Monthly Picks

Nori you eat on its own

Omoreya Baribari Shokunin Seasoned Nori 30 Sheets

Omoriya makes this as a snack, to eat on its own. The sheets go through the company's patented wave process, which is where the crunch comes from. Japanese nori, seasoned with soy sauce and extracts of kombu, bonito and shrimp. Thirty sheets, about one calorie each.

Sweet potato, and that's the list

Sokan Beni Haruka Dried Sweet Potato Sticks 100g

The ingredients line reads sweet potato and nothing else: Beni Haruka, grown in Japan. All the sweetness comes from the potato. Sokan is based in Yaita, Tochigi, and builds its snacks around a single ingredient, like stem wakame or lotus root.

Curry nanban, over rice

Glico Donburi-tei Soba Restaurant-Style Curry Nanban Don 165g

Glico calls this one soba-shop style: curry made with Japanese dashi from three sources, bonito, kombu and grilled flying fish, then thickened. Chicken, green onion and fried tofu go in, with a little heat. Warm the pouch in hot water and pour it over rice.

Four breads from a packet

Kracie Popin' Cookin' Fun Bread Shop 27g

You mix two doughs, put them into the molds and heat them in the microwave. Out come four breads: a melon pan with coarse sugar worked into the crust, a bear-shaped bun, a chocolate cornet, and a strawberry jam sandwich. Each one is finished a different way. Kracie released it in Japan on September 7.

Pukupukutai, made smaller

Meito Mini Pukupukutai Chocolate Wafer 48g

Pukupukutai is a crisp monaka wafer in the shape of a tai fish, filled with aerated chocolate. Meito, based in Nagoya, brought out this bite-size version on September 7, wrapped one by one so it's easy to share. Six wrapper designs, with omikuji fortunes.

The soy sauce Kansai actually cooks with

Higashimaru Soy Sauce Premium Whole Soybean Light Soy Sauce 400ml

Usukuchi is pale, not weak. It seasons without darkening, so the broth stays clear and the vegetables keep their own color. Higashimaru brews it in Tatsuno, where it started.

Squid and carrot, and nothing else

Kanno Tsukemono Fukushima Ika Ninjin (Squid & Carrot) 90g

Shredded dried squid and carrot, left to sit in soy sauce, sake and sugar. Fukushima has been eating it for over a hundred years, mostly at New Year. The squid softens, the carrot doesn't.

Konjac you eat cold, straight from the bag

Makino Shoten Ise-Shima Aosa Nori Bite-Size Sashimi Konjac with Karashi Vinegar Miso 160g

Rinse it, that's the whole preparation. Makino folds in aosa seaweed from Ise-Shima, the seaweed itself rather than a powder, so the green comes out uneven. Eleven small balls and a sachet of mustard vinegar miso.

Hard outside, crumbly inside

Iwatsuka Confectionery Inaka no Okaki Dashi Salt Flavor 8 Sticks

Iwatsuka sits in Nagaoka, in rice country, and uses domestic rice for everything it makes. Thick sticks of mochi rice, baked slow in their own kiln. This one is salted with dashi.

Sets at 18 degrees

Hakugen Earth Ice Non Neck Cooler NEO 18°C Cooling

Eight cubes that go solid below 18°C and hold there until they melt, so the cold stays level instead of spiking and fading. When it softens, the fridge or cold water brings it back. Japanese summers are full of these.

The chive dish they don't put on the menu

S&B Machi Chuka Seasoning Addictive Umami Chive (Nira) 8.8g

There's a shop in Yanaka that makes a plate of chives you have to know to order. S&B got them to hand it over. You microwave the chives and toss the powder in.

Fried bread, without the frying

Sonton Sugar Toast Kinako Fried Bread Flavor 100g

You spread it on bread and toast it. The sugar goes crisp on top and it comes out tasting like the kinako agepan they serve in Japanese school lunches.

Wasabi from the valleys where it grows best

Kameya Izu Wasabi Cheese 30g

Kameya works out of Izu. They dry natural cheese by their own method and cut it with wasabi from the streams there. Crisp at first, then it goes.

Karaage comes out crisper

Yamashiroya Sarasara Katakuriko Potato Starch 150g

Made the slow way: the large starch grains only, dried at low temperature. Cooks in Japan pick this one when they're frying.

Kuromoji

Yomeishu Seizo Kuromoji Throat Candy Ginger & Honey 76g

A Japanese herb, and Yomeishu has been studying it for years. The candy is hard on the outside with ginger and honey paste in the middle, so it shifts while it dissolves.

