When you travel, souvenirs are a headache. If you buy them at each sightseeing point, you will have less time for sightseeing, and if you buy too many at the beginning, the souvenirs may get in the way.

One of the best places to buy souvenirs in Karuizawa or Nagano is the Tsuruya supermarket in Nagano Prefecture. The brightly lit, high-ceilinged store in Karuizawa looks like an overseas supermarket, and you can enjoy shopping in a relaxed atmosphere. You can enjoy shopping in a relaxed atmosphere.

Tsuruya Karuizawa Store

Among the many products available, many of the "Tsuruya Original Products" are not available elsewhere and make great souvenirs. In this issue, we will focus on those "Tsuruya original products" and introduce our recommendations as of August 2019.

Honey Nuts

Honey Nuts" is our best seller. It is Tsuruya's original version of "honey dipped nuts," which have been popular for several years not only for their delicious taste but also for their beauty benefits.


The appeal of Tsuruya's "Honey Nuts" is the low price of 431 yen (including tax) for a single jar containing 155 grams of honey! This is one-third the price of the same amount of honey-dipped nuts at other stores, which would cost about 1,500 yen.


If you give them as a souvenir to someone who loves honey-dipped nuts and knows their value well, they will be delighted.

Premium Dried Fruit: Shine Muscat

The "Shine Muscat" grape was just registered as a variety in 2006. It is characterized by its unique aroma and high sugar content of 20 degrees. It is popular among women because it is seedless and can be eaten with its skin.

Tsuruya's "Premium Dried Fruit: Shine Muscat" is a dried fruit made from Shinshu-grown Shine Muscats using a semi-raw process. When you put it in your mouth, the aroma of muscat and its delicious taste will make you blink. I am not fond of so-called "dried grapes," but I ate a bag of this in no time. It is delicious on its own, but can also be mixed with yogurt or cereal.


The price is 539 yen (including tax), which is high for a dried fruit. However, people who like Shine Muscat will surely be pleased with it. It is also recommended for those who are tired of "fruit jam as a Karuizawa souvenir.

Dip & Dressing Shinshu Wasabi Mayo-style

Shinshu is famous for its wasabi. The wasabi is cultivated in Shinshu using the clean, cold spring water from the melting snow in the Northern Alps.

Dip & Dressing Shinshu Wasabi Mayo-style" is a dressing made from wasabi grown in Shinshu. Especially when dipped in vegetable sticks, you will be able to eat it forever.


The price is 323 yen. If you like salad, like vegetable sticks even more, and like wasabi, you may want to buy several bottles in bulk.

Karuizawa Maruyama Coffee Tsuruya Original Blend

Maruyama Coffee was founded in Karuizawa in 1991. Although the store is mainly located in Nagano Prefecture, there are now stores in Kamakura, Omotesando, and Nishiazabu as well, giving it a familiar feel.

However, the coffee you drink at the Karuizawa main store, the birthplace of Maruyama Coffee, is exceptional. At Tsuruya, we sell drip bags of Maruyama Coffee. Many of their original blends are only available at Tsuruya.


The variations are "Shinshu Matsumoto Blend," "Deep Roasted Blend," "Mocha Blend," and "Mild Blend. The blends are offered in easy-to-drink drip bags that can be drunk by pouring hot water.


Priced at 647 yen. Light, reasonably sized, and reasonably priced, it is the perfect souvenir. For those who like Maruyama Coffee, there is also "Coffee Karinto with Maruyama Coffee.

Apple Karinto

This product is recommended as a bulk gift. Since apple puree from Shinshu is used, it can be proudly called a Karuizawa souvenir.


The price of 194 yen per bag is also suitable for scattering.

Butter Chicken Curry with No Chemical Seasonings

This curry is made with eringi mushrooms and apples from Shinshu. You can enjoy the richness of butter and cashew nuts and the acidity of tomatoes. This curry is best served with naan rather than rice.


The price is 269 yen.

Extras

The following are products that are not original Tsuruya products. So, even if you visit the Tsuruya Karuizawa store, the products may not be sold there. The feeling of souvenirs may also be less. But those who like them will surely like them! But if you like them, you will love them!

Pon-chan Ramen

This is a cup noodle version of the local ramen of Nagano, which was put on the market in 1964.


This ramen has a cute old-fashioned package and a delightful old-fashioned fried noodle flavor. It makes you feel as if you are eating at a drive-in, even though you are eating at home. Prices vary, but are usually around 140 yen. Bagged noodles are also available.

Homeranken Shinshu Miso Tailored Ramen, sold only in Nagano Prefecture

Shinshu miso is used in this ramen. Recommended for those who are sensitive to "limited sale in XX prefecture".


The taste is modern. The soup is tasty and the non-fried noodles are good. It may taste even better if you add a few extra ingredients. The price is usually under 110 yen, and many people are addicted to this ramen and buy it in bulk.

Potato chips light salt garlic flavor

Garlic is powdered by the vacuum freeze-drying method. These potato chips are made from garlic powder by a vacuum freeze-drying method. The claim is that "you don't mind the smell of garlic after eating," and it is true. But the magic of garlic is so powerful that you may find yourself emptying this huge bag before you know it. Be careful not to eat too many chips.


The price is about 330 yen.

Wasabi Shrimp Sembei

Light and thin rice crackers with wasabi powder from Azumino.


The combination of the rice cracker and wasabi is simply fantastic. The lightness of the texture also makes it easy to eat up in no time. The price is about 380 yen.

As a destination for Karuizawa sightseeing

Tsuruya is a place where you can buy Karuizawa souvenirs inexpensively and in bulk. It is also a great place to enjoy shopping, as you can buy almost all kinds of souvenirs for various people here, and you can even get frozen foods that you have never seen before. If you are a shopaholic, an hour or so will fly by in no time, so you may want to include shopping at Tsuruya in your travel plans from the start.


Product prices are as of mid-August 2019. Please note that they may change in the future.

Tsuruya Karuizawa Store
Store location:2707 Nagakura, Karuizawa-cho, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano
Business hours:9:00-20:00
Store holiday:Open every day in August and September 2019