Hatcho miso
The dark soybean miso made in Okazaki since the seventeenth century, in cedar barrels weighted with river stones. Two makers still work beside the old Tokaido road, and both sell tubs small enough for a suitcase. It keeps for months unopened, and it is the one ingredient that will let you cook anything else on this list at home. Buy it at the source in Okazaki, or in any Nagoya department-store basement.
Miso-nikomi udon, in a box
The famous udon houses sell their own dried noodles with a sachet of the miso broth, and it is one of the few packaged versions of a Japanese dish that tastes close to the shop. The noodles are meant to be undercooked and stubborn, so do not be alarmed. Three or four servings fit in a corner of a bag.
Tebasaki, dry
Chicken wings do not fly, but the pepper-and-sesame seasoning does. Both of the big wing chains sell their spice mix in shakers, and there is a well-known snack version — puffed rice crackers in wing seasoning — that is the standard office souvenir among Japanese travellers.
Nishio matcha
Aichi produces more matcha than anywhere else in Japan, from a town most visitors have never heard of. Culinary grade is cheap and excellent for baking; ceremonial grade from a Nishio maker costs a fraction of the equivalent from Uji. Buy small tins and keep them sealed — matcha goes flat within weeks of opening.
Ebi senbei and uiro
Prawn crackers from the Chita coast are the region’s default gift, sold in tins in every station. Uiro — a steamed rice-flour sweet, mild and slightly chewy — is the other. Uiro has a short shelf life in its fresh form; the vacuum-packed version lasts and is the one to carry.
Getting it through the flight home
Miso, sealed noodles and crackers are shelf-stable and fly in checked luggage without fuss; nothing on this list needs refrigeration in its packaged form. Liquids over 100ml — which includes tubs of miso — go in the checked bag, not the cabin. Most countries admit packaged, shelf-stable food, but meat products are widely banned, so leave the sealed chicken-wing packs unless you have checked your own rules.
Department stores wrap everything for transport free of charge; say “omiyage” and it comes back padded.
Where to buy it all in one stop
The basement food floors of the department stores above Nagoya Station carry every item on this list, at the same price as the source and with tax-free counters. Gift-wrapping is free and takes about five minutes. If you have one hour before a train, this is the hour to use.