Tsujiri Uji Matcha Latte — Just Add Milk

Tsujiri Uji Matcha Latte Mix with Milk 80g

On a rainy June afternoon, there's nothing cozier than a warm bowl of matcha latte. This blend from Tsujiri, a Kyoto tea house founded in Uji in 1860, lets you make an authentic Uji matcha latte at home — just add warm milk and stir. Sweetened gently with wasanbon, Japan's finest fine-grained sugar, it's smooth, mellow, and never bitter. The recipe is dairy-free, so you can pair it with the milk of your choice. Let the rain fall while you sip something quietly luxurious from Japan. (80g)

Gyokuroen Ume Kombu Tea — Plum & Kelp Umami in a Cup

Gyokuroen Ume Kombu Tea 40g

When the rainy season leaves you a little heavy, this is the cup that resets your palate. Ume kombu cha is a beloved Japanese hot drink made from kelp (kombu) and real pickled plum (umeboshi) — deeply savory with a bright, tangy finish. Just stir the granules into hot water and the umami of kelp meets the sharp, salty-sour snap of Japanese plum. Made by Gyokuroen, a tea maker now in its 100th year, it also contains added calcium. More than a tea, it's a warm, savory pick-me-up for grey afternoons — and a quietly addictive taste of Japan many travelers never discover. (40g)

Awashima-do Warabi Mochi with Kinako

Awashimado Warabi Mochi with Kinako Soybean Powder

Cool, wobbly, and quietly elegant — warabi mochi is Japan's favorite summer sweet, and it shines in the humid days of the rainy season. Each piece has a soft, jelly-like bounce, dusted generously with kinako (roasted soybean flour) for a gentle, nutty sweetness. Chill it before serving and enjoy that signature translucent, melt-in-your-mouth texture — the taste of a Japanese tea-time on a rainy June afternoon. Made by Awashima-do, a long-loved Japanese confectioner.

Hikari Miso Regional Miso Soup Tour (8 servings)

Hikari Miso Regional Miso Soup Tour 8 Servings 145.8g

End your rainy day with a little journey across Japan — without leaving home. This assortment from Hikari Miso brings together four regional miso styles from Japan's celebrated miso country: rich Sendai rice miso, mellow Shinshu rice miso, deep Sanshu soybean miso, and savory Kyushu barley miso. Each warm bowl comes with wakame seaweed, fu (wheat gluten), and green onion — just add hot water. Pick a different region to match your mood as the rain falls. (8 servings, 145.8g)

A Fresh Taste of Japan's New Tea Season

Itoen Oi Ocha Shincha Green Tea 70g

Ito En Oi Ocha Shincha Green Tea is made for Japan's fresh tea season, when the first harvest of the year brings a bright, clean flavor. Its refreshing taste fits perfectly with the feeling of May — fresh greenery, warmer days, and the gentle beginning of early summer.

Light Noodles with a Bright Yuzu Dashi

Mizkan SOUP de Somen Yuzu Broth 26g x 3 Pack

As the days get warmer, somen noodles become one of Japan's easiest seasonal meals. This yuzu dashi soup from Mizkan combines bonito, chicken, and kombu broth with the bright aroma of yuzu, creating a light yet flavorful way to enjoy chilled or simple noodles in early summer.

A Colorful Fruit Jelly Series for Early Summer

Umios Frutier Premium White Peach Jelly 190g

Umios Frutier is a Japanese fruit jelly series with bright, refreshing flavors such as mandarin, white peach, grape, shine muscat, mixed fruit, ripe mango, pink grapefruit, and Hokkaido melon. Served chilled, these jellies make an easy dessert for warmer days, with a light fruit taste that fits naturally with Japan's early-summer season. We are featuring White Peach as the representative flavor, but several Frutier flavors are now available in our shop.

A Light Savory Snack with Japanese Dashi

Kuzefuku Shoten White Shrimp Senbei Multipurpose Dashi Flavor 78g (13g x 6 Pack)

These rice crackers combine the gentle umami of Kuze Fuku's signature dashi with the delicate flavor of white shrimp. Crisp, light, and easy to enjoy, they add a savory Japanese touch to this month's early-summer picks.

The Pride of Nasu

Cheese Garden Imperial Villa Cheesecake

Cheese Garden's Goyotei Cheesecake is the pride of Nasu, Tochigi. Rich, creamy, and perfectly balanced — it's the kind of cheesecake that makes you close your eyes and sigh. The Goyotei series is named after the Imperial Villa in Nasu, and this is their signature creation. If you're a cheesecake lover, this is a must-try!

Nikko's Temple Cuisine Classic

Nikko Foods Flavored Yuba Large 6 Pieces

Yuba — delicate sheets of tofu skin — is one of Nikko's most iconic foods, with roots going back centuries to the area's Buddhist temple cuisine. This seasoned version features rolled yuba simmered in a savory dashi broth with bonito and shiitake. Ready to eat straight from the pack, it's the easiest way to taste this Nikko specialty at home.

