Sweets In Japan

Strawberry Daifuku いちご大福

Daifuku is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi (soft and sticky rice cake stuffed with sweet fillings, most commonly sweetened red bean paste. Daifuku comes in many varieties. The most common is white-, pale green-, or pale pink-colored mochi filled with anko. But in the Strawberry Daifuku, there's a whole strawberry inside and the taste together with the red bean paste is really great. Totally new flavour for me. Totally great! ^^ Love it! ^^ And you can get them almost everywhere!

Mitarashi Dango みたらし団子

Mitarashi Dango is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko, rice flour, covered with a syrup made from soy sauce, sugar and starch. Three to four dango are often served on a skewer. You can't imagine, how sticky and sweet they are. You can get them everywhere, really, so you should try! They are one of the sweetest things here, I would say! :)

Taiyaki たい焼き

Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake and It's most common filling is - of course - red bean paste. Taiyaki is made using regular pancake or waffle batter. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown. Love them fresh and hot.

Imagawayaki 今川焼き

Almost the same as Taiyaki. You can get them at every festival! They are really yummy with vanilla cream, cheese cream, chocolate cream (that's the best!) or red bean paste fillings. Their dough is thicker than the Taiyaki ones and there's no better thing to eat, when it's cold outside, than a hot and fresh Imagawayaki at a festival! ^^

Ningyoyaki 人形焼

Ningyo-yaki are small snack cakes, made from cooking batter of flour, eggs and sugar in an iron mold. They are sold both with and without sweet bean paste. Many come in the form of the seven gods of good luck (shichifukujin 七福神) or the great lantern at the Kaminarimon gate of Asakusa temple. ^^ On festivals at Senso-ji, you can always buy them. Or just at the supermarket or combini in different, cute character forms (but of course these ones aren't as delicious as the fresh ones ^^).

Dorayaki どら焼き

Dorayaki is а red bean pancake which consists of two small pancake-like patties around a filling of sweet red bean paste. You can get them in very small to really big sizes (from 5 cm to 15 cm ^^) almost everywhere and they are very very tasty and a perfect snack, when you're hungry! ^^

Geppei 月餅

These nice little things have their origins in China, but you can get them almost everywhere here in Japan, too. They also are called mooncakes and red bean paste is the most popular filling, but other sorts of beans as well as chestnut are also used. They taste very very rich and have unbelievable much calories! ^^ For me, they taste very nutty and I love that kind of taste! ^^

Melonpan メロンパン

A "bread" with an enriched dough covered in a thin layer of crisp cookie dough. It's appearance resembles a melon. Just try one and you'll be addicted! ^^ You can buy melonpan in different flavours/with different doughs and with different fillings like strawberry cream, chocolate or vanilla cream. ^^

Baumkuchen バームクーヘン

First, yes, yes, of course I know, that Baumkuchen is from Germany! :D BUT the Baumkuchen here in Japan differs from the Baumkuchen I know from Germany. ^^ And it's one of the most popular pastries in Japan! So as I remember from the little Bavarian town where I was born, the old men, spinning around Baumkuchen over open fire on festivals and made an really crunchy caramel crust outside. The Baumkuchen here looks much more exclusive and filigree. In Germany, you can get that softy Baumkuchen often, too. But as Baumkuchen isn't that popular, too, I've often forget, to buy one...but here...no chance to escape! ^^

Toppo トッポ

Toppo, the "reverse pocky", is a chocolate and bread-based snack, which you can buy in many different flavours/with many different fillings. The best was an winter special edition filled with white chocolate and little cinnamon flavour, hihi. That was great! ^^ But I love the classical Toppo very much, too (much more than pocky, I'm sorry ^^).

Kakigori かき氷

Kakigōri (かき氷?) is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup and condensed milk and you can get it almost everywhere while the hot, Japanese summer season! It's available in many, many different flavours like strawberry, cherry, lemon, green tea, grape, melon and colourful syrup-variations. ^^ I love cherry the most! ^^

Garigari-kun ice ガリガリ君

That's the most popular ice bought in convenience stores here in Japan. It's only 60 Yen and 70 kcal (as I remember). The taste is really hard to describe. Sweet, very refreshing, like sugar soda. Really different for me. ^^ I love it! ^^

Tadaaa, all these things let increase your body weight very fast, I think! ^^

So it's really hard to withstand these nice, tasty, yummy, delicious sweets day by day! :D

You will see it yourself, when visiting Japan! ^^

Wish you many sweet new things to explore, hehe! :)

By: Vanessa (Asakusa)

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is coming soon! ^^
Here, first, the girls have to do some "work"! ^^
It is said that St. Valentine's Day was imported to Japan in 1958 by a Japanese confectionery company.
In Japan, it is only the women giving presents - mainly chocolate - to men, but not the other way around.


Men are supposed to return the favours received on Valentine's Day one month later on White Day, a Japanese creation.
White Day is believed to have been introduced by a marshmallow manufacturing company in the 1960s.
But today's entry is all about Valentine's Day! ^^

So, here are some different kinds of gifts for Valentine's Day, we girls have to prepare:

1) Chocolates that women give to their sweethearts to prove that their love is true. This type of chocolate - the kind that you give to someone you really like or love - is called
本命チョコ(=honmei choco = chocolate of love).
A handmade chocolate is usually preferred by the receiver, because it is a sign that the receiving male is the girl's "only one". ^^ If you're not good in cooking or baking, so you can buy expensive, exclusive chocolate, too...I think, you know, what to do. The receiver of this kind of chocolate should have definitely the feeling of being someone special to you! :)




2) Another type is chocolate that is given without any romantic feelings attached. This type of chocolate is called 義理チョコ（=giri choco). The literal translation is "obligatory chocolate" and it's true that this chocolate is given out of a feeling of obligation. Women usually give
義理チョコ(=giri choco)
to classmates, coworkers, bosses, teachers, or clients that they are not romantically interested in. This kind of chocolate doesn't have to be outstanding in price, gift wrap or quality. Nothing special, but nice. ^^




So on that day only women are supposed to give chocolates to men. And the men can't do anything but be passive and just wait to see whether they can get chocolates or not. Many high school boys compete to see who gets the most chocolates and use this as a way to measure their popularity.
Even if they know it is just giri choco, many men still feel loved by the number of chocolates they get. ^^
At the end of January, all the department store or sweet shops start to sell fancy chocolates for Valentine' day.

In the last years, women have started to wonder why only men can get all these delicious chocolates.....
Because of that, there's a trend called,
友チョコ(=tomo choco = chocolate for friends)
women give each other chocolate. This tomo choco doesn't have to be expensive, but it has to be definitely cute. You can buy normal chocolate and decorate it, until it's cute enough and let your lovely friend get a big smile. ^^




So are you prepared already?
But don't worry, there are some days left! ^^
And honestly...I am, too, not prepared...yet! :D
Waaaaah! :D
So let's give our best the next days and have much fun! ^^

By: Vanessa (Asakusa)