[Japan] Souvenirs - food, snacks, candies, Kyoto souvenirs, Kobe souvenirs, skin care

What are MUST BUY items from Japan? Including must buy food products in Japan and souvenirs from Kyoto and Kobe.


Every time I go to Japan, I kind of bring back my same mix of favorite snacks and goodies. Seriously, each time.

I wrote a few posts about some of these already, but just take a look at what I got.

Here are some of the "stuff" souvenirs I got. I went to Kyoto and Osaka. I requested a friend to pick me up a Kobe Starbucks mug since that's where I used to live in Japan and I always regretted never buying one. ><

The green box are the tiny triangles filled with red bean that EVERYONE gets from Kyoto's famous Nama Yatsuhashi.

Another famous Kyoto item are the little fancy hard star sphere candies (Konpeito). I don't really care for candies that much, so I didn't really want to buy them to remember my trip since they're kind of pricey and have a shelf life. Instead, I stopped in a store along the main street that was selling Yankee Candles (sorry I can't really read Japanese, so I don't remember the name). One of the items they were selling is a small candle that has star-shaped wax balls in the shape of the famous Konpeito. It's a nice option if you don't want to do the sugar, but love the aesthetic.

In the box are some small luck charms I got at a temple to give as gifts. They are quite cute and are understated.

The disk in the middle is actually a solid perfume. My friend and I both ended up buying one because we loved the scent so much and because it was kind of cheap (like...less than we expected it to be) and it was very portable.

I also always get the Perfect Whip (available on Amazon). It's a really gentle foaming cleanser. It's a drugstore brand, so don't expect crazy stuff to happen. It's super gentle and foams like crazy. It takes off my makeup and also leaves my face nice and soft. I should probably pick up another tube soon.

This time I also got Kose Q10 Whitening Hand Cream (available on Amazon). I've always waffled on buying this product because it seems super popular, but I wasn't sure I needed one. When I saw that the packaging had Snoopy this time rather than the original packaging, I decided I NEEDED it. It's actually quite light. It does make my hand feel soft, but I don't think it's an intensive hand cream like I need for winter. It is scented, so if you're sensitive be careful. I didn't really notice any whitening/lightening of my permanent mittens (what I call my hands because they're always darker than the rest of my arms because I never wear mittens/gloves in the winter and usually wear a light cardigan in the summer so my hands are always tan).

After I discovered the Royal Milk Tea powder (available on Amazon), I made sure to always add it to my bag when I visit Japan.

The bag to the right are some soda-flavored jelly beans (available on Amazon). Japan has a crazy variety of soda-flavored candies. I reallllly like these, so I make sure to add them. They really surprisingly taste like soda and aren't too sugary, definitely recommend.

Another Japanese soda brand is Calpis (or Calpico), so I had to get these Calpico hard candies (available on Amazon). They're not my favorite, but my friends really like them.

These next ones are kind of my favorite for an unknown reason. It's actually a Japanese snack to eat while drinking Otsumami (available on Amazon). I like this one because it also has unsalted peanuts in it so it's not overwhelmingly salty and has a nice texture too.

These Calbee Seaweed and Salt potato chips (available on Amazon) are my actual favorite ever...I always buy a few when I go to Japan. And then, eat them immediately. They aren't overly seaweed-y, nor super salty, nor are they super greasy.

The next ones are a old timey snack Onigiri Snack (Amazon link). My friend told me that if you had these in your lunchbox in elementary school you were so cool and that Japanese people like eating these as a sort of nostalgia snack.

These caramel corn are the BEST! Seriously! Amazon Link Here! It's a puffed corn, but doesn't taste too artificial. The caramel is nice and light and it kind of tastes buttery, not too sweet, and the caramel doesn't get stuck in your teeth. I have also tried the Matcha flavor and it's quite nice. The matcha adds a little bit of a savory flavor to the sweet. Would also recommend it!

The next ones are a sleeve of baby chips. They're kind of like Pringles, but less salty and about one third the size.

I got a couple different Milky candies (Amazon link). It's chewy like a caramel, but it's actually made with condensed milk. I got the matcha flavor, too, which has a deep matcha flavor. Definitely recommend!

I got a couple flavors of ramen flavored snacks. These are quite nice! I wish I had a picture of them. They are actually thicker noodle ribbons than the Baby Star ones (also another favorite). They're very flavorful. Definitely recommend checking one out if you spot them!

The middle package is some more soda candy. This time it's like a cotton candy. This was a one-time only purchase. I just liked the other soda candies so much I wanted to try it. I can't really comprehend Japanese, so I just went with it...it's basically the texture you'd imagine flat prepackaged cotton candy to be.

Also, always get some Green Tea Oreos. Japanese Oreos are so nice because the frosting is less sugary and the cookies are thinner, so it's a bit snappier when you bite into them.

I saved the best for last! I also always get a few Calbee Potato Sticks (Amazon Link) in various flavors. Definitely, definitely stock up on these! I loved them so much that I even queued for the Calbee store where they make them fresh, to order, for you.
What do you think? Did I miss anything?? What are your favorite snacks from Japan?

*FTC Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through the links provided and make a purchase.*

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