A delicious food haul awaits you!
Aside from being known as a winter wonderland, Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido is also well-known as a foodie’s paradise. With the freshest seafood and outstanding quality meat, Hokkaido food is a fantastic range of heavenly Japanese dishes and snacks!
What food is Hokkaido famous for?
Since Hokkaido is surrounded by cold waters and wintry lands, Hokkaido food is made up of warming eats to help battle the cold. It's most famous for its Genghis Khan BBQ which consists of lamb and mixed veggies grilled to perfection.
Other famous must-eat foods in Hokkaido are the trademark Hokkaido Ramen topped with Hokkaido butter and fresh scallops, the Ishikari Nabe(hotpot), and the Kaisen-don (Hokkaido Seafood Donburi).
Make your stay in Hokkaido a hundred times better by discovering the best of the island with a full-day adventure to its most famous attractions! Drop by Asahiyama Zoo, New Furano Prince Hotel, Ninguru Terrace, and more on this tour. Plus, you will get to replenish your energy with a delectable Japanese lunch at Omoide no Furano.
What snacks can I buy from Hokkaido as souvenirs?
Bring home a piece of Hokkaido with you and have extra luggage space ready for these 27 tasty and unforgettable Hokkaido snacks!
1. Yubari Melon Steam Cake
Yubari melons are Hokkaido's crowning glory when it comes to fruits. However, they could be too big (and a bit expensive) to bring home. Enter the Yubari Melon Steam Cake. This light sponge cake is filled with a gooey and luscious Yubari melon centre that your family and friends will enjoy!
2. Sapporo Okaki Oh! Yakitokibi
This snack is basically corn—a big lump with knobs—and is a famous product in Hokkaido. There are tons of corn snacks in Hokkaido, just like the Sapporo Okaki Oh! Yakitokibi, a crispy mochi rice and barbecued corn snack that can only be found in this prefecture.
3. Shiroi Koibito
One of the most iconic Hokkaido snacks you can bring home is the Shiroi Koibito. These are two baked cookies with a chocolate filling. In fact, they're so popular they even have a theme park dedicated to them, and you can join a cookie-making workshop to try your hand at making a jumbo one!
4. Sanpouroku
Familiar with European spit cakes? Sanpouroku are just like those but with a Japanese twist! These are designed to look like Japanese white birch trees. Not only are they a treat for the eyes, they’re pretty damn tasty too!
5. Sweet Potato
Think this is just an average sweet potato? Look again, it's actually a Sweet Potato cake! This must-try Hokkaido snack pays homage to Hokkaido's local sweet potatoes and is sold in Obihiro's Cranberry.
6. Yubari Melon Kit Kat
Of course, a Kit Kat version of Yubari melons goes without saying. You can always bet on Japan to come up with the wackiest KitKat flavours. This Hokkaido special is definitely one of the best Hokkaido snacks to take home!
7. Hokkaido Milk Castella
Hokkaido is also known for its incredible and high-class dairy products. While milk could be tricky to bring on your flight, the decadent Hokkaido Milk Castella is an excellent alternative as a souvenir! This light Japanese sponge cake is made with fresh Hokkaido milk.
8. Sapporo Kinako Yaki Chocora
Did you know that the dainty Sapporo Kinako Yaki Chocora is actually made by a patisserie run by a grilled meat place? This chocolatey snack is well-known for its trademark pearl sugar sitting atop the chocolate layer and is meant to recreate the starry night sky.
9. Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwich
To taste Hokkaido's exquisite butter, get your hands on the Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwich. Filled with white chocolate and raisins, this buttery biscuit sandwich is made by Rokkatei, a famous confectionary producer in Japan.
10. Yukiyakonko
Step aside, Oreos, ‘cos Yukiyakonko's about to take your crown! Also from Rokkatei, Yukiyakonko is a bittersweet dark cocoa biscuit sandwich with a white chocolate filling. They're also individually wrapped, making them great as souvenirs.
11. Daiheigen
If you like Madeleines, Rokkatei's Daiheigen will be your drug (and cure)! It's rich, moist, and probably the best you'll ever have. The distinctive taste and texture are from the generous amount of quality Hokkaido butter used to create this Hokkaido snack.
12. Yubari Melon Caplico Stick
Shaped like fun lil' ice-cream cones, these Caplico Sticks have been around in strawberry and chocolate flavours. In Hokkaido, however, you can get these in Yubari melon flavour! There's even a surprise chocolate centre when you get to the bottom. Who said Hokkaido snacks are boring?
