Kuriyama Beika, Confectionery museum in Kita-ku, Niigata, Japan
Kuriyama Beika is a museum dedicated to rice crackers, showing how these traditional snacks are made through detailed displays and live demonstrations spread across multiple galleries. The exhibits explain the techniques behind senbei and arare production from start to finish.
The institution was founded in 1949 and traces how rice-based snacks evolved from household products made at home into manufactured commercial goods. This transformation reflects broader changes in Japanese food production and daily life across the decades.
Rice crackers hold a special place in Japanese celebrations and everyday moments, as the collections here show through regional varieties and ceremonial uses. This reveals how a simple snack became woven into the rhythm of daily life across the country.
You can try making rice crackers yourself in hands-on workshops offered throughout the day. The museum shop sells a range of freshly made snacks if you want to sample what you've learned about.
The museum preserves antique molds and tools from the 1940s in climate-controlled storage, keeping them in working condition. Visitors can see these original implements side by side with modern equipment, revealing how little the basic craft has changed.
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