Souvenirs

All of Yamanashi Prefecture

A paradise of sweets offering everything from Japanese to Western confections.

From sweets made using seasonal fruit to historic traditional Japanese confections, Yamanashi does not lack when it comes to dessert. If you plan on bringing back a few souvenirs, make sure to pick a few sweets. From traditional Japanese treats made with famous Yamanashi products such as kyoho grape and white peach rice cakes to Mt. Fuji-themed souvenirs, there’s mountains to choose from. There’s also countless fresh and refreshing sweets such as fruit and wine jellies.

Japanese confectioner Kikyouya, birthplace of the Shingen-mochi.

Kikyouya has been a beloved favorite of Yamanashi locals since the start of the Meiji period. The establishment is most famous for the Shingen-mochi. The Kikyouya Shingen-mochi of today is the product of much thought put into the question of how to create a Japanese sweet truly distinctive of Yamanashi. The Shingen-mochi is a play on the classic Abekawa-mochi rice cake, which is eaten covered with kinako roasted soybean flour and kuromitsu brown sugar syrup and which has been a part of the Yamanashi diet since ancient times. It is popular for its additive-free flavor; small, easy to finish size; and cute Shingen-bukuro fabric bag packaging. Today, the Shingen-mochi is a synonym for Yamanashi souvenir.

Enjoy Japanese sweets made with Yamanashi peaches and the popular nama pudding!

Another of Kikyouya’s popular Japanese sweets is the Shingen Momo. Shingen Momo are made by mixing a jelly containing Yamanashi’s special peaches with sweet white bean jam and baking the resulting filling in a wheat flour dough. The pink color makes Shingen Momo look just like a peach. Take a bite; your mouth will fill with the delicate fragrance of peaches. In recent years, Kikyouya Shingen Nama Pudding has also become quite popular, particularly with young women. Kikyouya’s nama pudding won an award at the 2015 souvenir grand prix backed by the Japanese Tourism Agency, truly becoming the new face of the storied establishment. At the Ichinomiya shop, visitors can also tour the workshop where Kikyouya makes its sweets. This is a great opportunity to see up close and personal how traditional Japanese sweets are made.

For reference

Kikyouya Ichinomiya shop

Address

1928 Tsuboi, Ichinomiya-cho, Fuefuki-shi, Yamanashi-ken
Telephone

0553-47-3708
Opening hours

9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Closed

Open seven days a week 
Website

http://www.kikyouya.co.jp/index.html

Access

JR Shinjuku Station is 30 minutes by shuttle bus from Haneda Airport. Isawa-onsen Station is about 90 minutes by limited express train from JR Shinjuku Station. Kikyouya Ichinomiya shop is about 10 minutes by taxi from Isawa-onsen Station.