7 Recommended Halal souvenirs from Himeji, available at JR Station and Castle!

City of World Heritage Site, Himeji.

Chosen as the very first World Heritage Site of Japan, the city called Himeji has been attracting so many tourists. The castle is known as White Heron Castle, because the castle is bright white in color, and the shape of the castle looks like a heron with his wings extended when seen from above.

There are numerous souvenirs available around the castle, which some of them could be recommended as Muslim-friendly.

What is the recommended Muslim-friendly or Halal souvenirs in Himeji?

As is often the case with the city with long history, there are so many sweet shops that is run for a few hundred years. Most of them are Japanese sweets, which can be Muslim-friendly in most of the cases.

The souvenirs which do not contain neither alcohol nor animal-derived ingredients are as follows. We have ignored the risk of contamination as they are all made by small companies whose risk is low.

Himeji Castle Kintsuba (姫路城大天守きんつば) / Misaki Ltd.

This is one of the top selling souvenirs from Himeji. Kintsuba (きんつば) is a Japanese traditional sweet that can be found everywhere in Japan. It is a round shape sweet with sweet red bean paste inside. The red bean paste is put together using agar powder, so they usually contain only Halal ingredients.

The one we have found in Himeji has a package with Himeji castle, sold by a company called Misaki Ltd.

Shiromaru hime Kompeito candy

This is a very cute souvenir. Kompeito (金平糖) is a type of candy that we have in Japan. This seems like very Japanese, but the truth is that it is relatively a new sweet- the candy was imported from Portugal in 16th century. The sweet is rather simple, but it is very colorful and cute, so that it can be a good present for small kids.

Shiomi Manju (塩味饅頭)

This is the most typical souvenir from Himeji region. Salt is the main production of western Hyogo region, and they have added this salt into the typical Japanese sweet called Manju.

Now you may wonder why is salt added to the sweet. The fact is that a little salt can make sweets a lot sweeter with less sugar. You can try this Manju and see if this is true or not. There are normal red bean flavor and Matcha green tea flavor.

Karinto (かりんとう) / Kaneoka Snack

Karinto (かりんとう) is another Muslim-friendly snack from Japan. It is a sweetened flour stick fried in oil and caramelized with brown sugar.

With its black color, it looks not that appetizing, but once you start eating, we are sure that you can never stop. In the souvenir shop, we have found one in a plastic cup, which makes it easy to carry. It is actually the most popular souvenir in the shop, according to the ad.

Banshu Sara Sembei (播州皿せんべい)

Banshu is the area around Himeji and Sara in Japanese means plates. Why did they name the product as such? This is because there is a story in the castle:

There was a lady who has served in the castle, but she broke one of the precious plates by mistake. She was thrown to a well, and since this incident, there is a lady ghost counting the number of the plates. Her name is Okiku, whose painting is on the package.

Yamada Nishiki Sembei (山田錦せんべい) / Arimoto

You may have seen this package before, because the company is producing rice crackers with Halal certificate! The one sold in the souvenir shop did not have a Halal mark, but the normal one does not have any restricted ingredients, too.

Yamada Nishiki is a type of rice produced in the region, which is usually made into Sake. The rice cracker is fragile, so when you take it back to your country, be careful not to break them into pieces. The quality of the rice cracker is excellent.

Yokan (ようかん) / Daiko Bussan

Yokan is a traditional Japanese sweet, which you can find almost everywhere in Japan. It is a bit thick and sweet dessert, just like dates.

The ones sold at Himeji, there are 4 flavors: Matcha, chestnut, black bean and Yuzu citrus. Black bean and Yuzu citrus are not very common flavor for Yokan, so that choosing them would be a good option if you are looking for something which can be found only at Himeji.

Where can we find these items?

These items are found in major souvenir shops as below.

• Karo Yashikikan (家老屋敷館)
• JR Himeji station

 

Let’s enjoy shopping after your sightseeing!

As the city has a long history, there are numerous sweets and foods available for you to enjoy. To check on the Halal or Muslim-friendly restaurants, also check this page.

The city has so many attractive sites and souvenirs, so we hope you this page has helped you plan your trip to Himeji.

Information as of January 2023. Items we have introduced to you are not made as Halal or Muslim-friendly, so there is a small risk of contamination, which we cannot be responsible of. Please use your discretion.