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Hokkaido's Furusato Nozei: 10 Top Return Gifts Recommended by a Local!

2021.12.23

Hokkaido

While the Furusato Nozei (Hometown Tax Donation) program features a lineup of famous products from all over Japan, Hokkaido also has a plethora of popular return gifts. With so many delicious foods unique to Hokkaido, many people might find it hard to choose!

When people think of Hokkaido, many might imagine seafood like ikura (salmon roe), crab, and scallops, but the locals know about many other delicious things. This time, with the cooperation of "Furusato Choice," we'll introduce recommended foods from Hokkaido's Furusato Nozei program, as well as "local specialty return gifts" whose deliciousness is known best by the locals!

1. Scallops
2. Ikura (Salmon Roe)
3. Hokkaido Sweets
4. Meat
5. Crab
6. Hokkaido Dairy Products
7. Onions (Sapporo Ki)
8. Lucky Pierrot
9. Zangi
10. Ikameshi

1. Scallops

When considering a Furusato Nozei donation to Hokkaido, scallops are likely to be one of the first candidates. Among the many seafood options, scallops are incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes such as sashimi, deep-fried, butter-sautéed, and marinated.

In particular, the popular scallops from the Okhotsk region are harvested after being raised using a method called 'jimaki' (bottom sowing). Jimaki is a method where one-year-old scallop spat are released into the sea and left to grow on the seabed for two to four years.

Growing up swimming freely at the bottom of the sea and surviving in a harsh environment with natural predators like starfish, they grow to be robust. This results in delicious scallops with a fine texture and smooth mouthfeel.

This luxurious return gift from Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido, features 1kg of plump scallops that have been flash-frozen. They are delicious whether served as sashimi or deep-fried! Recommended for those who want to eat their fill of scallops.

Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido
1kg Hokkaido Scallop Adductors for Sashimi (Special A Grade)

Donation of 20,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

2. Ikura (Salmon Roe)

As a classic and popular sushi topping, ikura boasts high popularity. Although it can only be harvested during the salmon spawning season from September to November, many Furusato Nozei gifts offer it soy-marinated, making it enjoyable year-round. It's also versatile for home cooking, perfect on top of rice, as a snack with drinks, or even with Western dishes like pasta.

Incidentally, 'sujiko,' which uses immature salmon eggs still in their sac, can also be found as a Furusato Nozei return gift. Sujiko is saltier but often has a richer and more intense umami flavor than ikura, making it an excellent match for rice.

Nemuro City, Hokkaido, which offers many seafood return gifts, has soy-marinated ikura made with an original soy sauce in its lineup. With a large volume of 100g x 18 packs, you can store it in your freezer and enjoy it for a long time.

Nemuro City, Hokkaido
Soy-Marinated Ikura 100g x 18 packs

Donation of 50,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

3. Hokkaido Sweets

Hokkaido is home to many famous confectionery brands, and ingredients like adzuki beans from Hokkaido are popular nationwide. When searching for Furusato Nozei return gifts, you'll find well-known sweets that you may have heard of, such as chocolates from "ROYCE'," famous as a souvenir from business trips or vacations, and products from "Rokkatei," known for its Marusei Butter Sandwich.

New popular sweets are also emerging one after another, such as the Butter Cheese Sand from Ferme La Terre Biei. If you're looking for a return gift from Hokkaido, sweets are definitely something to consider.

The soft-serve ice cream from Toyotomi Town, Hokkaido, made from the milk of cows raised freely in the cool environment of northern Hokkaido, is also popular. It has been featured in various media, so its taste is guaranteed to be excellent.

Toyotomi Town, Hokkaido
Toyotomi Milk Soft-Serve Ice Cream, 12 pieces total (3 flavors)

Donation of 10,000 JPY
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

4. Meat

In Hokkaido, where livestock farming thrives, you can find many meat return gifts, including pork and beef. For pork, you can find a wide range from branded products to items selected by professionals, and some return gifts even offer a massive 4kg of sliced pork. For those familiar with Hokkaido's local cuisine, the traditional Genghis Khan (grilled mutton) prepared by long-established shops is also recommended.

One of the popular beef return gifts is the "Gyutoro Flakes" from Shimizu Town, Hokkaido. Its novelty of being eaten by sprinkling it frozen over hot rice helped it win the runner-up prize at the "National Local Donburi Championship" held in 2018.

Shimizu Town, Hokkaido
Tokachi Slow Food Gyutoro Don Set

Donation of 13,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

5. Crab

Crab, often perceived as a luxury item, is another popular Furusato Nozei return gift from Hokkaido. While some people may find crab difficult to prepare and eat, you can easily enjoy its deliciousness by choosing products that are cut for easy cooking, such as for shabu-shabu.

Some municipalities offer sets that include only "leg meat" or "shelled meat," so even those who dislike certain parts can rest assured. I especially want people who don't usually have the chance to eat crab to give it a try.

The snow crab set from Suttsu Town, Hokkaido, features a generous 900g of snow crab legs and can be stored frozen for 180 days from the date of processing. If you think, "crab is a hassle to cook and eat," you should give this a try.

