March Maker’s Story: Obuse Chestnut Snacks from Takachiho (Winner of JR East Omiyage Grand Prix 2023 – Koshin’etsu Area Prize)

If you have been to Japan, you will understand the universal struggle of finding the perfect souvenir or omiyage (お土産) to bring home for your loved ones and colleagues. While there are plenty of favourite options out there, why not seek out something unique and lesser-known from Japan? 

Held by JR East, Japan’s largest railway company, the “Omiyage Grand Prix” (おみやげグランドプリ) started in 2017 and has introduced a variety of souvenirs from all across East Japan, with awards ranging by category and area. 

Takachiho’s prized snack — Shinshu Obuse Chestnut Langue de Chat | ©Takachiho

As the winner of the Koshin’etsu Area Prize for Omiyage Grand Prix 2023, we are proud to share that the Shinshu Obuse Chestnut Langue de Chat (信州小布施 栗のラング・ド・シャ) by maker Takachiho (タカチホ) is featured in our exciting snack box in March 2024! We spoke to the brand’s Marketing Representative Ms. Matsuyama (松山) to find out more about the story behind this winning snack. 

Introduction to Takachiho

Firstly, congratulations on being the winner of the Koshin’etsu Area Prize in last year’s Omiyage Grand Prix! Tell us more about your company’s origins.

©Takachiho

Thank you so much! Our company was founded in the year Showa 24 (1949). As a leading company in the souvenir industry, we provide products that respond to the changing times and the needs of our customers. Currently, our focus lies on developing products deeply rooted in the local community, with a focus on specialty products, in order to meet the changing needs of the era, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For instance, the 信州小布施 栗子貓舌餅 snack presented in this month’s Omiyage Snack Box is a product created from the local specialty “Obuse chestnuts” harvested in the town of Obuse, located in the northern part of Shinshu. 

A showcase of Shinshu

What is Takachiho known for?

Ringo no Sasayaki or “Whisper of Apple” | ©Takachiho

Produced in our own factory, our flagship product is the Ringo no Sasayaki (りんごのささやき “Whisper of Apple”), which has been a specialty confectionery from Shinshu cherished by many since its launch in 2015. In 2023, it was awarded the Excellent Taste Award by ITI (International Taste Institute) and the Gold Award by Japan Food Selection (a system for judging and certifying food products and ingredients from Japan by 23,000 food analysts).

In particular, the evaluation by Japan Food Selection not only praised our flagship product’s rich flavour of chocolates and cookies with apples, but also rated highly its packaging design, which evokes the majestic mountains of Shinshu and the imagery of a “hometown scenery”, leading to it winning the Gold Award as a representative local souvenir confectionery.

Chestnut galore with Shinshu Obuse Chestnut Langue de Chat

Ringo no Sasayaki sounds like a delicious snack and we hope to try it one day! Please tell us more about the backstory behind the Shinshu Obuse Chestnut Langue de Chat which is included in this month’s Omiyage Snack Box, as well as your company’s impressions on being one of the winners of the Omiyage Grand Prix.

Chestnuts from Obuse Town, Nagano | ©Takachiho

The town of Obuse (小布施町) in northern Shinshu is home to delicious chestnuts (栗 kuri). The chestnuts produced here are unmatched and second to none, thanks to the region’s climate, its well-drained fan-shaped terrain, and distinctive acidic soil.

The deliciousness of Obuse chestnuts have been known throughout Japan since the Edo Period (1603-1868), and these chestnuts have gained recognition as a national brand since 250 years ago such that they have been presented as offerings to the shogun. 

Takachiho’s prized snack — Shinshu Obuse Chestnut Langue de Chat | ©Takachiho

The 信州小布施 栗子貓舌餅 is made by blending Obuse-grown Japanese chestnuts into a paste and sandwiching it gently between thin cookies made with rich white chocolate. It’s a delightfully fragrant confection which features the rich flavour of Obuse chestnuts. We would be happy if this product could help people learn a little more about Obuse chestnuts and the charms of Shinshu, and if they could choose it as their next travel destination.

As for our journey in the Omiyage Grand Prix 2023, we were thrilled from the moment of entry when our product 信州小布施 栗子貓舌餅 had been nominated, which we had developed with great effort to make use of local ingredients through our sales office in Nagano.

