This is the Regular Souvenir in Wakayama! The 10 Must-buy Local Specialty!

Wakayama prefecture is surrounded by mountains and seas. The Kuroshio Current brings a rich crops and seafood by a warm climate. Wakayama has preserved a unique and rich food culture for a long time. It is also popular for sightseeing. Let’s walk through the 10 must-buy souvenirs on your visit to Wakayama prefecture. Do not miss any!

Local Specialty of Wakayama for Souvenir, Nomu Mikan

Wakayama prefecture is well-known as the kingdom of fruits. It produces a variety of fruits such as oranges, persimmons, plums. Especially, the producing amount of Onshu Mikan orange is the top in Japan. Onshu Mikan is cultivated in the Kinan region, whose skin is soft enough to peel easily. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and sourness without a seed inside. It can be one of the best fruits.

“Nomu Mikan (Orange to drink)” is the 100% straight juice made from oranges. It is made without any additional water, sugar. The pure juice gives you the sense you actually eat an orange. You can enjoy fresh oranges all year around. Perfect for souvenir.

Seafood in Wakayama for Souvenir? Maguro Sansho Toro Daki

Kishu Katsura Port in Wakayama is famous as the top catch of tuna in Japan. The amount does not include frozen tuna, which means it has fresh tuna available more than any other areas. It would be the best if you could take fresh tuna sashimi to your home. Best to have it on site while it is fresh!

For souvenir, “Maguro no Toro daki” is the best, which is the boiled fatty tuna in seasoned sauce. Kinan Fishery offers “Maguro Sansho Toro daki”, which is boiled fatty tuna with “Budo Sansho (Japanese pepper)” spice for seasoning. Sansho pepper brings the taste for the adult. Spicy flavor goes perfectly with alcoholic drinks and also cooked rice. Highly recommended.

Local Food Representing Japan, Ramen! Wakayama Ramen Ide Shoten

You cannot ignore Wakayama Ramen for the local gourmet in Wakayama. Wakayama is located in the producing area of soy sauce, so the soup of Ramen is mainly cooked with soy sauce. The blend of pork bone and chicken bone with soy sauce base makes the soup thick and goes perfectly with straight noodles. For those who would like to enjoy Wakayama Ramen at home, you can have it as souvenir!

“Ide Shoten”, the popular Ramen restaurant, offers the souvenir type of Ramen, which does recreate the thick Tonkotsu and soy sauce soup and middle-thick straight and chewy noodles. You can remember the taste of Wakayama at home with it, or share it with noodles-lover as a gift.

Hardly Stop Eating. Best Sweets for Souvenir, Kagerou

Wakayama is well-known for crops and seafood, but it does have the outstanding local sweets. “Kagerou” is the representative confectionary made by Fukubishi, the confectionary maker, with more than 80-year history since the establishment in 1933. It is a butter cream sand with very soft cakes. Thin and crispy dough has butter cream, which melts away in your mouth. Its lightness makes you addicted.

It was created with the concept of sweets for babies, which is definitely the best for kids. Highly recommended on your visit to Wakayama!

This is the Very Local Specialty of Wakayama! Nanko Ume

Wakayama is well-known as the producing area of plum. The 60% of plum production in Japan is from Wakayama prefecture. Among various kinds of plums, “Nanko Ume plum” is said to be the top. It has a thin skin, rich fruit, a small seed, which is the perfect feature for pickling and liquor-making.

Umeshu (plum liqueur) cannot be missed, which is made from Nanko Ume plums. It is one of the most popular souvenirs. Especially female customers are fascinated with the fruity and deep flavor of Umeshu aged for three years.

Well-known Souvenir. Must-buy in Wakayama! Kuro Ame Nachiguro

Nachiguro-ishi stone is known as the material of stones used in the game of Go, sold mainly near Nachi Falls. “Nachiguro Ame (candy)” is created on the model of the Nachiguro-ishi. It was born in the Meiji period and has been preserved for 140 years, which is now one of the most famous local sweets in Japan.

The candy is made with the good quality brown sugar produced in Amami by the traditional method, which is rich with vitamin and mineral. Not to mention, it is delicious! It works as a cough drop. It is perfect size-wise for souvenir, light and small, which makes it the popular regular. Do not forget getting it.

Perfect Match with Fresh Vegetables! Deep and Thick Taste of Kinzanji Miso

Kinzanji Miso has been eaten in Wakayama for a long time. It is said that it had the origin with the Miso made in Jingshan Temple, which was introduced by the monk visited China in the Sung dynasty in the Kamakura period. It is made from rice, soy beans, barley, melons, egg plants. The various ingredients bring the Miso a rich flavor. It goes perfectly with cooked rice as the topping.

You can also enjoy it as the dip for vegetables. Prepare fresh vegetables like cucumber, ceroly, carrot, cabbage, and the Miso, then here is a healthy stick vegetable salad. Worth buying the popular Kinzanji Miso, the healthy fermented seasoning.

Essential Seasoning for Japanese Meals! Nigori Bishio

Soy sauce is one of the essential seasoning for Japanese cuisine. Have you heard that Yuasa in Wakayama prefecture is the birthplace of soy sauce? There have been many stories about it, but it is said that the liquid produced on making Kinzanji Miso, introduced above, was the basis of soy sauce.

“Kadocho” was established in 1841 in the Edo period. It has kept the traditional producing method with domestically produced ingredients without any preservatives and chemical seasonings in the storehouse. The must-buy product is Nigori Bishio, which is the natural soy sauce made with Koji (malted rice) unsqueezed and unheated. It goes perfectly with cold tofu and sashimi. The table-size is available, which is suitable for souvenir. Highly recommended.

Taste Nature of Wakayama. The Regular Souvenir! Shirasu

Yuasa-cho is the birthplace of soy sauce, which also has a fishing port with a rich landing of Shiras. “Shirasu” is the general name for baby fish of sardines. In the town, there are many Shirasu shops, but Maefuku offers Kamaage Shirasu (boiled Shirasu) with natural salt. You can enjoy the taste of nature without any additives.

There are several ways to enjoy Shirasu, such as topping on a cooked rice to make Shirasu rice bowl, topping on salad, ingredients for pasta dishes. The plump texture of fresh Shirasu cannot be missed! Worth trying it when you travel in Wakayama.

Rare Fruit in Wakayama, Jabara

“Jabara” is becoming one of the issues among citrus fruits produced in Wakayama, which is rare to be produced only in Kitayama village, Wakayama prefecture, where is the only outland village in Japan. The reason for that is its effect for health. Actually, “Jabara” has Naryltin, the flavonoid component, which is expected to work for hay fever and allergy.

The “Kitayama-mura no Jabara Ame” has more “Naryltin” than normal Jabara candies, which it is said contains the effective amount of Naryktin for a day by one drop. The taste of Jabara is light and similar to citrus fruits without any bitterness, which is suitable for kids. Best for souvenir.

Get the Best Souvenir in Wakayama!

Here is the 10 must-buy souvenir for your sightseeing in Wakayama. Hope you can feel charms of Wakayama with rich nature. Highly recommended to visit “Wakayama City Sightseeing Gifts Center”, “Kuroshio Market”, “Toretore Market” to buy the items introduced above. Add one of them to your trip plan!