Suttsu Town, Hokkaido
Snow Crab Set

Donation of 20,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

6. Hokkaido Dairy Products

Hokkaido milk is often used in sweets, but butter and cheese made from that milk are also popular return gifts. For example, the premium butter from Yamanaka Farm in Akaigawa Village, Hokkaido, has a matured flavor and richness sealed in a can. It has a low moisture content, so you can easily scoop it with a butter knife right out of the refrigerator.

Cheese made from their own farm-produced raw milk is also popular, and its mild flavor is delicious whether eaten as is or used in oven-baked dishes! If you eat dairy products often, why not give it a try?

Akaigawa Village, Hokkaido
Yamanaka Farm Premium Butter Set (3 cans)

Donation of 10,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

Hokkaido Local Specialties

In addition to its nationally known famous products, Hokkaido has many foods loved by locals as so-called "local specialties." Some are eaten throughout the entire prefecture, while others are generally only eaten in specific regions. If you look for them, you'll find a great number of local specialties.

However, trying to gather all the information might leave you even more confused about what to recommend. So, as a local who has traveled all over Hokkaido, I will introduce a few local specialty return gifts that I recommend.

7. Onions (Sapporo Ki)

Hokkaido is the number one producer of onions in Japan, and Sapporo is said to be the birthplace of onion cultivation in the country. When people hear Sapporo, many may imagine a large city in Hokkaido, but agriculture utilizing its vast land is also practiced.

And in Sapporo, there is a traditional vegetable called the "Sapporo Ki" onion. It is thicker and softer than commonly distributed onions and truly shines in stewed dishes where its sweetness comes out.

There are also return gifts that include processed products made from Sapporo Ki, making it easy for even those who are not skilled at cooking to enjoy them. This is a vegetable I would recommend to people who love stews and onions.

Sapporo City's return gifts include an assortment of Sapporo Ki onions and processed products made from them. It's recommended for those who want to first try the taste through products like curry or soup.

Sapporo City, Hokkaido
Assortment of Sapporo's Traditional Vegetable "Sapporo Ki" Onions and Processed Products

Donation of 10,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

8. Lucky Pierrot

People who have visited Hakodate for travel may have seen signs with a clown's face around town. Those familiar with Hokkaido will likely think of the store name "Lucky Pierrot."

Lucky Pierrot is a famous local chain in the southern Hokkaido region, including Hakodate, and is a long-established fast-food chain founded in 1987. It is popular for its highly original menu items, such as the Chinese Chicken Burger and the Hokkaido Genghis Khan Burger.

Through Furusato Nozei, their souvenir products have been selected as return gifts from Hakodate City, including an assortment of ramen, curry, guarana soda, cookies, and more. If you are looking for a unique Hokkaido return gift, I hope you will consider a Lucky Pierrot gift.

Hakodate City, Hokkaido
Lucky Pierrot Assortment Set

Donation of 10,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

9. Zangi

In Hokkaido, fried chicken is broadly referred to as "Zangi." While it's a menu item that can be easily found in supermarkets, the roots of Zangi are said to be in Kushiro.

Generally, Zangi is made by frying marinated boneless chicken thighs, but in Kushiro, you can also taste bone-in Zangi. Depending on the shop, you can enjoy various flavors, such as Zangi made with chicken breast or Zangi served with a sauce. The return gift offered by Kushiro City allows you to choose this Kushiro specialty Zangi, making it a recommendation for chicken lovers.

For those who want to actually visit Kushiro, I recommend the all-you-can-eat Zantare ticket from Nanbantei, the birthplace of "Zantare" (Zangi with a sweet and spicy sauce) (in Kushiro Town, Hokkaido). If you want to eat your fill of authentic Zangi during your Hokkaido trip, be sure to check it out!

Kushiro Town, Hokkaido
All-You-Can-Eat Zantare Ticket (1 ticket)

Donation of 8,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

10. Ikameshi

As a local seafood specialty, the regional dish Ikameshi can also be found as a return gift.
Ikameshi is a dish originally created to alleviate food shortages during World War II. It is made by removing the tentacles and innards from a squid, stuffing its body with a mix of glutinous and non-glutinous rice, securing it with a toothpick, and then simmering it slowly in a pot with soy sauce, sugar, salt, and sake.

Some versions have the squid tentacles (geso) finely chopped and mixed into the filling, while others include the simmered tentacles alongside the main body. Hakodate City, Hokkaido, offers easy-to-eat, snack-sized Ikameshi in retort pouches, which can be enjoyed like a snack.

Hakodate City, Hokkaido
Ikameshi 12-Piece Set

Donation of 10,000 JPY or more
Click here for details (You will be redirected to the Furusato Choice website)

Summary

Here, we have introduced popular items from Hokkaido's Furusato Nozei program from a local's perspective.
Hokkaido has many famous products, starting with seafood, but there is also an abundance of other delicious foods. The return gifts from various regions include unique items such as sweets, meat, dairy products, and local specialties. We hope you find this list helpful!

(In cooperation with: Furusato Choice)

Writer's Profile

TMG4

A writer from Hokkaido who loves delicious food, interesting things, travel, and sleeping in the car. His assistant and wife is from Gunma Prefecture. He works on various writing projects on the online skills marketplace "Coconala" and became a full-time freelance writer. He continuously drives around Hokkaido in his own car, searching for interesting places and delicious restaurants.