Japanese Sweets

The easiest way to satisfy your craving is to jump into the nearest convenience store (there are thousands of them) and grab a box of one of Japan’s favorite sweet snack, Pocky. They come in a seemingly endless variety of flavors that are both seasonal and regional, but essentially it’s a pretzel stick dipped in chocolate. There’s even a variety aimed at the male market, Men’s Pocky, which is coated with a darker chocolate – not always popular with kids and the female market in Japan.

Chocolate coated pretzels is quite a simple idea, but Pocky has become so popular with visitors that it is now been introduced into several overseas markets. So if you get hooked on them while you’re here, you’ll be able to satisfy your Pocky cravings when you return home.

For something a little more traditional, it’s hard to go past dango, which are dumplings made from mochiko, rice flour, and usually served with a cup of green tea. Often served on skewers, particularly at festivals, dango are served traditionally in groups of three or four dumplings.

Like Pocky there are many different varieties and many regions of Japan have their own special style of preparing. Perhaps the most common varieties you will find have a thick, brown treacly-type sauce which is actually a sweet soy sauce, or are covered in anko, red bean, paste.

You’ll also come across dango that are covered in sesame seeds and green tea flavored dango. During the cherry blossom period you might also find hanami dango which are three dango – one pink, one white and one green. While you can find these tasty dumplings in supermarkets and convenience stores, we prefer to eat dango in a cafe, accompanied by a cup of green tea, or off a skewer at one of the many autumn festivals.

What’s not to love about taiyaki? Not only are they delicious, they’re cute as well. Taiyaki translates to ‘baked sea bream’ but we’re yet to come across one filled with actual fish. Instead these tasty creatures are made from a batter most similar to pancakes or waffles, crisped to perfection and then stuffed with usually sweet fillings. The most commonly found flavors are a sweet red bean paste, custard or chocolate.

Once again different shops may have their own specialty – we’ve tried a green tea taiyaki in one store which was very nice – and there are also savory varieties offered in some locations. You can often find taiyaki makers in the more traditional shopping streets and tourist areas, such as around temples or shrines and also at festivals. Make sure to take a little time to watch them being made and see if you can catch one of these delicious treats fresh off the griddle!

We’ve saved the sweetest treat for last and no surprise that it’s wagashi, a Japanese delicacy that dates back hundreds of years. The only problem with wagashi is that they are often so beautiful it seems like such a shame to eat them, making that first bite a very difficult one to take. Luckily these works of art are delicious, as well as beautiful. They are made with a number of ingredients but the key ones are mochi and the ever-present anko, sweet red bean paste.

There are several renowned wagashi stores worth visiting if you have the time. Perhaps the most famous is the Toraya which has been operating since the 16th century and has multiple branches around Japan. We can also recommend Higashiya as another top-end wagashi maker, but there are plenty of other stores and cafes offering a smorgasbord of choices. Whichever one you visit, remember to get a photo before that first bite!

とらや 東急プラザ赤坂店

東京都千代田区永田町2-14-3 東急プラザ赤坂2F

03-6457-9784

View All

とらや 銀座店

東京都中央区銀座7-8-6

03-3571-3679

View All

Toraya Nihonbashi

4.0

6 Reviews

Tokyo Chuo Nihonbashi 1-2-6

0332718856

View All

Go here

Hotel Ryumeikan Tokyo

1-3-22 Yaesu, Chuo-ku Tokyo

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

HIGASHIYA GINZA

Tokyo Chuou-ku Ginza 1-7-7 Paula Ginza Building 2F

0335383230

[Store] 11:00-19:00 [Sabo] …

View All

Go here