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In Japan, going on a trip often means you’ll be coming back with about twice as much luggage as you left with, as you are almost always expected to bring back souvenirs for your friends, family, coworkers, teachers, neighbors…pretty much everyone you’ll run into at some point after returning from your trip, even if it’s just a weekend getaway.

The plus side of this? Pretty much anywhere you go in the country, you can find local treats available only in that specific area, and sometimes also limited to the seasons as well. Tokyo is no exception, and today we’re going to be taking a look at some rare, special eats that you’ll only find within the terminals of Haneda Airport.

1. Arnico’s Tokyo jewel roll (ruby)



This roll cake gets its fancy name from the glistening red (strawberry-flavored!) icing that coats it. Rolled inside the spongy cake is a white chocolate ganache made with real vanilla beans, and you’l also find freeze-dried raspberries inside. It can be yours for only 1,543 yen (US$12.90).

2. Arnico’s Haneda roll (white)



Another unique roll cake from Arnico, this one is made to evoke images of fluffy white clouds with its sour cream icing, and bright rays of “sunlight” orange peel accenting the sweet cream filling with a bite of tart fruitiness. It will set you back 1,650 yen ($13.80).

3. Anniversary’s painted macarons



These beautiful macarons are sweetly decorated with little pictures of the Ueno Zoo panda, Tokyo Skytree, and more. A box of five is 1,296 yen ($10.80).


4. Pastel’s Haneda airplane pudding

Enjoy the rich creaminess of Pastel’s well-known custard pudding, topped with a generous serving of whipped cream and a cocoa powder stenciling of an airplane. One cup costs 432 yen ($3.60).

5. Tokyo Banana’s maple banana



Possibly one of Tokyo’s most famous souvenirs, Tokyo Banana gets a makeover with cute heart designs on its spongy cake exterior, and an even sweeter taste-makeover with maple-banana flavored custard creme.
A box of four is 560 yen ($4.65), a box of eight goes for 1,080 yen ($9.00), and a box of 12 costs 1,595 yen ($13.30).

6. N.Y. Caramel Sand



No, this is not sand from the beaches of New York, but just a unfortunate abbreviation of the Japanese word for sandwich’ sandoicchi. The “sando” half is often Romanized as simply “sand,” even if it doesn’t quite work in English.

Unlike actual sand you would find on the beach, these “sands” will please your tastebuds, with smooth caramel rich chocolate sandwiched between two crisp, delightful cookies.
A box of four is 540 yen ($4.50), a box of eight cost 1,080 yen ($9.00), a box of 12 goes for 1,620 yen ($13.50), a box of 16 is 2,160 yen ($18.00), a box of 24 costs 3,240 yen ($26.95), and a box of 40 is 5,400 yen ($44.90).

7. Times Cross’ baum shokunin lemon cake



Plentiful fresh lemon peels add just the right amount of tartness to the sweet butter cake of this baumkuchen (literally “tree cake”, a traditional layered German cake popular throughout Europe and even Japan). A box of four is 540 yen, a box of eight costs 1,080 yen, and a box of 12 is 1,620 yen


8. Karl Juchheim’s Honig Apfel Baum (honey apple)



This special baumkuchen contains an entire apple inside, steamed to tenderness while still maintaining a satisfying crunch, for 1,728 yen ($14.40).


9. Krispy Kreme’s Mercedes-Benz doughnuts




Choose from the Berliner custard, framboise (raspberry), or sachertorte (Austrian chocolate torte). Better yet, get a sampling of all three in the limited edition box only available at Haneda Airport. A box of three goes for 720 yen ($5.99).


Even if you weren’t planning a trip to Tokyo before, we bet you are now! With all there is to sample and purchase, it seems that you don’t even have to leave the airport to enjoy yourself.