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As a food-lover, I was determined to uncover a true representation. I was already familiar with Calpis<\/strong> \u2013the yoghurt-soda soft drink, sometimes exported as Calpico- and I continue to rank that as one of the nicest sweet things I have had. Though it is not a sweet per se, Calpis gave me hope that there could be good in the world of Japanese sweets.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/br><\/p>\n The sweet that first lured me in was Hanami Dango<\/strong>. \u00a0It’s a sweet that is to celebrate the colours of Hanami \u2013 the celebration during which Japanese people enjoy the beautiful colours of cherry blossoms<\/strong> in bloom. \u00a0I was told the pink piece represents Sakura<\/strong> blossom, the green is fresh life, and the white is snow.<\/span> As I ate it I said \u201cThis Mochi is good; far better than the stuff I have tried in England.\u201d <\/span> Rice is rice! In the mind of a westerner, that is the same; the key ingredients have the same origin, the texture and taste are nearly identical. Thinking about this, I realised that the same could be said of fudge and toffee, treacle and caramel. The nuances in taste and the knowledge of key ingredients are there if you have grown up with it. But nomenclature is redundant in the face of actual taste and pleasure taken from the sweet, and I can say that the typical Japanese rice-based sweet \u2013whether it be Mochi<\/strong> or Dango<\/a><\/strong>– is really very good. It has a real homely feeling to it, the same way that fudge or treacle might.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/br><\/p>\n These Wagashi<\/strong> \u00a0–Dango<\/strong>, Mochi<\/strong> and other Japanese traditional sweets- aren\u2019t always plain, glutinous-rice flavoured, but are often partnered with another typically Japanese taste. These tastes are commonly Azuki<\/strong>, Matcha<\/strong>, sweet soy sauce<\/strong>, or Kinako<\/strong>. On top of that, the sweet may take many forms. \u00a0The Azuki may be whole, or in a paste; it may be a ball, it may be a triangle; it may have a filing, or it <\/span>may be coated. Recently, someone was describing to me her favourite Wagashi, Ohagi<\/strong>. \u00a0She said it is Mochi with Anko: red bean paste. \u00a0I asked if the Anko was inside, and she said “that would make it Daifuku<\/strong>, Ohagi has the Anko on the outside.” These differences seem small but Japan is a culture based on minor details and simplicity. \u00a0This aesthetic is called Wabi-sabi, which is the perfection in imperfection and nature.<\/strong> In my view Wagashi<\/strong> is very much a ripple from Wabi-sabi<\/strong>; simple forms and simple, hearty flavours.<\/span><\/p>\n My first port-of-call in Japan was Okayama, home to Momotaro \u2013the boy born from a peach<\/strong>, who grew up to be an Oni-slaying hero. Momotaro reintroduced me to the Japanese souvenir industry. \u00a0Every prefecture is famous for a sweet, fruit, or some kind of souvenir, and typically each prefecture is represented by a character.<\/strong> Momotaro is the character for Okayama, and he comes bearing Kibi Dango<\/strong>, which seems to be entirely unique to Okayama. I don\u2019t remember the last time that I saw a friendly character used to advertise Western confectionery-bar except perhaps Red and Green the M&Ms. \u00a0However, they have actually always come across as characters I\u2019d loathe to spend time with- whereas Japan lives up to it\u2019s reputation of celebrating the cute.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/br><\/p>\n Western sweets tend to have more variety, but they do have the upper-hand in that trade between many countries and cultures has been longer-established. A lot of Western sweets can be described to be based in bread: Sweet rolls, doughnuts, croissant, etc. If not bread, then there is a plethora of cakes. all taking different forms, tastes, and nuances from the countries they originate from.<\/span><\/p>\n That being said, the times that I have bought cakes or doughnuts in the knowledge that they have Anko, the pairing has been serendipitous. Fresh doughnuts filled with Anko have swiftly become a favourite for me; crispy outer-dough, soft inner-dough, and a sweet bean-paste middle. Perfection.