About Nagasaki
A wonderful array of popular souvenirs for your trip to Nagasaki
Share the memories of your trip to Nagasaki Prefecture with family and friends through the best souvenirs. There’s a wide-ranging line-up to choose from: delicious confections and foods, traditional crafts, and cute miscellaneous goods. This article also offers useful information about shopping spots where you can find souvenirs. We hope you’ll take a look!
Overview
- 1. The best confections from Nagasaki Prefecture
- Castella
- Snacks featuring castella
- Famous confections rooted in local communities, created by producers in different parts of the prefecture
- 2. For Noodle Lovers! Nagasaki’s special noodles loved by everyone, from children to the elderly
- 3. Handicrafts
- 4. Miscellaneous goods and everyday items
- 5. Where is a good base for souvenir-hunting?
- Look around numerous shops in large complexes and shopping streets
- Hunt for souvenirs as you walk along streets filled with elegance
- Get souvenirs on isolated islands
1. The best confections from Nagasaki Prefecture
Castella
Nagasaki’s castella is a popular souvenir. This baked sweet confection is golden in color and made of ingredients such as wheat flour, sugar, and eggs—its moist and fluffy texture is irresistible. There is an abundance of flavor variations available, including matcha and chocolate, with various products made in different parts of the prefecture.
On the isolated islands of Iki and Tsushima, one popular souvenir is kasumaki, castella rolled around sweet bean paste.
Castella generally lasts for around two weeks from the date of manufacture. Individually wrapped products, which are easy to share, are also available, so why not treat the family and friends you will meet soon after your return home?
You can also buy precut castella
In addition to whole large castella to be given as gifts, Fukusaya, a long-running castella store founded in 1624, offers “Fukusaya Cubes”—two pieces of castella that are just the right size to eat, sold in a small box. These cakes, with their ever-delicious taste, are perfect both for yourself and for handing out to friends. The brand’s packaging has a standard design, but there are also limited seasonal designs too.
*Package designs may differ depending on when and where the product is bought.
Snacks featuring castella
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Castella rusks (Izumiya)
View moreHave you heard of rusks, made by baking the castella to give it a crispy texture? Izumiya also offers products made using rare wasanbon sugar and products coated in strawberry or caramel flavor. Savor a flavor different to the regular moist and fluffy Nagasaki castella.
*Lasts for approximately three months from the date of manufacture -
Castella pudding (sweets shop Maeda)
View moreThis store sells castella-flavor pudding made with fresh eggs from Nagasaki Prefecture. Its caramel sauce, made using an original recipe, is crumbly—sprinkle it over the melt-in-your mouth pudding for a perfect granular accent, similar to brown sugar. This may change your idea of pudding!
*Lasts for approximately eight months from the date of manufacture（Can be kept at room temperature） -
Nagasaki castella-flavored potato chips (Narutaki)
View moreThese castella-flavored potato chips are recommended for those who like surprises. Their sweet and salty flavor is said to be addictive. They are sold at the DRAGON SEA souvenir shop and other locations in Nagasaki City.
*Lasts for approximately six months from the date of manufacture
Famous confections rooted in local communities, created by producers in different parts of the prefecture
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Nagasaki City: Otakusa
View moreThese baked confections use puff pastry to create a cute hydrangea motif. Their light texture, coupled with just the right amount of sweetness, will make you want to eat them in large numbers.
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Sasebo City: Kujukushima sempei
View moreThese sweet crackers with peanuts are a quintessential souvenir of the picturesque Kujuku Islands. The crackers are baked to be crispy and fragrant, with the peanuts representing the islands.
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Sasebo City: Porto
View moreThis confection is a blend of Japanese and Western cuisines: red bean paste made using yuzu fruits from Iki is sandwiched between two biscuits. The apple flavor porto, with cute Hello Kitty packaging, will surely delight as a souvenir!
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Unzen City: Cruz
View moreThis confection is made by sandwiching aromatic ginger white chocolate between thin dough with a crisp texture. Sellers offer diverse packaging featuring famous tourist spots to visually convey the charms of Nagasaki. You can also buy strawberry or coffee-flavored cruz.
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Shimabara City: Cherry mame (beans)
View moreThis confection made from fried fava beans has been well-loved for more than a century. In addition to the ginger-flavored lucky cherry mame, you can purchase uni (sea urchin) mame, and nori (seaweed) mame, all of which are popular to eat with tea or as a snack.
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Goto Islands: Kankoro mochi
View moreDried sweet potato is mixed with glutinous rice (mochi) to create this local confection of the Goto Islands. We recommend you slice them to around 1 cm thick and heat them in a toaster until they are lightly browned before eating.
Vaunted biwa (loquat) jelly from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan’s top producer of loquats
This indulgent dessert consists of whole locally grown loquats immersed in jelly. The mild and mellow aroma of the loquat fills the mouth. It tastes even better when chilled.
View more2. For Noodle Lovers! Nagasaki’s special noodles loved by everyone, from children to the elderly
If you’re coming to Nagasaki on a trip, you’ll definitely want to eat champon and sara-udon. You can also enjoy these after you return home from your travels. Many champon and sara-udon products are stored at room temperature, perfect for souvenirs.
