Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki is a popular traditional-style rice cracker made by Kitakaro in Hokkaido. Made with carefully selected glutinous rice and salt from Hokkaido, these crunchy rice crackers are distinguished by their fragrant texture and the rich flavors of seafood from different parts of the region.
Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki is made using a traditional process that takes approximately seven days from start to finish. The rice is washed, steamed and pounded into mochi, then aged, dried, fried and seasoned.
Because so much time and care goes into the production process, the crackers are also known as “Nanoka Okaki,” meaning seven-day okaki. The finished crackers have a satisfyingly crisp texture and a fragrant roasted character.
Each variety combines the crunchy rice cracker with a different ingredient associated with Hokkaido. The flavors are designed to bring the taste of the region’s coastal areas directly to the snack.
The Erimo Kombu flavor incorporates kelp from Erimo, adding a distinctive savory character.
The Scallop flavor uses scallops from Esashi in the Okhotsk region, bringing a rich seafood aroma to the crisp rice cracker.
The Autumn Salmon flavor uses salmon from Shibetsu, allowing the characteristic flavor of Hokkaido salmon to shine through.
The Sweet Shrimp variety incorporates amaebi from Mashike, known for its delicate sweetness and seafood aroma.
The Matsumae Squid flavor is made with Japanese flying squid from Matsumae, creating another distinctive taste from Hokkaido’s coastal waters.
The seasonal Hokkai Shima Ebi flavor incorporates Hokkaido striped shrimp from the Odaibō area of Lake Notsuke. As a limited seasonal variety, it offers another opportunity to discover Hokkaido’s regional seafood through a traditional snack.
Although the basic rice cracker is simple, the combination of its crispy texture and concentrated seafood flavors makes Hokkaido Kaitaku Okaki particularly distinctive. Each flavor reflects a different part of Hokkaido, turning a familiar Japanese rice snack into a small taste tour of the region.
Kitakaro is a confectionery company based in Sunagawa, Hokkaido. The company places particular emphasis on ingredients harvested in Hokkaido, including some that are grown by the company itself, and its sweets are produced in-house.
Kitakaro is also known for its cream puffs, which became especially popular through word of mouth after cabin crew members and pilots were known to purchase them in large quantities. The reputation spread quickly, and the cream puffs became one of the company’s best-known products.
Other popular Kitakaro products include Fairy Forest Baumkuchen, cream puffs, Piscot, Moririn, Fairy Rose Hard Jelly, Hamanasu no Koi and Kaitaku Senbei Kitamae.