The Best 6 Must-Buy Souvenirs in Hakodate, Hokkaido

Hokkaido is first and foremost known for its endless choices of delicious foods! Hakodate’s landscape is structured with an exotic atmosphere. It prides itself in its agricultural produce and dairy products that were raised in a spectacular, natural environment, and is home to one of Japan’s leading grounds for fishing. This makes it pretty difficult to decide what to bring home. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of delicious treats that will surely be popular with friends and family.

1. Trappist Butter

photo by iroironnan   /   embedded from Instagram

The first male Trappist monastery in Japan was built in 1896 in Hokuto, a city next door to Hakodate, by a Catholic religious order (O.C.S.O.). About an hour by car from Hakodate, this monastery has been making traditional butter made from locally produced milk ever since 1911, when the monks first set up the butter factory.

Trappist butter is cultured butter, which is the same type as Echire butter, the famed French artisan butter. It is made by fermenting cream to produce a highly aromatic and fresh butter. The monastery also sells Trappist cookies and butter candies that use this butter, both of which are lovely, butter-filled sweets.

You can buy the butter and cookies directly from the monastery shop, but you don’t have to go all the way there to buy them! You can also buy them at various souvenir shops within the city.

2. Hakodate Curry

photo by mukumuku7   /   embedded from Instagram

Gotoken is Western-style restaurant that was established in Hakodate in 1879. The building is structured in the old-fashioned way of its time of establishment, and it has been registered as one of Japan’s tangible cultural assets.

The restaurant offers traditional Western and French cuisine, but the restaurant’s most popular dish is its curry. Gotoken’s curry has been around since the Taisho Period (1912-1926).

The sauce in Gotoken’s Hakodate Curry, made by simmering pork and vegetables from Hokkaido, is available for purchase in a convenient, sealed package. There are 3 types of spice levels available: Spicy, medium, and sweet. There are also other types of flavors, such as seafood and beef. Try out a few different varieties and see which one you like the best!

3. Cheese Omelet

photo by gasawara09   /   embedded from Instagram

Snaffle’s is a cake shop facing the tram tracks, which are walking distance from Hakodate Station. The “cheese omelet”, or mini cheesecakes, from this small cake shop, are a particularly famous sweet that represents the city of Hakodate.

These bite-sized cakes are baked daily with the best and freshest ingredients from Hokkaido. The pastries are fluffy and light, but the flavor is rich and dense. There are 2 types of flavors available: cheese and chocolate. You can grab a box with both varieties to enjoy at home. They’re popular with people of all ages, and will definitely be a hit as a gift.

4. Ikameshi

photo by fiora_firenze   /   embedded from Instagram

Ikameshi is squid stuffed with rice and simmered in a soy sauce and dashi (seafood) broth. Ikameshi originally became well-known with its appearance in ekiben, or station lunch boxes, at Mori Station (on the JR Hokkaido Hakodate Main Line). Its appearance is cute, with a deep, rich flavor that will fill you up and satisfy your appetite.

The squid is boiled so that it’s soft, and the dashi broth is soaked completely into the rice inside, which really brings out the flavor. You can buy it at several locations within Hakodate, and it’s conveniently packed up in a bag!

It lasts pretty long, so you don’t have to eat it right away, making it an excellent gift. Buy one if you’re here in Hakodate!

→The Best 10 Places to Eat in Hakodate, Hokkaido

5. Hakodate Beer

photo by k.suzuky   /   embedded from Instagram

Hakodate Beer — 100% malt craft beer brewed with underground water from Hakodate Mountain. Craft beer has been increasingly popular recently, but Hakodate Beer has been brewed here since 1996. There are 4 regular types, and you can also enjoy ale and wheat beers.

Our most recommended one is the premium beer “Shacho no yoku nomu biiru”, which means, “The beer that the president often drinks.” Made with double the amount of malt and with an alcohol content of 10%, this is a luxurious, rich beer.

The quirky name is also a selling point. They also sell freeze-dried corn to go along with beer. The sweet bits of corn match perfectly with alcohol, so definitely buy some of this while you’re at it!

6. Hakodate Shio Castella

photo by mintek74   /   embedded from Instagram

Hakodate Shio Castella is made at the sweets shop Sweets Gallery Kitajima, which is located in Kikonai, the next town over from Hakodate on the shinkansen. This castella was first put out for sale in 2008.

They use wheat grown in Hokkaido and fresh eggs to produce a moist, rich cake. The “shio” in the name means “salt”, so you can expect that some has been added into the tasty mixture.

This hidden addition of salt is actually sundried crystalized sea salt. It plays an important role by really bringing the flavors together. The price of the castella is very reasonable, especially considering the luxurious appearance of the box it comes in.

If you’re trying to get a gift for a boss or someone along those lines, this might be the one to get! It’ll definitely get you the best bang for your buck.

Buy some of Hakodate’s popular and delicious souvenirs before you leave!

What did you think? We introduced some treats that we would be really happy to receive, but there are still so many delicious foods all around Hakodate. Even looking at all the different types of produce they have is fun, so make sure to take a peek around the markets!