About food in Japan

Suzukake (鈴懸) - Japanese sweets from Kyusu (九州)

I found people making a queue at a sweets shop in Isetan Shinjuku department store.

The queue is for very small pieces of cute Japanese sweets. The shop is called "Suzukake" (鈴懸) comes from Hakata (in Fukuoka) in Kyushu (九州) region with over 70 years history there.

The sweets shop's famous products are these two.

Suzu no En-mochi (鈴乃○餅) and Suzu no Monaka (鈴乃最中)

En-mochi looks like "Dorayaki"(どら焼き) casual Japanese sweets, known as favorite of Doraemon, but it is much smaller. 

The cake is moist and more elastic, sticky compared with Dorayaki.

Monaka is also smaller than what we can find normally. The bell (鈴) shape looks cute and unique.

It is enough tiny to have it at one bite. But I tried to cut it into half...

I found it surely "monaka" (sweet sandwich) with stuffed anko, sweet beans paste.   

The outer layer has crispy texture and an paste is not too sweet.

Both are made from very fresh ingredients and it is recommended to consume them within 1-2 days. Please enjoy them while you are staying in Japan!

At Suzukake sweets boutique, other products are also available and all of them look attractive even visually.

Suzukake 

Isetan Shinjuku department store (3-14-1 Shunjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)

Official home page (Japanese only): http://www.suzukake.co.jp/

Rusk "Gouter de Roi" - Gateau Festa Harada

We always see a long queue seeking for very famous rusk "Gouter de Roi" at the stand of "Gateau Festa Harada" in Matsuya Ginza department. Finally I could get the pack.

It is made from French baguette by a confectionery in Gumma prefecture. In Tokyo, it is available only at a few department stores. The crunchy sugar-coated pieces of breads attract a lot of people across Japan, although it is quite simple snack and is nothing new. One of the most popular gift. It is so popular that the shop are not able to respond to coming orders during Christmas season.

Related story: GOUTER de ROI White chocolate - GATEAU FESTA HARADA

http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2010/10/gouter-de-roi-white-chocolate-gateau-festa-harada.html

Shop name: Gateau Festa Harada

Address: B1 floor Matsuya Ginza Department store　3-6-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

Website: http://www.gateaufesta-harada.co

 

Kakigori （かき氷） - Chimoto

The summer in Japan still continues.
It is hard to be outside for long time during day...

Kakigori(かき氷）cannot be missed as sweets and as one to cool us down during this hot summer.

Kakigori is shredded ice with sweet syrup.
It is available at some cafe especially featuring Japanese sweets or food stall at summer festivals.

For the syrup, strawberry, melon, milk and green tea flavours are typical ones.

Chimoto, a traditional sweets house in Toritsu-Daigaku, a residential area inTokyo provides incredibly big moutain of Kakigori during summer. The volume of heaped ice is double or triple as much as normal Kakigori dish. In the photo, the tea spoon is normal size...

The size makes every guest amazed Can we finish it? Don't worry, the shredded pieces of ice are very light and quickly melted in the mouth. It is not a difficult task to finishe a bowl, although it is not easy...
Two flavours of syrup are on top; milk and green tea.
The green tea is high quality, real tea but not tea flavoured syrup.

At the bottom of the bowl, we find "shiratama" (白玉、white dumplings） and "an" (餡, Japanese beans paste).
They are the joy at the end of the dish and are unique point of Kakigori at Chimoto.

The tea room is very small and has only 10 seats. You might have to wait for a hour until getting the big mountain Kakigori. It could be worth waiting so long. But please be careful, not to dry up yourself...

Another specialty of Chimoto is Yagumo mochi (八雲もち）, rice cakes made of cane sugar and walnuts and wrapped by bamboo skin. This is available throughout a year and do not have to make a que to get some pieces...

 

 

 

 

 

Sweets shop name: Chimoto
Address: 1-4-6 Yagumo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

Tamaya, Zushi

Today, it is "Marine day" in Japan.

I would like to introduce my favourite cake shop in a beach town not far from Tokyo.
Zushi beach is only one hour train ride + 10 minutes walk from Tokyo.

It is nice to be able to enjoy sea breeze without taking long hours journey or overnight stay from Tokyo. Just spend a day on the beach and refresh yourself before going back to the concrete jungle for dinner or noisy nightlife.

