Continuing the fun of the must-read series for those traveling to Japan, “Encyclopedia of Japanese Local Bread” and “Encyclopedia of Japanese Local Ice Cream,” “Encyclopedia of Japanese Local Snacks” has been published, adding even more practicality in that you can take home what you buy locally.
We've compiled a comprehensive list of delicious and unique snacks that have been loved in Japan for a long time.
The history of snack manufacturing and old advertising images, which are organized together, add to the fun of reading.
At the back of the book, there's a list of regional snacks, making it a great souvenir guide for your travels.

This book contains a wealth of local snacks from all over Japan, from biscuits, cookies, and senbei to candies, chocolates, and other unique snacks that defy categorization, drinks like juice that are essential for snack time, and even local sweets that taste just like grandma made them at home.
We paid attention to not only the flavors and characteristics of each product, but also anecdotes about its creation, old scenes from the time of its founding or launch, changes in packaging design, and pride in its taste.
By looking back at the secrets of taste and history hidden in snacks we usually eat without thinking, we got closer to the charm of 'local snacks'.
When you learn about the background and history of those who make them, the snacks you always eat will taste even more delicious and feel even more precious.

As a travel companion who helps you discover local snacks you haven't seen yet, and as a "catalog" of local snacks, it's a pleasure to read.
Because no matter which page you open, you'll find unique, original, and incredibly delicious treats.
Enjoy Japan's rich snack culture to the fullest.

A light, bite-sized, nostalgic Mirebiscuit.
The secret cookie dough was developed by Meiji Seika (now Meiji) shortly after the end of World War II and released around 1955.
At that time, there were about 20 companies across Japan that manufactured Mirebiscuit, and sold it after "secondary processing" of frying the cookie dough in oil and seasoning it with salt. However, now only a few remain nationwide.
Nomurairi Mame Processing Shop has also been one of the places that has manufactured and sold Mirebiscuits since then.
It is said that when it was first released, it was sold individually, at 50 cents per sheet (1 yen for two sheets).
The packaging design was designed by an executive director in his eighties and has an overall retro image.

Konbuame is characterized by its faint ocean scent and soft, rice cake-like texture.
This is a soft candy with a rich flavor made by boiling natural kelp from Hokkaido in syrup and other ingredients.
It uses plenty of kelp, which contains three times more iron and magnesium than spinach, and is also rich in dietary fiber and minerals.
It is also a natural food product made with only carefully selected ingredients and no additives whatsoever.
Naniwa Confectionery, which opened in Osaka in 1927, had its factory closed during World War II due to the Japanese government's food control, but resumed manufacturing in Gifu City.
With the motto of 'putting sincerity into every single candy', they offer a variety of Konbuame products, including the soft type, which is their signature product, as well as the first hard type and products with jam.

Hiyashiame is characterized by a soft sweetness, ginger flavor, and moderate spiciness.
It is a familiar summer drink in Kansai.
It usually contains malt syrup and ginger, and when cold it becomes hiyashiame, and when warmed it becomes ameyue.
The Nihon Sangaria can has the words "Hiyashiame" written on one side and "Ameyu" written on the other, making it a design suitable for both summer and winter.
Okawa Food Industry's Hiyashiame has been sold as a bottled product for about 30 years.
Onan Foods sells it in cans and single-cup containers.
In Kansai, it is also a representative product of supermarkets and vending machines.

---From the text