Adorable bear monaka souvenirs on the Joshin-Etsu Expressway

One of the unexpected joys of stopping at service areas along the Joshin‑Etsu Expressway is discovering the small, hyper‑local souvenirs that appear nowhere else. Among the cutest are the bear‑shaped monaka tucked into bright boxes and even tiny milk‑carton packages (above). Monaka is a classic Japanese sweet: crisp mochi-flour waters, traditionally with a red bean paste filling.

At the Obuse Oasis Parking Area where we saw these adorable bear monaka, they have different flavors of Monaka, including the tradtional red bean past (azuki), pictured above. They also have chestnut flavored monaka, as Obuse is famous for chestnuts it would seem - something I only learned by exploring the area! 

What makes the chestnut flavored ones even more special, is that they are designed in the image of "Arukuma", Nagano Prefecture's mascot. Whichever flavor you go for, these bear monaka make you smile before you even pick them up. They make a fun and memorable omiyage souvenir from Nagano.