---
title: Hinona pickles
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/hinona-pickles/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/omihachiman/
---

# Hinona pickles

A little of each town’s story　/　Omihachiman, Shiga

Hinona is a slender turnip native to Hino, Shiga, purple-red at the top of the root and white below, with a flavor that carries both bitterness and bite. Pickled, it turns the color of cherry blossoms, and was once presented to the emperor, which is how the pickle came to be known as sakura-zuke. In 2022, Omi Hino hinona was registered as a geographical indication (GI).

## This moment in the journey: Red konnyaku and hinona pickles

I stopped at a pickle shop beside a stone wall. A banner under the eaves announced that the hinona pickles were ready. In a basket sat piles of red konnyaku, the local specialty I had been curious about, in pink packets.

Hinona pickles, striking for their vivid purple-red color and slender shape, were coiled into spirals and packed. At the back of the shop hung a banner reading "Hinona, a specialty of Omi." I bought both for tonight's table.

![Hinona pickles coiled into spirals and packed](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/omihachiman/s63-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://www.pref.shiga.lg.jp/ippan/shigotosangyou/nougyou/ryutsuu/18357.html
- Sources: https://www.maff.go.jp/kinki/tiiki/otsu/photo/20251027.html

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/omihachiman/