Himawari Market — 4 Must-Buy Yamanashi Souvenirs from a Beloved Local Supermarket

The best food souvenirs from Yamanashi aren’t in airport shops or highway rest stops. They’re on the shelves of Himawari Market — a beloved local supermarket in Hokuto City that most visitors drive straight past without knowing what they’re missing.

Here are four things worth bringing home.

The lively shop floor

1. Gomi Shoyu’s Koshu* Miso — for a morning miso soup that tastes like Yamanashi

The Koshu miso section

Gomi Shoyu has been brewing miso in Kofu since 1868. Gomi Shoyu’s Koshu* Miso blends rice and barley koji for a flavor that is gently sweet, deeply savory, and unlike anything you’ll find in a supermarket back home.

* Koshu is the old historical name for Yamanashi Prefecture — a name that still carries pride in the region.

If you use miso at all in your cooking, this is the one to bring back. It also makes an excellent gift — the kind that prompts the question, “Where did you find this?“

2. Suridane — the condiment that locals put on everything

Suridane

Suridane is a spice blend unique to Fujiyoshida City: ground chili and sesame, used as a table seasoning for Yoshida Udon, the local style of thick, chewy noodles. Every udon shop in the area keeps a jar on the table, but it’s almost impossible to find outside the region.

The flavor is warming and nutty, with a slow heat that builds. Beyond udon, it works beautifully on ramen, hot pot, and even rice. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll wonder why it isn’t everywhere.

This is the kind of thing you buy, use once, and then spend months trying to track down again.

3. Sakura Menchi Katsu — horse meat croquette, a Yamanashi specialty

100% domestic horse meat menchi katsu

Horse meat (sakura niku) is a proud part of Yamanashi’s food culture. Himawari Market’s Sakura Menchi Katsu is a fried croquette made from domestic horse meat — lean, mild, slightly sweet, and distinctly different from beef or pork.

It travels well and tastes good at room temperature — an easy snack to enjoy on the road. The butcher section also stocks horse sashimi, if you’re feeling adventurous.

The horse meat section

4. Fujihara Seimen Hoto Noodles — make the real thing at home

Fujihara Seimen hoto noodles

Hoto is Yamanashi’s soul food: wide, flat noodles simmered in miso broth with pumpkin, mushrooms, and root vegetables until everything is soft and the broth is thick and clinging. It’s the dish locals eat when the weather turns cold, and it’s almost impossible to reproduce properly outside the prefecture.

Fujihara Seimen is a noodle maker from Fujiyoshida, and their hoto noodles have the right chew and weight. Pair them with Gomi Shoyu miso and you have a proper Yamanashi dinner waiting in your luggage.

While you’re there

Beyond these four, the shop stocks highland vegetables from Hokuto, dairy products made with Yatsugatake milk, and a wine section curated by a veteran sommelier. There’s also a full range of Yamanashi craft beverages, local pickles, and seasonal produce.

The store manager’s microphone sessions happen throughout the day. When one starts, the whole shop brightens. It’s chaotic and warm and completely sincere — which is more or less what Yamanashi is like, once you get away from the tourist trail.

Himawari Market

• Address: 2008 Yato, Oizumi-machi, Hokuto City, Yamanashi
• Hours: 9:30–19:30
• Closed: New Year’s Day + approximately 12 days per year
• Website: himawari-ichiba.com