A Traditional Taste of Japan by JR-EAST

OMIYAGE OF THE MONTH

Assorted Arare in Goldfish Pattern Drawstring Bag
「金魚柄巾着入りあられ」

We bring you this assortment of arare crackers in an adorable goldfish-adorned pouch to celebrate this season of summer festivals!

Arare (あられ) is a type of bite-sized crackers made from glutinous rice. This assortment comes in 5 different flavours; soy sauce, kobu salt, rich consomme, cheese curry, and sansho.

Goldfish Nebuta
「金魚ねぶた」

Bringing you another apple-flavoured snack in the form of yokan (羊羹), this jelly-like dessert made from white bean paste, sugar and agar. Yokan is a perfect Japanese summer snack to help cool off the summer heat. What's more adorable is the goldfish packaging used to wrap this bite-sized yokan—and there you have it: your first scoop of goldfish!

Nebuta Fire Festival
「ねぶた火まつ」

Nebuta (ねぶた) refers to gigantic lantern floats which are lit up at Nebuta festivals (ねぶた祭り), one of Tohoku's "Three Great Summer Festivals" held around Aomori Prefecture (青森県). It is believed that Nebuta Festivals were originally based on the toro nagashi (灯籠流し), which literally means floating lanterns and it is a tradition of releasing these lanterns down the river and into the sea, and visitors would pray for good health.

Sendai Strawberry Grilled Chocolat
「仙台のいちご焼きショコラ」

Watari-gun (亘理町) in Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県) boasts the largest production of strawberries in Tohoku (東北), a region renowned for its "Three Great Summer Festivals". The sweet and delicious strawberries that local farmers have cultivated with great care are baked together with white chocolate at a facility called "Ichigo Danchi", a regional symbol of recovery after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake in 2011.

Due to this sentimental value, this regional product is only made available at selected stores in Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi.

Dojou Sukui Manju
「どじょう掬い饅頭」

From the expression down to the polka dot towel on its head, this manju features Hyottoko masks which are usually worn by the folks dancing to Yasugi Bushi (安来節). They also appear at a summer dance festival called the Hyuga Hyottoko Natsumatsuri (日向ひょっとこ夏祭り).

Petit Lovely Pie
「ぷちラブリーパイ」

Have a piece of apple pie cinnamon sandwiched with custard cream and syrup-pickled apples, which originate from Aomori Prefecture (青森県).

While Aomori is most famous for its Nebuta festivals in summer, Aomori is also well-known for its apple production, gaining its title as the "Kingdom of Apples".

Festival Rice Crackers
「プリント煎餅」

Senbei (煎餅) is a type of Japanese rice cracker which is commonly associated with summer, because producing senbei actually requires an optimal amount of sunlight for drying dough in. Sunshine is a key element in the senbei production process to produce the perfect taste—well, that, and the perfect level of happiness, too.

So we hope by specially-customising this pair of rice crackers with festival motifs, it can bring in some sunshine to light up your day!

Tokyo Sauce Monja
「東京ソースもんじゃ」

We're sure you've heard of okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), but have you heard of monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き)?

While it shares similar ingredients to okonomiyaki, monjayaki—or simply "monja"—is the lesser known Japanese savoury pancake popular in the Kanto Region. Its batter is made with additional dashi (だし) or water, causing it to have a runnier texture, and is comparable to melted cheese.

These crisply-fried rice crackers are seasoned with a sauce that reminds one of a monjayaki. It has the flavour of vegetables and fruits, while retaining the flavour of rice.

Aomori Fruits Jelly
「青森ふるうつゼリィ」

While there is the "Three Great Summer Festivals" in Tohoku, we bring you the "Three Great Summer Fruits" from one of its six prefectures, Aomori (青森県)!

There are 3 available flavours: cassis, strawberry, and apple and you will find one of these flavours freeze-dried fruits in your cup jelly!

Hope that gets you excited and no, the "Three Great Summer Fruits" is not official but we'd like it to be!