Confectionary Tins Featuring Landmarks, Characters Surge in Popularity; Boxes Used for Storage, Keepsakes After Use

By Mio Hori / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

15:00 JST, May 4, 2025

Confectionery tins boasting a wide array of captivating designs are seeing a surge in popularity. From locally inspired scenes of famous landmarks to delightful collaborations with beloved characters, these charming containers offer a sweet treat and a lasting memento, often being used to store items once the sweets have been finished off.

Sweet reminders

Cookie tins about the size of two palms feature delicate, colorful illustrations of Nagasaki attractions. Each holds seven varieties of baked treats, with cookies designed to evoke famous tourist spots.

Nagasaki Cookie, a ¥3,500 tin of the treats sold at Kyushu Souvenirs Irohaya Dejima-Honten Store, provides a delightful souvenir from the area. Situated in Nagasaki, the specialty shop showcases products from all over Kyushu. The cookie tin’s design highlights key Nagasaki attractions, including the Peace Statue, Oura Cathedral, Gunkanjima Island, Meganebashi bridge and the historic Dejima area.

Mitsuo Nakayama, the 52-year-old president of Nagasaki Prefecture’s Shimabara-based Irohaya Co., which operates the shop, conceived the Nagasaki Cookie tin as a souvenir for visitors that captures the scenic beauty of Nagasaki.

Illustrator Sumi Ishibashi from Nagasaki created the illustrations, while the cookies themselves are manufactured by Gateau Friand, a cake shop located in Minami-Shimabara, also in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Launched in 2022, the cookie tins are available at the Nagasaki Station store and online. “Our hope is that these sweets will connect Nagasaki’s culture, history and aspirations for peace with future generations,” Nakayama said. “I would be delighted if families could share them and reminisce about their travels.”

Instagram buzz

Muraoka Sohonpo, a well-established Japanese confectionery shop in Ogi, Saga Prefecture, is famous for its Ogi Yokan sweet bean jelly. The store offers “Siberia” confectionery, which comes in a tin featuring a Taisho-era (1912-1926) romantic design that blends Western and Japanese aesthetics. It is available to buy for ¥1,500.

Siberia, a traditional Japanese sweet consisting of yokan sandwiched between pieces of castella cake, has been made in the Kanto region and elsewhere since the late Meiji era (1868-1912).

Muraoka Sohonpo began making Siberia about six years ago at the request of a Tokyo department store. The designer who handled the packaging suggested using a tin for the product. It has gained popularity on Instagram and other social media platforms for its retro and cute aesthetic, with miniature tins being made into capsule toys.

“We hope that young people who haven’t tried much yokan will be encouraged to give it a try,” said Vice President Yoshitaka Muraoka.

Collaboration with sumo

Confectionery tins featuring sumo and popular characters have also emerged.

In January, Mochikichi Co., a rice cracker manufacturer from Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture, released the “Ozumo Akeni-kan.” Selling for ¥1,080, the tin contains fried rice crackers flavored like the famous Kokugikan Curry provided at the Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo arena. The product was made in collaboration with the Japan Sumo Association, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this December. The tin’s design recreates the “akeni,” a luggage carrier that sumo wrestlers use to transport their belongings during sumo tournaments and tours.

Mochikichi has also commercialized ¥1,080 canned senbei rice crackers featuring Sanrio Co.’s popular characters of Hello Kitty, My Melody and Kuromi. A limited run of 200,000 tins are being sold exclusively at 228 directly managed stores nationwide as well as online.

“By collaborating with Japan’s national sport and characters beloved by various generations, we are attracting new customer demographics,” a Mochikichi official said.

Eco-friendly materials

Confectionery tin researcher Pu Nakata notes that tins first appeared in Japan in the 1900s to preserve foods like nori seaweed and Japanese tea. Confectionery tins became popular as gifts during the 1970s. At the time, most tins were large and aimed at groups. In recent years, however, smaller tins have become more common. The growth of online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic further boosted demand for confectionery tins.

“These tins become conversation starters while their contents are enjoyed. After you have finished eating, they serve as lasting mementos and practical storage,” Nakata said. “I think the high recyclability of steel also contributes to their appeal as an environmentally friendly material.”