<\/span><\/p>\n Due to the West\u2019s days of travel and conquering, there are more things available; gummy sweets, cakes, hard boiled sweets, chocolate, and so on. And of course Japan has their own take on all of these, too. Japan introduced me to Baumkuchen<\/strong>, a \u00a0German cake<\/strong> that is made on a large spit and then sliced into rings. It is everywhere in Japan, and I thought it was a Japanese original until I heard the name, and was told it was indeed German. Having been to Germany I can\u2019t say that I recollect ever seeing such a cake but I have been told that the popularity is down to German ex-pat Karl Joseph Wilhelm Juchheim. \u00a0He started making and selling the cake in Hiroshima just after WW1 and since then popularity has spread, so you can expect to see it in pretty much any combini or super market.<\/span> A similar instance happened with \u30ab\u30b9\u30c6\u30e9 (Kasutera<\/strong>, or Castella<\/strong>). Castella is a kind of Madeira cake th<\/span>at was brought over when the Portuguese<\/strong>, also bringing guns and Christianity, visited Japan in the 16<\/span>th<\/span> century. Needless to say, cakes and guns took off in Japan with greater vigour than religion did. Much like Baumkuchen, Castella is very popular and found in a lot of places. Both cakes are often made fresh and are both quite delicious.<\/span><\/p>\n Hard-boiled sweets are ever-popular too. If you\u2019re a fan of Japanese animation team Studio Ghibli<\/strong>, then you may know Grave of the Fireflies<\/strong> and the ever-present Fruit Drops<\/strong> featured in that movie.\u00a0<\/span>They have been around since the 1900s, and to this day are still sold in their classic tin-can packaging. They most commonly just go by the name of \u201cdrops\u201d or by the brand name Sakuma Drops<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>They\u2019re not really anything to write home about, but they do have that comfortable feeling of being at your grandma\u2019s house when she keeps giving you boiled sweets.\u00a0<\/span>Sadly, my experience with Japanese gummy sweets has been that the packs are very small and the price is rather big. \u00a0Yet, you may find some Japanese-fusion flavours, such as the very popular Umeboshi<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Mochi](\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-01-23-12.39.19-488x650-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Hanami](\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-01-26-12.58.35-650x485-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRice is Rice! \u00a0Dango or Mochi<\/h2>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>I was met with a slight wince; \u201cIt\u2019s not Mochi.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s not Mochi?\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cNo, Mochi is different.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cOh, what\u2019s the difference?\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cMochi is made from rice. Dango<\/strong> is rice-flour.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n![\"dango](\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/recipe-dango8-650x366-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Subtle Differences in Japanese Sweets<\/h2>\n
Western Sweets vs. Japanese Sweets: What’s the Difference?<\/h2>\n
\n<\/span>It could be argued that these cakey, bready sweets are distant relatives of Wagashi – the main difference being the grain used. Some might say the main difference in Japanese and Western sweets is the fact that Japanese sweets rely mostly on native, natural ingredients, whereas Western sweets naturally have a wider range of ingredients. \u00a0Natural, due to the historical fact that England and many European countries decided to explore and take back a bounty of ingredients, among other things. Europe\u2019s introduction to chocolate is arguably the biggest thing that has happened in the world of sweets, and European chocolate has taken rein as the most popular confectionery globally.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Japan is no exception, as it is home to many amazing chocolates.<\/strong> They are really deep in flavour and seem to understand balance in taste. Sadly, that chocolate doesn\u2019t always make it to be partnered with other Western sweets. I cannot count the times that I have bought cakes under the assumption that they were chocolate flavour only to find that they have been flavoured with the Japanese favourite Anko.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Anko,](\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-01-14-21.06.03-488x650.jpg\")
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![\"Umeboshi](\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/a6c63f72d6b366ddf34e59a657044197_s.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Western](\"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/2016-01-15-19.38.52-650x488-1.jpg\")
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