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Champon
If you’re buying these as a gift, we recommend the raw noodle product in a gift box. If they’re for you to eat at home, why not get instant noodles in a bag or cup noodles?
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Sara-udon
The crunchy texture of sara-udon makes them very addictive. With a boil-in-the-bag soup set that includes ingredients, even people who aren’t so good at cooking can recreate this taste of Nagasaki with ease.
Next, this article introduces Nagasaki Prefecture’s vaunted udon and somen noodles, made with hand-pulling techniques.
Both of these are generally sold as dried noodles, which are light and compact, and can be stored for a long time. Dashi set products are also available.
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Goto udon
Goto udon is one of Japan’s three main types of udon. These hand-pulled noodles are stretched thin, and offer a firm, smooth texture. They are delicious served in variety of ways, including as hot kake udon and cold zaru udon.
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Hand-pulled Shimabara somen
Similar to udon, Shimabara somen are made using wheat flour—but hand-pulled somen are very thin noodles with a diameter of less than 1.7 mm. Imagine how amazing it is to make such fine noodles by hand! Their bouncy consistency, which cannot be found in machine-made somen, plus their outstanding mouth feel, make these a must-try.
3. Handicrafts
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Glass Crafts
View moreGlasswork was introduced to Japan by the Nanban trade during the period of national seclusion, which brought it to Dejima.
Generally, blown glass is called "beadro” in Japanese. The word is derived from "vidro," the Portuguese word for glassware, and was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese who came to Japan in 1542.
The word "geaman" in Japanese comes from "diamant", the Dutch word for "diamond." Faceted glass is called "geaman" because it is crafted using diamonds.
Nagasaki, which prospered as a trading port with Portugal, is also the place where glassware was introduced. -
Hasami ware
View moreIn 1599, a step-like climbing kiln was built in Hasami Town, and the creation of ceramics began. During the latter part of the Edo period (1603–1868), the town became an area with a high production volume of sometsuke (cobalt blue underglaze) and celadon seiji porcelain. Hasami ware transformed everyday dining for ordinary people, adding richness and vibrancy to daily life. In recent years, modern designs and color usage has attracted the attention of young people, making this a popular brand.
4. Miscellaneous goods and everyday items
Plenty of unique Nagasaki products are items for daily use.
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Nagasaki-themed stationary
View moreThe Ishimaru Bunkoudou flagship store in Nagasaki City offers an array of products that fully encompass Nagasaki’s charms, including writing paper with designs featuring the prefecture’s famous locations and products, and ball-point pens.
Japanese stationary is practical and easy to use, making it very popular among foreign visitors. It will certainly bring you delight. -
Miscellaneous goods featuring cute cats
View moreWalk around Nagasaki and you’ll see a lot of “curved-tail” cats. As the name suggests, these cats have tails that are curved like keys at the tip, and it is said that they can hook good luck with these tails. Nagasaki-no neco, a store that sells many different items of clothing and general goods featuring these cats, is a must-see for cat lovers.
Special souvenirs made using the camellias of Goto
The Goto Islands have long been known as an area that produces camellias, and camellia oil is their specialty product. Tsubakino on Fukue Island sells cosmetics and soaps made with local camellia oil, as well as camellia oil for cooking and camellia tea. Give a gift from nature as a unique present from Goto to someone you love.
View more5. Where is a good base for souvenir-hunting?
In this last part of this feature, we’ll share useful information so you can effectively shop around for your perfect souvenirs as you enjoy your trip.
Look around numerous shops in large complexes and shopping streets
Nagasaki City
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Nagasaki Kaido Kamome Market
View moreA total of 56 stores, including one of the largest souvenir zones in Nagasaki City, "Kamome Yokocho” -- a genuine alley inside the station where you can enjoy local sake and cuisine -- and local restaurants that are very popular among locals, are all available.
Limited edition goods commemorating the opening of the West Kyushu Shinkansen are also available.
There is also a foreign currency exchange machine in the Nagasaki Kaido Kamome Market, so if you need to pay in cash, please be sure to use it.
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AMU PLAZA NAGASAKI
View moreThis large mixed-use commercial complex stands next to JR Nagasaki Station. It houses a diverse array of tenants, including the Japanese fashion brand UNIQLO, drugstores, the 100 yen shop DAISO, MUJI (which offers a wide range of miscellaneous goods and clothing), and the large general store Hands. It is also home to plenty of eateries that are popular among the local people, including a sushi restaurant and a ramen place, making it perfect for a meal and a break.
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Hamanomachi Arcade
View moreThis shopping district is said to be the best in Nagasaki, and is commonly called “Hamanmachi” shopping street. Here, you’ll find around 700 stores, including a department store that sells foreign-brand and Japanese-brand cosmetics such as Shiseido, Japanese daily necessity shops perfect for souvenirs, the discount Don Quijote store carrying a wide range of products, including miscellaneous goods, and mass retailers of consumer electronics. As this is an arcade, you can also visit with peace of mind during rainy days. This is a location where you can enjoy shopping, Nagasaki souvenirs, and even gourmet food.
