It's been a while since I visited. I buy wagashi (Japanese sweets) once a week, so I occasionally buy them (not sure if they're seasonal?). What I ate: a set of 3 wagashi (2 Tosei, 1 Yuusari) for 1,738 yen including tax. Tosei: Tosei means the sound of waves. This grand word captures that scene. Yurine (lily root) is dyed in the color of the sea, wrapped in kudzu, squeezed in a tea towel, and steamed. Yuusari: Black sugar is melted with sugar, and agar is added with gold leaf sprinkled on top. Captivated by the flickering light of fireflies in the pitch-black darkness. Tosei was refreshing with a nice balance of yurine. I thought Yuusari was a bit too sweet. My favorite was Tosei. Thank you for the meal.

This is a shop familiar to those who enjoy tea. I often use it for gifts, souvenirs, etc., as it pairs well with tea. The taste is great, and the packaging is also beautiful and lovely. It has a similar aesthetic to Ryumura Art Textile and Shimakame. This time, I received the following items: ・Kuzuyaki (3 pieces) 1620 yen. I enjoyed it with matcha at home. The main confectionery in a set of 3 is available on Fridays from June to September, and on Tuesdays and Fridays during other seasons. This time, it was a gentle sweetness kuzuyaki. There was one white piece and two pieces with red bean paste. Both were smooth and had a pure taste without any mix-ins. However, it seemed that the sugar used was not wasanbon. I will confirm this next time I visit.

Suehiro is a Kyoto confectionery shop. It seems to have several outlets in Takashimaya. A famous item is the vegetable senbei, which is a rice cracker topped with wood sorrel, burdock, lotus root, and egg. If you see the vegetable senbei, you might feel like you've seen it somewhere before. Still, if you're going to buy it, you might want to go for something you don't usually see, such as rakugan or kinton. What was bought was a round rabbit-shaped rakugan called "Tama Usagi." The rabbit's face comes in five colors, making it just the right size for giving to someone. Since it's rakugan, the taste is easy to imagine, but Suehiro is not cheap, so this price range is also affordable.

Date: 2010-01-01 Time: 22:27:36 Theme: Japanese Sweets Elegant tea snack in a light pink color☆ "Suemoto's Usube" ☆ Today, I had a tea snack called "Suemoto's Usube" along with Fukucha at my mother-in-law's house. It is a Japanese sweet from a Kyoto confectionery called Suemoto, and it is a light pink, elegant snack. It has a light texture, with a balance of sweetness, sourness from plum, and a hint of saltiness, creating a gentle yet deep flavor. It is a well-known tea snack and perfect for New Year's.

In the past, you could only buy wagashi (Japanese sweets) in Kyoto. But now, you can also buy them in Tokyo, but only on Fridays and with a set combination of three items. They are transported by Shinkansen on the same day in the morning. This time, I was able to buy kuzu wagashi. It looks very simple, like a fluffy cake. When you take a bite, you can taste a very light, elegant sweetness spreading in your mouth. Of course, it's delicious. I want to try a visually beautiful wagashi next time, so I'll give it a rating of 3.5 stars for now.

Kyogashi Matsumi offers seasonal wagashi, including a special treat for Tanabata. The Tanabata wagashi set includes the "Sasa Kazari" with a transparent kudzu design resembling bamboo leaves, stars, and green-colored sweet bean paste. The "Negai no Ito" features a kudzu cake wrapped in a layer of sweet bean paste with a woven thread made of gyuhi. In addition to the Tanabata set, I also purchased the "Hydrangea" kinton, which has a sticky mountain yam filling and delicious sweet bean paste. These wagashi are available at Takashimaya on certain days of the week. Next, in March, I tried the adorable Hina Matsuri wagashi called "Hichigiri," which resembles a snail. The base is made of strong-flavored yomogi, with pink kinton filled with sweet bean paste and white kinton filled with white sweet bean paste. The kinton has a delightful chewiness due to the addition of yam. I bought this wagashi in Nihonbashi.

My wife is not particularly fond of sweet foods, but she can't resist snacks like rice crackers. She used to practice tea ceremony at Urasenke before we got married, and her favorite treat was a type of sweet called "Ryohan" that was served during the tea ceremony. After we moved to Tokyo when we got married, she had to put her tea ceremony practice on hold. However, whenever we visited Shinjuku Takashimaya, she would always stop at a certain shop to buy Ryohan, her favorite snack. Recently, when I couldn't find miso-flavored rice crackers at a department store in Shinjuku, my wife remembered the name of the snack and went to Shinjuku Takashimaya to buy it herself. Ryohan is a crispy snack made from baked wheat gluten, with a delightful texture and a mild soy sauce or miso flavor. My wife particularly loves the miso flavor, so she called it "miso senbei" in excitement. It was heartwarming to see her remember and enjoy her favorite snack all by herself. Who knows when she'll remember it next time.

Here is a review of two types of water yokan in aluminum cans, one from Suetomi and the other from Shoujukken. Both are made with adzuki beans and koshi-an, and it is hard to choose between them because they both have a delicious taste, aroma, and texture. The quality of the adzuki beans is crucial in determining the difference in taste. The price of Suetomi's water yokan is higher compared to Shoujukken's, but the quality is maintained. Shoujukken is a well-known store with a good reputation in Kyoto, and their water yokan is reasonably priced. Overall, Kyoto residents seem to choose high-quality and cost-effective traditional Japanese sweets.

I purchased the sake lees-infused "Kyofusen" from the fourteenth generation. It has an elegant and light taste, truly luxurious. The best!