The principal local specialties of Ashikaga are: textiles, soba noodles, and now Coco Farm wines and a locally made citrus wine.
The most convenient place to shop for textiles is along the flagstone-paved ishi-datami streets that lead into Bannaji and Ashikaga Gakko. Natural indigo dyes are a local specialty, but look for some very nice natural brown dyes from walnut and chestnut as well. The less expensive varieties of each fabric are most likely made in China and sometimes India.
A range of Coco Farm wines can be found in most supermarkets, but you might need to look in larger specialty liquor stores for the best and more expensive varieties, or at Coco Farms itself. Their labels range from the basic Coco Farm ¥1100-1200 and Oak Barrel ¥1200-1500 to the less widely available Coco Ima ¥1500-1800, Aubade ¥5000, and Novo sparkling wine ¥9000 lines.
The most convenient shopping for soba noodles and other edible souvenirs can be found in many shops along main street TÅri 1-chome to 7-chome, running parallel and north of the JR railway tracks, and Grand Avenue Gurando TÅri, which runs north directly out of the JR Ashikaga station. The gift shop at the Flower Park also offers a large variety of comestible souvenirs.