Tochigi's Soul Drink, in a Cookie

Tochigi Lemon Milk Cookies – A Beloved Local Delight – 12 & 21 Pieces

Lemon Milk is Tochigi's beloved local drink — ask anyone from the prefecture and watch their eyes light up. These cookies capture that sweet, creamy lemon flavor in a crunchy bite. A fun and easy way to experience one of Tochigi's most iconic flavors!

The Perfect Road Trip Ramen

Newtouch Sugomen Sano Ramen 115g

Sano Ramen is famous for its handmade bamboo-pressed noodles and clear soy sauce broth. We stopped for a bowl on the way home and it was the perfect end to our Tochigi road trip. This cup noodle version by Yamadai faithfully recreates the chewy flat noodles and rich yet light soup — endorsed by the official Sano Ramen Association.

A Taste of Nagoya at Home!

Nakamo Tsukete Miso Kakete Miso 400g Sweet Miso Sauce

Nakamo's Tsukete Miso Kakete Miso is a classic Nagoya-style sauce made from aged soybean miso, with a deep flavor and gentle sweetness. It's incredibly easy to use — just dip or pour. You can enjoy it with fresh vegetables, grilled or fried chicken, and simple home meals. It instantly brings a unique Japanese regional flavor to your table.

A Taste of Nagoya – Spicy Taiwan Ramen

Yamadai New Touch Sugomen Nagoya Taiwan Ramen 127g Spicy Instant Ramen

Nagoya is also known for its famous Taiwan Ramen, a spicy noodle dish with garlic and chili. This version from Yamadai's Sugomen series recreates that bold flavor in an easy-to-make cup ramen. It has a strong kick, but it's addictive once you try it.

A Gentle Local Sweet – Nagoyan

Pasco Nagoyan 5 pcs Soft Cake with Sweet Egg Bean Filling

Nagoyan is a classic sweet from Nagoya, made with a soft castella-style cake and filled with smooth egg bean paste. It has a mild and comforting sweetness, making it easy for anyone to enjoy.

Light & Comforting – Kishimen Noodles

Sugakiya Nagoya Cold Kishimen 2 Servings Light Dashi Noodles

Sugakiya's Nagoya-style kishimen is a well-known local "everyday favorite." These flat noodles are smooth and easy to eat, served with a light and flavorful dashi broth.

A Unique Nagoya Dish – Ankake Spaghetti

Yokoi Ankake Spaghetti Sauce Original 150g x 2 Packs Nagoya Style

Nagoya is also known for its unique pasta dish called ankake spaghetti, featuring a thick, rich sauce with a bold black pepper kick. This sauce is inspired by Yokoi, the original restaurant that created this local specialty. It's rich, slightly spicy, and completely different from typical pasta.

Complete the Experience – Thick Spaghetti

Nihon Seima Volcano Yokoi Spaghetti 2.2mm Thick Pasta for Ankake Spaghetti

To recreate authentic Nagoya-style ankake spaghetti at home, the sauce alone is not enough. This 2.2mm extra thick spaghetti is specially designed to match the rich and peppery Yokoi sauce, giving you the full texture and flavor of this unique dish.

Shochu bonbon

You cannot import alcoholic drink. But we can ship chocolate contains shochu.

Nagatanien "Sushi taro"

Nagatanien Sushi Taro Gomoku Chirashi Sushi Mix 198g

Chirashizushi mix. Cooked vegetable in it. Just mix with hot cooked rice. Put sashimi if they are available. I usually put thinly fried eggs cut into thin strips and cucumber with sashimi.

Tamanoi "Sushi no ko"

Tamanoi, Sushinoko, Seasoning for Vinegar Rice of Sushi, 75g

Useful powder vinegar when you prepare sushi rice. It takes a little skill to get the rice to absorb the vinegar. But with this magical powder, rice won't become sticky for beginners. When you cannot use it all for sushi, use it for potato salad. Mixing with cut vegetables, you can make pickles easily.

Misuzu "Oinarisan"

Misuzu Inari Sushi Seasoned Tofu Pouches 12 pcs

Inarizushi making takes a lot of times. But all you need to do is fill cooked rice in aburaage. If you put it on udon, it becomes kitsune udon.

Shirakonori, Sugatayakinori, gold

Shirako Roasted Nori Sheets Gold Pack 7 Sheets

This is quality yakinori. Gold is the highest grade in this series. No seasoning is added. Does not interfere with the flavor of the ingredients. Thick enough to fold hot cooked rice without tearing. There are also purple, black, red and sushihane grade below gold.