13. Ripe’N’Dry Instant Ramen
Developed in Hokkaido, Ripe'N'Dry's instant ramen broth is extra rich and hearty. With a quick taste and slurp, it might just stand up to a bowl of noodles from your favourite ramen place. Spot it from its growling grizzly bear packaging!
14. Marukan Yokan
As one of Southern Hokkaido's most popular local treats, the Marukan Yokan is a sticky azuki bean jelly. Using high-quality Kintoki azuki beans cultivated in Tokachi, this Hokkaido specialty can’t be replicated anywhere else! Fair warning, though, you're prone to sticky fingers due to the snack's interesting texture.
15. Corn Chocolate
Corn Chocolate, as the name suggests, is made up of crispy sweet corn coated with chocolate. On different occasions, you can also find seasonal flavours like strawberries, melons, milk, and more. This is one binge-worthy Hokkaido snack!
16. Sapporo Nogakko
A crisp cookie made of mainly butter and wheat might seem simple and boring, but in Hokkaido, Sapporo Nogakko is a total game-changer. Taking advantage of the rich and unique flavour of Hokkaido dairy, the unassuming Hokkaido snack melts in your mouth and is to-die-for.
17. Haskapp Jewelry
With a name like Haskapp Jewelry, the only way to describe this treat is exquisite! Crumbly, buttery cookies sandwiching a punchy sweet and sour jam surrounded by a coating of chocolate, every bite is better than the last. Did you know this jam is made with Haskap, also known as honeyberries, a type of berry native to Hokkaido?
18. Jaga Pokkuru
Beware: Jaga Pokkuru can be highly addictive! These pocket-friendly snacks from Calbee are made with Hokkaido potatoes with skins and are extremely popular in and outside Japan. Wanna get your hands on these? You can spot them at airport stalls or convenience stores in Hokkaido!
19. Sapporo Times Square
Although the name sounds more like a location than anything else, Sapporo Times Square is, in fact, an iconic Hokkaido snack souvenir. These tiny soft sponge cakes filled with custard cream are incredibly tempting and easy to pop into your mouth. Make sure to get these whenever you're in Sapporo; they come in various flavours too!
20. Nama Caramel
For that family member or friend with a sweet tooth, the Nama caramel candy made by the Hanabatake Farm in Tokachi is the perfect souvenir. Sweet and chewy, they come in a few different flavours as well, like melon or hascup (a sweet-sour honeysuckle berry).
21. Yosei-no mori
Moist and fluffy, the Yosei-no-mori is a baumkuchen made with a special method. Everything that goes into making the cake are locally sourced Hokkaido ingredients as well, thus resulting in its unique taste and texture. You definitely can’t go wrong with this cake. Playing safe doesn’t mean it has to be boring and bland!
22. Shiroi Black Thunder
Black Thunder, a famous chocolate candy bar in Japan, has a special Hokkaido version. Coated with white chocolate, the Shiroi Black Thunder or White Black Thunder is made with the ever-so-heavenly Hokkaido milk.
23. Cheese Omelette
Contrary to its misleading name, the Snaffles Cheese Omelette is a souffle-type cheesecake that originates from Hakodate, which can also be found in Sapporo. Fluffy and rich, it instantly melts in your mouth, coating your tongue with its cheesy goodness. They come in maple and chocolate flavours as well. All made using Hokkaido's premium quality dairy, it's a souffle one can never forget.
24. Furano Yukidoke Cheesecake
Bringing home a cheesecake as a souvenir isn't the most convenient thing, but boy is it worth it. The Furano Yukidoke Cheesecake has a crispy tart exterior with wild grape and blueberry jam and rich cream cheese as the filling. Finally, it's topped with fresh whipped cream to depict the snowy landscape of Hokkaido winter.
25. Pocky Yubari Melon
Sample the classic Pocky in a limited Hokkaido-only flavour made with the cantaloupe grown only in the city. Each plus-sized Pocky Yubari Melon stick is individually wrapped and coated with a Yubari Melon icing.
26. Apollo White Premium
You won't be able to get enough of this lip-smacking combination of sweet white chocolate and tangy strawberries with every piece of Meiji's Apollo White Premium. If you think it's a snack only for kids, then think again—this Hokkaido snack is for all ages.
27. Hokkaido Horsehair Crab
This isn't a snack, but another Hokkaido food worthy of bringing home is the Hokkaido Horsehair Crab. With its abundance of fresh and incredible seafood, Hokkaido is the perfect place for seafood lovers. You can take home a taste of the Hokkaido sea in the form of Horsehair Crab!