Get souvenirs made in Kyushu, including Nagasaki Prefecture
The Irohaya Dejima-Honten store, located immediately next to the Shinchi Chinatown tram stop, is a specialty souvenir store that sells a handpicked selection of items from around Kyushu, based on the concept of communicating the thoughts and feelings of the producers. Find something you love among the famous products from different areas of Kyushu as a memory of your own travels, or food and miscellaneous goods in fashionable packaging to delight as a gift.
View moreSasebo City
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SASEBO GOBANGAI
Just 1-minute walk from JR Sasebo Station. It is a shopping mall facing Sasebo port, offers various shops such as Sasebo burger Shop Hikari, the souvenir shop that carries Castella of Fukusaya and other Kyushu brand-name confectionery. You can enjoy a relaxing time at the restaurants and cafes with the ocean view as well as shopping.View more -
Saruku City 4○3 Arcade
View more4○3 is combinations of "4" in Yon(4)ka-cho shopping street, "○" in Tama(a gem)-ya, and "3" in San(3)ka-cho shopping street. "Saruku" means "strolling around" in Sasebo dialect. Its total length in a straight line is about 1 kilometer which makes it the longest arcade in Japan, and it consists of more than 160 stores. You can enjoy shopping comfortably regardless of the weather. There are souvenir shops, clothing and daily goods stores, as well as restaurants and cafes.
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Eki-Machi 1-Chome Sasebo
View moreA commercial complex operated by JR Kyushu, located on Sasebo Station premises. Various shops such as a souvenir shop, a supermarket, restaurants and cafes and other stores are conveniently located for you to spend your waiting time and enjoy shopping as well. On weekends and holidays, there will be various events on the central patio.
Hunt for souvenirs as you walk along streets filled with elegance
Unzen City is known for its two hot spring resorts, one in the mountains and the other by the sea.
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Experience the force of a volcano at Unzen Onsen
View moreIn addition to souvenir shops, this historic hot spring resort, home to Unzen Jigoku, has senpei stores where the goods are hand-cooked using time-honored methods, stores that sell Nagasaki’s famous castella, and a retro omocha (toy) museum, all reachable by a stroll along the streets.
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Obama Onsen in Tachibana Bay, a famous spot for sunsets
View moreFeast on local specialty Obama champon and enjoy a nostalgic stroll in the backstreets of this hot spring resort by the sea. Obama Onsen is home to Japan’s longest ashi onsen (footbath), where you can comfortably soothe away the tiredness of your travels as you watch the setting sun.
Get face masks and bath products full of hot spring components, as well as the edible hot-spring yusempei!
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Face masks
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Edible hot-spring yusempei
Shimabara: the city of water
Search for souvenirs while visiting Shimabara’s castle town and its spring waters. We recommend products unique to the Shimabara Peninsula, such as kanzarashi (a local traditional sweet made with rice flour dumplings) and Japanese candles. You can also purchase souvenirs in the shop inside Shimabara Castle, as well as enjoy a plate of local cuisine.
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Kanzarashi
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Japanese candles
Hirado City was the site of Japan’s first trade with the Western world.
Here, you can enjoy both Western-style buildings such as churches and the Hirado Dutch Trading Post and the Japanese architecture of Hirado Castle and temples and shrines. Popular souvenirs include casdoce (a local confection made by frying castella in molasses) and Hirado’s special flying fish products (dashi packs, furikake seasoning, and more).
【Popular souvenirs of Hirado City】
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Casdoce
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Hirado’s special flying fish products (dashi packs, furikake seasoning, and more)
Get souvenirs on isolated islands
You can buy some souvenirs from the prefecture’s isolated islands in various parts of mainland Nagasaki Prefecture, but you really need to visit a local shop for the full array of products. This section introduces you to places to drop into when you’re heading to these islands!
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Fukue Port Terminal
View moreThis is the gateway to the sea off Fukue Island, the largest of the Goto Islands. In the terminal, you’ll find souvenir shops, eateries, a tourist information center, and a convenience store, and you can see Mt. Onidake from the observation space on the second floor. Make sure you check out the rare local souvenirs unique to the island!
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Fureai Dokoro Tsushima
View moreThis tourism information center is located near Izuhara Port, the gateway to the sea off Tsushima. In addition to buying souvenirs such as Tsushima’s agricultural and marine specialty products and confections, you can also break for lunch here.
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Souvenir alley “shikioriori”
View moreHere, you can buy Iki’s famous confections, as well as Iki mugi (barley) shochu, processed marine products, and more.
Don’t miss this shop’s original product, cookies made from Iki yuzu fruits, salt, and olive leaves.
Drop into michi-no-eki roadside stations if you’re on a driving trip!
Michi-no-eki (roadside stations) are convenient places to take a break from driving, and handle an abundance of local products and souvenirs. Whichever station you visit, you’ll find a feeling of individuality, so why not head around lots of michi-no-eki to get some rare souvenirs?
Nagasaki Prefecture’s michi-no-eki roadside stations
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