On the way from the beach to JR Zushi station, please do not forget passing by Zushi shopping avenue (Shotengai, 商店街） in order to get souvenirs of the beach town.
The cake shop Tamaya (珠屋） is one of "do-not-miss" spot there.
It has a half century long history and serves as a pastry shop, cafe restaurant in Zushi.
The cakes are mainly traidtional Western style ones or from the master's original ideas.
They might not be mod but surely show respects to traditional works. They are not too sweet and are likely to be loved by anyone from young to old.

My most favourite one is Swiss Roll.

It is very simple roll cake that reminds me my childhood days. Apricot jam on the top creates good harmony with the basic roll cake and butter cream.

Savarin is wrapped in aluminium foil. It was dipped in liqueur syrup and butter cream with pieces of marron is sandwiched. By making it cool in a fridge, the tast is enhanced.

This is also good for a gift to make a set with fine cake.
The original tea bag is in a small pack of cute illustration.
It is a product of collaboration with an unique tea shop in Tokyo.

Tamaya also runs cafe restaurant on the location, where not only sweets but also lunch menu are provided.

Shop name: Tamaya 珠屋
Address: 1-5-8 Zushi, Zushi city, Kanagawa 249-0006
Website: http://www.tamaya1950.com

Wagashi (和菓子） - Shimizu (清水） in Kagurazaka

Wagashi(和菓子） is the generic name represents all kinds of Japanese traditional sweets. It has been developped for centuries with tea ceremony schools. As it has been often served with green tea, many kinds of wagashi are very sweet.

Unlike traditional sweets in other parts of the world, wagashi attracts people not only with the taste but also with aesthetic appearance. We traditionally appreciate the beauty of four seasons. The mind is reflected in the world of wagashi. Hence traditional high-end wagashi masters create different products season by season, some times using seasonal ingredients.

Shimizu, a very traditional wagashi shop, is located in Kagurazaka, central Tokyo. Arriving in the shop after a minutes walk from Kagurazka subway station, we feel that we had a time trip to Edo era. The house exterior, inetrior and sweets made us imagine the ancient world. All of the small pieces in the showcase are fancy. It must be hard to select some from the attractive choices.

Finally I bought four different pieces. During summer, it has more products looks cool, like jelly.

The most impressive work is tiny "firefly" in the center of the square-shape jelly.

It never be something unexpected, but should be there. The master dipicts a firefly lighting in the grass and the dark and he puts the world into a small piece of sweets.

How just a piece of sweet can be so romantic like this 

I wanted to gaze the piece with joy for longer but I enjoyed having it as well.

Many kinds of wagashi are fresh and it is better to consume them within a short time after your purchase.

It is regrettable to finish it but I am looking forward to finding another piece in different seasons there.

Shop name: Shimizu
Address: 110 Yaraicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Belgium chocolate - Galler CHOCOLATE - THE

It is not easy to find a cozy table for a cup of tea or coffee in Ginza without making a que on weekend afternoon. Galler CHOCOLATE - THE is my favourite place in Ginza to forget the bustle of the shopping and entertaining town.

The cafe-restaurant by the established Belgian chocolate house, Galler, is located on the second floor of Seibu department store, just a hundred meter away from busy Yurakucho station.

What should not be missed iteam is of course sweets with Galler chocolate.

A great pair of Belgian speciality - chocolate and waffles is a recommendable menu.

Chocolate and sweets are not a single feature of the cafe. Flower decoration and piano playing music at the cafe are also by Belgian famouse professionals.

While taking a rest from hassle of shopping in Ginza, enjoy Belgian specialities at the cozy tea room.

Cafe name: Galler CHOCOLATE - THE
Address: Yurakucho Seibu Department store Fasion-kan (pavillion) 2nd floor, 2-5-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Website: Galler Japan (Japanese)
            http://www.galler.co.jp

Omiyage (お土産) - Rokkatei (六花亭） from Hokkaido

In Japan we have a long bank holiday weekend on May, called Golden Week.
This year 2009, I had 5 days off in a row from 2nd to 6th of May. Some other people had longer one adjoining another weekend or another bank holiday 29th of April.

Anyway after the long holiday, it is likely that Japanese people exchange a box of sweets from their holiday destination each other. That is called "Omiyage"(お土産, souvenir). Therefore everywhere in major tourist sites when we travel across Japan, we are able to find box of local sweets suit for Omiyage at hotels airports and souvenir shops etc.

Rokkatei (六花亭) is one of the most popular sweets house in Hokkaido （北海道), the north land. Dairy products are specialities of the region and sweets with cream, butter from Hokkaido must be good quality ones.

