What Souvenirs to Bring Back from Hiroshima

Mar 25, 2024

What Souvenirs to Bring Back from Hiroshima

Many people know little about Hiroshima beyond its tragic history as the site of the atomic bomb in World War II. Change that for your friends and family by bringing back some souvenirs that reflect Hiroshima’s culture and cuisine.

1. Sanfrecce Hiroshima Merchandise

Hiroshima is home to the soccer team Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The team sells all sorts of merchandise that make for ideal souvenirs for soccer fans, including jerseys, trading cards, and towels. There’s even a branded soy sauce, produced through a collaboration with local producer Kawanaka Soy Sauce.

2. Hiroshima Toyo Carp Merchandise

If you’re more of a baseball than a soccer fan, look for merchandise for the city’s baseball team: Hiroshima Toyo Carp. You’ll find all sorts of great souvenirs in the official store, including keychains, stickers, coasters, and tote bags.

3. Momiji Manju

Since the symbol of Hiroshima is the maple leaf, momiji manju is one of the most representative souvenirs of the prefecture. This is a castella cake in the shape of a maple leaf, traditionally filled with sweet red bean paste. Since it has become more popular, you can now find it in all sorts of flavors, including chocolate, cream cheese, matcha, and custard.

4. Nama Momiji

Another edible souvenir in the shape of a maple leaf is nama momiji. These are a twist on the regular manju, with the difference that they have a softer, stickier texture. It’s worth trying both to see which you prefer.

5. Sake

A classic souvenir from any Japanese prefecture is sake. Hiroshima has some great breweries, including Umeda Shuzo-jo, Miyake Honten, and Fujii Shuzo. Although you can purchase sake from stores around Hiroshima, it’s even better to visit a brewery for a tasting to choose the perfect sake to bring back home.

6. Yukari

Give your rice dishes some Hiroshima flavour with yukari. The seasoning consists of dried red shiso leaves and salt. It’s also a great addition to other dishes, like pasta and salads.

7. Kumano Brushes

A unique souvenir to consider is some Kumano brushes. Produced in the city of Kumano in Hiroshima prefecture, these are known for their high quality. They are made from the hair of a variety of animals, including goat, deer, Japanese raccoon dog, cat, weasel, and horse. Each type of hair has a different application, such as for makeup brushes, paintbrushes, or writing brushes.

8. Hot Sauce

Take the taste of Hiroshima lemons back with you as some Lemosco hot sauce. In addition to the juice and peel of local lemons, it uses salt from the Seto Inland Sea as well as green chili peppers from Kyushu. The combination is sour, salty, and spicy.

9. Setoda Lemon Cake

Another option with lemons is Setoda lemon cake. The name comes from the fact that all the lemons are grown in Setoda — the largest producer of lemons in the country. The cake uses both the juice and peel of the lemons for a strong citrus flavor.

All these souvenirs are reasonably easy to find in places around Hiroshima. However, if you do want something specific from this list, you should start looking early to ensure you find it.

Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons