JAPANESE SWEETS: “Okashi” Care Package 0.1 g

Never meant to be overly sweet, this curation of our favorite okashi (along with a full length English brochure) is the perfect treat!

SOUR YUZU PEELS
Producer: Suki Tokusan
Prefecture: Miyazaki
Ingredients: Yuzu peel, granulated sugar, citric acid, vitamin C
Size: 30g

Yuzu is Japan's beloved citrus fruit with a tart yet sweet flavor. Here the aromatic, peel has been thinly sliced then artfully stewed in natural granulated sugar to achieve a balance sweet and sour treat 

YATSUHASHI 
Producer: Aoyama Mameju
Prefecture: Kyoto
Ingredients: Sugar, rice flour, kinako (roasted ground soybeans), ground cinnamon, sesame (includes soy and sesame)
Size: 100g

Yatsuhashi from Kyoto are among the most famous souvenirs from Japan. Typically made from a combination of rice flour and sugar flavored with cinnamon, these crunchy, baked yatsuhashi also include kinako (roasted and ground soybeans), which adds a sweet, nutty flavor similar to peanut butter. 

SUGAR UME (JAPANESE PLUM) 
Producer: Up To You
Prefecture: Fukui
Ingredients: Ume (Japanese plum), sugar
Size: 5 plums

These special sweet and sour treats are made from a rare variety of Japanese plum known as Benisashi ume. Prized for their tart flavor and juicy texture, the plums are fermented and preserved using only sugar, then aged for over 6 months. 

KAWAGOE POTATO YOKAN (JELLY) 
Producer: Kinoshita Seian
Prefecture: Saitama 
Ingredients: Sugar (domestic), sweet potatoes (Saitama Prefecture), agar
Size: 50g

Yokan, a firm jelly dessert, is a popular type of wagashi typically made from adzuki (red bean) paste, agar, and sugar. This unique yokan is instead made from imo (sweet potatoes), a specialty of Kawagoe City.
 

MISO CANDIED SWEET POTATO 
Producer: Yamauchi Honten
Prefecture: Kumamoto
Ingredients: Sweet potato (Miyazaki and Kagoshima Prefecture), vegetable oil, sugar, miso (contains soybeans), butter
Size: 40g

This crunchy, sweet treat begins with local satsumaimo (sweet potato) from southern Kyushu which are fried with their skin on until crispy, then baked with a mix of butter, sugar and Yamauchi Honten’s own maboroshi miso, adding rich umami to the natural sweetness.

HYŌROKU MOCHI CANDY 
Producer: Seika Shokuhin
Prefecture: Kagoshima
Ingredients: Starch syrup (domestic), sugar, maltose, glutinous rice, white sweet bean paste, oblate (starch wrapper), soybean flour, dried nori powder, powdered green tea (Kagoshima Prefecture), starch, soy lecithin
Size: 50g

Hyōroku mochi is a local sweet made and sold exclusively by Seika Shokuhin in Kagoshima Prefecture and can only be purchased in stores throughout Kyushu. It combines the soft, chewy taste of mochi with a white sweet bean paste, nutty kinako (soybean flour), umami-rich dried nori powder and bitter sweet green tea. 

GENMAICHA (BROWN RICE TEA) CANDY
Producer: Iwai Seika
Prefecture: Kyoto
Ingredients: Granulated sugar, starch syrup, brown rice tea
Size: 100g

These handmade candies showcase the toasted, nutty flavors of genmaicha (lit. “brown rice tea”) which is made from unprocessed brown rice that is soaked, steamed, roasted and popped before being combined in an equal ratio with green tea. 

UJI MATCHA SESAME COOKIE 
Producer: Manten
Prefecture: Saga
Ingredients: Sesame, egg, sugar, flour, butter, matcha
Size: 4 cookies
 

These delightful crispy cookies blend the subtle, nutty buttery flavor of goma (sesame seeds) with the bitter sweet taste of Japanese matcha from Uji. Uji is the second oldest tea-growing region in Japan, producing some of the countries most refined green teas.