The most-well-known product by Rokkatei , I believe, is "Marusei butter sand"(マルセイバターサンド).
The name "Marusei" came from the butter producer name used for the sweet. Rich butter cream mixed with dried raisin is sandwiched with two pieces of biscuit.

If you have one, you must become a fan of it!

White chocolate made from fresh milk of Hokkaido is another speciality of the house.
According to the company, they are the first producer of white chocolate in Japan from 1968.

Not only the tasty chocolate is, the package is also the reason why this is highly appreciated as Omiyage from Hokkaido. Each flavour chocolate has different illutst of local spieces of flowers.   

Another choice for Omiyage could be this box with two flavours mixed; white and strawberry. Two kinds of flower are depicted on the wrapping paper and each piece of chocolate is shaped in the flower petals.

Rokkatei shops are located only in Hokkaido region. In Tokyo occasionally the productes are available at major department stores and supermarkets, otherwiese it is sold through online shop. We do not have many chances to get the good chocolate products. That is why we are very happy when we get Rokkatei products as Omiyage from Hokkaido.

Rokkatei website: http://www.rokkatei.co.jp  

六花亭マルセイバターサンド【10個入】 【0428_GWレビュー】 

六花亭の人気チョコレート！六花亭 ストロベリーチョコ ホワイト【0428_GWレビュー】

******************  Find accommodation in Japan  ***************

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An-mitsu (あんみつ Japanese traditional sweets)

An-mitsu(あんみつ） is a Japanese traditional sweets. It could be a kind of "parfait" in Japanese style.

Literally "an"(餡、あん） is sweet bean paste that is often seen in Japanese traditional sweets. "Mitsu"(蜜、みつ） represents sweet syrup made from sugar.
So in a bowl of "an-mitsu", the bean paste and syrup are the biggest features. But we cannot miss also "kanten"(寒天、かんてん）, Japanese agar (gelatin jelly made from a plant) for an-mitsu.

In addition to these three main ingredients in an-mitsu, other attractive filling maybe added; fruits such as a pice of orange, strawberry or cherry, cream (like one in the photo), "shiratama"(dumpling). Then the sweet bowl is "upgraded" to something with more attractive names - "fruits an-mitsu"- "fruit cream an-mitsu"  or "fruit shiratama an-mitsu" etc etc

Mihashi in Ueno is a traditional sweets house known for the an-mitsu and other traditional sweets. Eat-in and take-away for some products are available.
It is located just a stone throw from the Ueno park.
Why do not you take a break with the traditional sweets after enjoying Sakura (cherry blossom) at the famous park?

Cafe name: Mihashi
Address: 4-9-7 Ueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Website: http://www.mihashi.co.jp

 

Les MIGNARDISES - small sweets

"Les MIGNARDISES" is French words not Japanese. It is the name of a sweets shop and according to the shop information, "Les MIGNARDISES" means "small sweets".

What I got is surely French traditional sweets, macaron. If it is only that, I have no reason to bring the Les MIGNARDISES specialty here. The size is unusually small, almost 2cm diameter. That is what we can find only at the shop in Daimaru Department store in Tokyo.

 

How impressive it is... Nine flavors of small pieces of macarons are lined up in a rectangular white box. The colours of the nine flavors make gradation from white to brown. The flavor names are also enough attractive; White chocolate lavender, Caramel vanilla, Cacao 41%, Chocolate rose, Cacao 80% and so on.

The size is not enough big even for a bite but, when I put a piece into the mouth, the taste is never as small as its physical size. It is rather more complex and sophisticated...in other words, the macaron has a fine world in a small piece.

Shop name: Les MIGNARDISES
Address: 1st floor Daimaru Tokyo, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo

Monaka (最中、もなか)

Monaka is a kind of Japanese traditional sweets.
Sweet beans paste(an, anko, 餡) is sandwiched by two pieces of thin crispy crust made of rice powder.

It can be seen in many places across Japan. Each traditional confectionery house produces own shape and size of monaka as a local speciality of town.
The crust is delicate as it is thin. We can imagine how hard it is to make and to keep fresh small crust in unique shape over and under beans paste. Finally it delights the eye as well as the tongue of people who encounter hold the sweets.

Today's sweets: Suzume monaka (sparrow monaka) in shape of the bird
A piece of monaka is finely wrapped as below and the sweets.

Suzume monaka is available at a traditional Japanese confectionery on the old "Tokaido" (main avenue connects East and West Japan).

Shop name: Torinoko
Address: 3-5-12 Minami-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo