmon roe bowl, or ikura don, featuring nothing but rice and salmon roe is one of the most popular sushi bowls to eat in Hokkaido.

If something is popular in Japan, you'll most likely be able to purchase a couple of souvenirs featuring it, edible and non-edible. One of the funniest souvenirs we could find was the "Ikura Eye Mask" (600 yen plus tax). The orange balls inside eye mask look and feel like real salmon roe.

It has Japanese and English descriptions on the package. You can either heat it up in the microwave or keep it in the fridge or freezer depending on whether you want a soothing or cooling effect.

3. Hokkaido Lavender Scented Items

Lavender is another of Hokkaido's famous products. If you visit in June or July, you can see and smell vast lavender fields in many areas of Hokkaido, one of the most famous being Furano.

Simple sachets filled with real dried lavender to scent bags, shoes, pillows or any other area you would want to be lavender-scented are available in nearly any gift shop in the New Chitose Airport. There are also oils, sprays and cosmetics made from real Hokkaido lavender.

We picked up this little purple lavender bear (about 600 yen plus tax) which is lavender scented. It is attachable to phones, bags or can be hung from the car mirror. This way you can enjoy Hokkaido's lavender scent wherever you go. If it loses its scent, simply refresh it with lavender oil or spray, which you can purchase alongside.

4. Hokkaido Limited LuLuLun Sheet Face Masks

LuLuLun is one of Japan's most popular face mask brands. Currently, they are the only face mask brand from Japan that has regional specific limited editions. There are even two special face masks limited to Hokkaido.

LuLuLun Melon is a moisturizing face mask with melon and kelp extract. It also contains hyaluronic collagen and elastin. The LuLuLun Melon Sheet Mask has a faint melon scent.

The lavender sheet masks contain blue honeysuckle juice. In Japan, blue honeysuckle mainly grows in Hokkaido and you can even find drinks containing it.

The mask also features linden honey and hatomugi (coixseed) for a brighter complexion. It is lavender scented.

Don't worry about the scents in these face masks if you are sensitive to fragrances. They smell very faint and natural.

The mask can be used daily. Usually, the limited edition LuLuLun masks are sold in a pack of five, each containing seven sheet masks for 1600 yen plus tax. However, at New Chitose Airport, we spotted sets that contain one pack of each scent. These sets are slightly more expensive per pack, though.

5. Wild Bear Related Goods and Warning Signs

Hokkaido is a natural habitat of bears. If you travel by car or bus, you will likely see bear and deer warning signs everywhere around the forest areas.

You can actually purchase a replicate of these warning signs for your own home. These signs make fun gifts for sure.

Another popular bear-related item you will see a lot in Hokkaido are T-shirts with the Puma logo, but instead of the puma it's a bear and the writing says "KUMA". Kuma means bear in Japanese.

Handcrafted bears made out of wood from Hokkaido are also available at the New Chitose Airport. They are a little bit more pricy but each one is a one of a kind and you can literally take a piece of Hokkaido home with you.

Take a Piece of Hokkaido with You!

While edible souvenirs are fun and delicious, it is also nice to have something to remember your trip by for a little longer. We hope we could give you some ideas of what kind of fun memorabilia to get when visiting Hokkaido.

Conveniently, you can even get all of them when you are waiting for your flight at New Chitose Airport.