How did it compare to real nama yatsuhashi? The sugary coating kept making Masami’s fingers fairly sticky, but despite all of that she was having fun making her own traditional Kyoto sweets, albeit in a gummy form.īut presentation wasn’t Masami’s biggest concern it was time for the taste test. ▼ Turns out it’s not actually that hard to do.Īs Masami folded the outer layer of the yatsuhashi, she was immediately reminded that she was dealing with gummy candy and not real yatsuhashi, as the outer layer sprang back to its original square shape. Still, she’d always wanted to be able to add “can make yatsuhashi sweets” to her resume, and this was a novel way of doing it. Masami is already well versed in the art of making traditional Japanese sweets, so assembling this yatsuhashi was but a walk in the park. The gummy candies cost 214 yen (US$1.89) for a packet of four, compared to the price of Otabe’s regular nama yatsuhashi, costing 594 yen (US$5.23) for a pack of ten.Īt a glance, you could definitely mistake these for actual nama yatsuhashi the red bean filling was visible from the outside, and the texture and colour looked very similar to that of real nama yatsuhashi.Īs Masami picked up one of the yatsuhashi, she noticed the ‘red bean paste’ wasn’t actually inside the sweet like expected, but underneath, meaning she’d have to add the filling and fold the outside herself. ▼ The yatsuhashi gummies are made by famous Kyoto-based confectionary company Otabe However, upon a recent visit to her local drugstore, Masami came across something that changes everything - yatsuhashi gummy candies. Masami is lucky enough to be able to enjoy a delicious yatsuhashi whenever she wants, but for those of us who live far away from Kyoto, we have to rely on travelling friends and co-workers to bring us back some sweet treats.
Our Kansai-based Japanese language reporter K.
▼ Nama yatsuhashi is a popular souvenir to bring back from Kyoto and comes in boxes like this. There are three kinds of yatsuhashi, but arguably the most popular variety is the unbaked version with a red bean filling, called ‘nama yatsuhashi’. One of Kyoto’s most famous sweets are yatsuhashi, a triangular Japanese sweet made from glutinous rice flour, sugar and often cinnamon. Whether you’re looking for Japan’s oldest sweet or something modern yet elegant, you need look no further than Kyoto. Want to get your yatsuhashi fix but live too far away from Kyoto? We’ve got the answer for you!įor fans of Japanese confectionary, there’s no place better to get your fix than the former capital city of Kyoto.