TOKYO BANANA and SUGAR BUTTER SAND TREE: the perfect souvenirs from Japan!

A lot of tourists come to Japan from various countries to visit its most popular destinations like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hokkaido.

An important aspect of Japanese culture is "giving souvenirs (omiyage)," which is slightly different to presents or gifts. It is custom to give souvenirs to your family, friends, and colleagues who are waiting for you to return from your travels. These souvenirs can be food items, everyday goods, cosmetics, toys, or stationery. Having said that, the most popular choice is sweet treats.

Sweets in Japan are usually wrapped individually, making it easy to distribute them among many people. Sweets from Japan are loved by everyone, so why don’t you experience this culture of "omiyage" by purchasing souvenirs to bring home with you? In this feature, we introduce some sweets from Japan that are popular among both locals and foreign tourists.

Amongst various kinds of sweets in Japan, TOKYO BANANA, in its iconic yellow packaging, is loved by many and has enjoyed immense popularity as a souvenir from Japan for many years. Indeed, a bite of this banana custard cream filled sponge cake will make you smile! https://www.tokyobanana.jp/language/en/

It's quite common to see people buy TOKYO BANANA in bulk - usually around five boxes or ten boxes; some even buy a whole carton! Travelers buy TOKYO BANANA for themselves or as souvenirs for their friends and family.

Did you know that there are various kinds of TOKYO BANANA? With more than 20 kinds of TOKYO BANANA, let’s figure out the most recommended items from these!

First, we introduce the classic original flavor that is representative of TOKYO BANANA. A soft and fluffy sponge cake filled with banana custard cream, the TOKYO BANANA original flavor is loved by men and women of all ages. Ranked no. 1 for the most popular souvenirs of Tokyo*, the original flavor continues to be a popular, almost standard, souvenir from Japan among foreign tourists.

*Ranking of the most popular souvenirs from Japan bought for friends, colleagues and family. (Conducted by INTAGE Inc. / Survey period: May 12-15, 2017)

Tokyo Banana collaborated with Hello Kitty, a world famous character, to create THE APPLE CAKE from GINZA! Too cute to be eaten, this cake is particularly loved by many girls!

THE STRAWBERRY CAKE from GINZA is a light and fluffy sponge cake filled with rich strawberry cream covered by a layer of milk cream. The pink spots on the sponge cake remind you of real strawberries! Isn't it adorable?

TOKYO BANANA RACCO Coffee Milk Flavor is unbelievably cute with its heartwarming sea otter design. A popular new item, the sponge cake is shaped and designed like a sea otter and filled with coffee milk flavor banana cream. Seeing this cute cake will cheer you up!

We have many more sweet products that you can try and compare! Eating Japanese sweets while talking about your trip to Japan is one of the best things to do! Why don’t you pour some coffee or tea and have a TOKYO BANANA party with your friends? You might feel like going back to Japan soon after eating TOKYO BANANA at home!

If you have visited Japan several times and want something different than TOKYO BANANA, SUGAR BUTTER SAND TREE is definitely worth a try! This cereal snack is a product of TOKYO BANANA with a unique texture. Though this snack is a new product, it is very popular in Japan and even enjoys a fan following!

The cereal dough is made from seven special ingredients like whole wheat flour, rye, and oats. The dough is sprinkled with sugar butter before it is baked. These light brown butter sandwiches are filled with an original blend of milky white chocolate cream.

The crispy dough matches perfectly with the melting white chocolate cream! These are so moreish that once you eat these, there's no stopping you! Based on reviews, SUGAR BUTTER SAND TREE are great to enjoy during tea time as they go well with coffee or tea. You can also find many pictures of these on Instagram!

The most important conditions when purchasing souvenirs are quantity and value for the price. Each store offers different items, but value packs with 10 pieces, 14 pieces, or 21 pieces in cute packaging are commonly sold at the airport stores. The best thing about these value packs is that you can choose packs based on the number of people you plan to give souvenirs. These value packs are perfect souvenirs for big groups like school friends or colleagues.

Fa-So-La TAX FREE AKIHABARA

Fa-So-La SOUVENIR satellite 3

We visited the Fa-So-La SHOPS, one of the largest duty free shops in Narita Airport, that has many branches inside the airport.

In addition to Narita Airport, TOKYO BANANA and SUGAR BUTTER SAND TREE are also sold at major airports, train stations, and department stores in Japan. Don’t forget to buy TOKYO BANANA and SUGAR BUTTER SAND TREE for your friends, family, colleagues, and of course, for you when you're visiting Japan! https://www.tokyobanana.jp/language/en/