November is the turn of the seasons, autumn and winter.
This wagashi called Tatsuta-Mochi looks just like four tinted autumnal leaves fell on the snowy ground.

Inside is filled with sweetened red bean paste. The sweetness is slightly strong so that it goes well with the bitterness of green tea treated in Japanese tea ceremony.
The leaves on top are yokan, a thick jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar.

Ingredients:Sugar, red beans, candied chestnuts, agar, gyuhi, kori-mochi ( powdered freeze-dry rice cake )

Shop’s website:
Tsuruya Yoshinobu’s homepage (Japanese)
Tsuruya Yoshinobu’’s homepage (English translated by Google)

Cool kudzu wagashi is standard Japanese confection for summer season.

The tricolore fillings are made from red bean paste and bean paste flavored with apricot and citrus puree.
These are coated with translucent kudzu and bracken dough which is sticky like mochi.

In eastern Japan, this summer is hotter than usual due to the conservation of electricity.
Cold treats are going to help us keep off the summer heat!

Ingredients:Sugar, kidney beans, red beans, malt sugar, apricot puree, Konatsu citrus puree, starch, starch syrup, Konatsu citrus juice, bracken flour, kudzu flour, liqueur, agar-agar

Shop’s website:
Ginza Kanra’s homepage (Japanese)
Ginza Kanra’s homepage (English translated by Google)

Mashed green soybeans are called “Zunda”, so this manju with beautiful natural green filling is called Zunda manju. It is very famous confection in Yamagata and Miyagi prefectures.

My colleague gave me this for the souvenir. It tasted very nice.
Green soybean paste is sweetened with sugar just like ordinally anko (red bean paste) though it tastes slightly lighter.

I’m always pleased with such a regional speciality!

Ingredients:Sugar, green soybean, flour…etc.

Ingredients:Sugar, red bean,…etc.
I hardly keep its ingredients in my mind since I had this several months ago…

Shop’s website:
Koroan’s homepage (Japanese)

That’s all about it!

Ingredients:
Sweet potato, sugar, ager

Shop’s website:
Kinokuniya’s homepage (Japanese)
Kinokuniya’s homepage (English translated by Google)

Ichigo (strawberry) daifuku is a new variation of daifuku, containing strawberry and sweet filling, most commonly anko, inside a small round rice cake. It is often eaten during winter or spring season.

Daifuku is well-known traditional Japanese sweet, but strawberry daifuku is kind of like a newcomer which was just invented in the 1980s. Although few people tend to take it as ‘improper’ wagashi, but it has already come to be very popular sweet for most of Japanese people.

Many patisseries claim to have invented the confection, so its exact origin is vague.

Ingredients:
Sugar, red bean, rice flour, strawberry

Shop’s website:
Shinkine’s homepage (Japanese)
Shinkine’s homepage (English translated by Google)

I got a lovely souvenir from my colleague who has been back to his home town during the new year holiday.

Monaka is a Japanese sweet made of red bean filling sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers made from rice flour. As for the filling, sesame seed, chestnuts or rice cake are also popular. Monaka come in various shapes such as circle, square, triangle, flower, or animal.

In Japan, 2011 is the year of rabbit in Twelve Earthly Branches of the sexagenary cycle.
It’s a popular custom that people decorate things with animal of the year for celebration.

I’m really having fun to see so many cute things decorated with rabbits in this season

Ingredients:
Sugar, syrup, red bean, rice flour, ager

Shop’s website:
Okashinomiyakin’s homepage (Japanese)
Okashinomiyakin’s homepage (English translated by Google)

In the beginning of the new year, Japanese visits a shrine to pray for the well‐being of the family.
Today, I’ve been to my neighbor shrine and gotten senbei ( Japanese rice crackers ) that had already served as an offering.
It is believed to be auspicious to eat the offering which was handed down by the god.

New Year greeting card with a pretty bunny was sent from my friend, Ayano Imai working as a professional children’s book author and illustrator.
Her talent is so amazing that her greeting card comes to my annual pleasure!

May your 2011 be a wonderful year

December 22nd is the day of the winter soltice.

In Japan, bathing with yuzu (Japanese citron) on the winter soltice is a popular custom.
The whole fruits are floated in the hot water of the bath, releasing their characteristically strong aroma.
The ‘yuzuyu,’ or yuzu bath, is believed to guard against colds, warm the body, and relax the mind.
We also eat pumpkin on the same day for the same reasons.

This wagashi is made by using a whole yuzu, preserved in syrup.
It’s hollowed out and the skin is filled with sweet red bean paste.

Yuzu is rareley served as food on the day, but I posted this for my yuzzy feeling

Ingredients:
Yuzu, syrup, red bean, kudzu starch, ager, salt

Shop’s website:
Saiundo’s homepage (Japanese)
Saiundo’s homepage (English translated by Google)

This is special wagashi only offered during autumn season.
It looks just like a chestnut (very cute, isn’t it?) and a little chestnut is actually filled inside!
Outside is coated with kudzu starch to make red bean paste glossy.

Ingredients:
Sugar, red bean paste, chestnut, kudzu starch, etc

Shop’s website:
Sentaro’s homepage (Japanese)
Sentaro’s homepage (English translated by Google)