Pop Japan

                                                   Photo by Cory Doctorow and Licensed under creative commons

Aside from the tempuras, ramen and Japanese viands, the country is known for its sweets or Japanese confections (wagashi). Combined with the kawaii (cuteness) culture, Japan made a unique dessert - a compact and cute looking sweets.

• Goin’ Bananas

This banana-shaped souvenir item is noticeable for its cute designs -  panda, hello kitty cake, otter holding a bottle, Tokyo banana tree, castella cake, butter, strawberry cake, cheesecake. It’s one of the popular souvenir items brought by visiting family members, friends and colleagues. The original flavoured banana custard contains these ingredients: egg, milk, gelatin, bananas, wheat and egg. You can find them in Tokyo JR stations such as JR Shinagawa station, Daimaru Tokyo, JR Tokyo station, JR Omiya Station, JR Ueno Station, Tokyo Banana world Stores and some major airports.

Prices: 483 yen for 4 pieces

1, 029 yen (includes tax) 8 pieces

1, 543 yen (2, 057 tax) 16 pieces

• Hato Sabure

One of the things you’ll likely to encounter in your trip to Kamakura is the Hato Sabure or Dove Short Bread Cookie. The dove shortbread cookie has been in part of Japanese confectionery for hundreds of years. Hato Sabure tastes less sweet than its western counterparts and more crunchy than the common cookie.

Map: See Map

Hato Sabure recipe (butter cookies)

Ingredients:

1 tsp baking powder

5 ½ cups of sifted all-purpose flour

6 tbsp of unsalted butter

½ cup of sugar

1 egg 

Process:

1. In a mixing bowl of an electric mixer whisk, add sugar, butter and mix until they become fluffy. Later, add the egg.

2. Change the whisk attachment with a beater. Add the flour, baking powder and mix them on low speed until they are well combined.

3. In a plastic wrap, roll the mixture into dough balls.

4. Preheat the oven up to 350 degrees. With a parchment paper, line with a cookie sheet.

5. Roll the dough into a thickness of ¼ inch in a surface (lightly floured).

6. Cut the dough with a dough shaped cutter.

7. Arrange the dove-shaped doughs in a baking sheet

8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

9. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

• Morimoto (Haskapp JewelrY)

Resembling a squared piece of chiffon cake, Morimoto is a jam-filled soft cookie made with Haskap (fly honeysuckle). The edges of the confection are wrapped in chocolate. Haskapp is an elliptically shaped and fruit found in Hokkaido.  It’s sophisticated and delicate in flavour with a punch of sweet and sour.

Web: https://www.haskapp.co.jp/

Address: 4-12-1 Chiyoda-cho, Chitose-shi, Hokkaido

• Gokatteya Honpo "Marukan Youkan"

This jellied confectionery is made from a bean paste and resembles a tubular fireworks container with its paper cover that can be removed with a string. You can slice the tube and turn it into roundels and serve with a tea. There’s also a rectangular box version of the confectionery.

Web: http://www.gokatteya.co.jp/

Address: 38 Honcho Esashi-cho, Hiyama-gun, Hokkaido

• Kininaru Ringo

Kininaru Ringo is an apple-shaped pie made from whole apples that are dipped in syrup and wrapped in a flaky crust. It’s a specialty of Aomori prefecture and produced in Hirosaki. The pie encrusted apple is sold in a box and costs about 1200 Yen. This apple pie lasts for 45 days and can be available in two types of apples used - fuji (tastes with a balance of sweetness and sourness) and Kougyoku (a little sour).

Details

Location: 9 Hyakkoku town, Hirosaki City, Aomori

Map: See Map