Regarding the award, we were very happy to know that customers found our product to be delicious, with some remarking that “buying them as souvenirs brings joy to my family”. 

Shinshu Obuse Chestnut Langue de Chat | ©Takachiho

Moving forward, we hope that the award-winning 信州小布施 栗子貓舌餅 will become a staple Shinshu souvenir, and that more and more people will be delighted to receive it.

The gems of Shinshu: Must-visit spots in Nagano

What a rich history and heart-warming story behind such a yummy souvenir—no wonder this was selected as one of the winners in the Omiyage Grand Prix 2023! What should our readers know about Shinshu in general?

Clockwise from left: Gems of Nagano — Ueda Castle, Hakuba, Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Kamikochi | ©Nagano Tourism Organisation

“Shinshu” is actually the former name of the province that is now known as Nagano Prefecture, and it is an area with a lot of popular sightseeing spots! There are many tourist spots, including historical infrastructures such as Zenkoji Temple (善光寺), Matsumoto Castle (松本城), and Ueda Castle (上田城); world-class ski and snow resorts such as Hakuba (白馬), Nozawa Onsen (野沢温泉), and Shiga Kogen (志賀高原); highland resorts such as Karuizawa (軽井沢) and Kamikochi (上高地), dozens of hot springs, and the gateway to these is Nagano City (長野市). 

Our head office is located in Nagano City, and we work every day to ensure that domestic and foreign visitors to the city enjoy the souvenirs they take home with them as a reminder of their enjoyable trip.

Also, since the Edo Period, the custom of giving souvenirs as part of our trips has been handed down from generation to generation, based on the belief that it is thanks to the cooperation and support of those around you that you are able to travel. In Japan, we cherish this value of gratitude.

From Shinshu, to the world

Are there any ways for our readers to know more about the Chestnut Langue de Chat and other souvenirs handled by Takachiho?

Japanese OMIYAGE Guide website by Takachiho

Since last year, we have launched our own unique service, the Japanese OMIYAGE Guide website which introduces souvenir products in English and Chinese. By scanning the 2D barcode at our stores, customers can access detailed information about products that may not have been fully introduced before. Here, you will also be directed to the introduction page of the 信州小布施 栗子貓舌餅, so we hope you can take a look.

On this website as well, we introduce photos of the cross-section of the sweets, ingredient names, and allergy-related information for each product. We are increasing the number of products featured on the site with the hope of providing foreign visitors to Japan with the opportunity to experience the joy of choosing Japanese souvenirs, otherwise known as omiyage.

That sounds fantastic! Are your products typically exported or sold abroad?

“We would be happy if our product could help people learn a little more about Obuse chestnuts and the charms of Obuse.” | ©Takachiho

While some of our souvenir products have been introduced through our overseas distributors, this is the first time that we have had the opportunity to share our products directly to our customers. In addition, the 信州小布施 栗子貓舌餅 is a new product released in the summer of 2023, so this is the first time that we introduce this product to overseas customers!

Message from Takachiho

Wow, JAPAN RAIL CLUB is indeed honoured to have such a prestigious snack as part of this month’s line-up and we’re sure that our members will appreciate this exclusive and new product! Lastly, do you have any message to our readers and members?

The Koshinetsu Area Prize Winner in Omiyage Grand Prix 2023 | Photo by Takachiho

I’ve heard that Japanese sweets and confectioneries are highly rated by people from overseas as being of a high standard and delicious. The 信州小布施 栗子貓舌餅 presented in this box is the Winner of the Koshin’etsu Area Prize (1st place in the number of votes in the area of Nagano, Niigata, and Yamanashi) in the Omiyage Grand Prix 2023, which was organised by JR East. It has been endorsed as a souvenir that “everyone wants to give” and “everyone wants to recommend”, so we hope you will enjoy this confectionery that is full of Obuse chestnuts, while thinking of Shinshu’s original landscape.

The Shinshu Obuse Chestnut Langue de Chat is available as a special feature in JAPAN RAIL CLUB’s OMIYAGE點心禮盒 this March 2024. Subscribe today to enjoy this delicious snack from Nagano!

From Tokyo, Nagano Station (長野駅)—the gateway to Shinshu—is conveniently accessible by the Hokuriku Shinkansen (北陸新幹線) and takes about 1.5-2 hours. If you’re planning to travel around the area, consider getting the 5-day JR東日本鐵路周遊券（長野&新潟地區） today!