A Kanazawa souvenir: choosing aroma | Seasonings you can carry home unrefrigerated

For a souvenir of Kanazawa, there is the option of aroma.
Shelf-stable, light, not bulky, and it does not melt.
The strength of a seasoning is that you can choose it to fit the life of the person you are giving it to.

A third option, neither wagashi nor crafts

Souvenirs from Kanazawa: wagashi (Japanese sweets), or crafts. It usually comes down to those two. Both are wonderful, but with wagashi you worry about how long they keep, and crafts suit only certain people.

There is a third route: seasonings. They sit in a kitchen and get used for a while. A souvenir in the shape of something remembered each time it is used.

Shelf-stable, light and not bulky

Spices keep at room temperature. No refrigeration, no freezing. Most are light and flat, so they slip into a gap in your bag. Buy them after half a day walking through Kanazawa in summer and there is nothing to melt. This is a bigger advantage than it sounds.

Store them somewhere cool, away from damp and direct sunlight. Once opened, plan to finish them before the aroma escapes.

Choose by who you are giving to

For someone who cooks

A spice pack for spice curry suits well. Inspice spice curries use no chilli in any of the Symphony range. They are built on aroma rather than heat, so you can give them to someone who dislikes hot food, or to a household eating with children. No weighing needed either. One box makes four servings, twice.

For someone who loves tea time

A chai spice pack, or CHAInstant. Chai is built from 12 spices, Assam CTC tea leaves, and rock salt. The rock salt is not there to make it salty, but to give the sweetness and the aroma their outline.

CHAInstant is made in the microwave. Pour 90ml of boiling water and steep for 2 minutes, add 130ml of milk, then 1 minute 20 seconds at 600W. That makes one cup, about 220ml. No pan, no strainer.

For someone watching their salt

Dish Symphony is an all-purpose seasoning: salt-free, additive-free, 100% plant-based. Cutting salt feels lacking less because the taste is weaker than because less aroma information reaches the mouth. A shake brings that information back.

For someone with a sweet tooth

The cocoa pairs high-cacao cocoa with nine spices. 84g makes about 12 cups. A grown-up cocoa that does not lean on sweetness.

Choosing it in a back lane of the Higashi Chaya District

Inspice Kanazawa sits in a back lane of the Higashi Chaya District. It is a 100-year-old machiya (traditional townhouse), and the aroma reaches you the moment you step in.

1-10-2 #104 Higashiyama, Kanazawa, Ishikawa. 10:00–16:30, closed Wednesdays.

The advantage of buying in the shop is being able to smell before you choose. If you are torn, just say so. We will hear about the person you are giving to and choose together.

Frequently asked questions

Q. If I choose spices as a Kanazawa souvenir, do they keep?
A. They keep at room temperature, and the best-before dates are fairly long. Once opened, keep them somewhere cool, away from damp and direct sunlight.

Q. Can I give them to someone who dislikes hot food?
A. You can. Inspice spice curries use no chilli in any of the Symphony range. They are built on aroma, not heat.

Q. Where is the shop?
A. Inspice Kanazawa is at 1-10-2 #104 Higashiyama, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, in the Higashi Chaya District area. Open 10:00–16:30, closed Wednesdays.