Souvenirs for the Sweet


An Ayers Rock snow globe? No thanks. An Eiffel Tower keyring? Pass. A Mount Rushmore T-shirt? I’ll never wear it.

If you want to bring me something from your travels, I’ll take some food. Indulging in foreign sweet treats almost makes up for not going on a trip of my own, while new tastes allow a different form of armchair travel; “tastebud travel”. Luckily my loved ones know this, explaining the adorable pink tin I received from a friend’s trip to Japan. I am now the proud owner of a tin of Strawberry Chocolate Yatsuhashi, from Kyoto. Well, I was the proud owner, until I recently ate them all.

The thin tin is about the size of a small book, and the winking, kimono-wearing darling on the front informs me that:

“About 250 years ago People started selling Yatsuhashi as a souvenir. Now Yatsuhashi is the most popular souvenir in KYOTO. Yatsuhashi is traditional Japanese cookies made from Rice flour with cinnamon.”

Educational and tasty. Researching Yatsuhashi I found that this sweet cookie is exclusive to Kyoto, and while I couldn’t find a definitive recipe, most contain rice flour, sugar and cinnamon. The Yatsuhashi I had were made by Otabe, whose mascot is the delightful Maiko girl on the front of the tin. (In other news, I just realized that Kyoto and Tokyo have the exact same letters. Does that mean something?)

But onto the sweets. Opening the rectangular case, there are eight individually wrapped packages, each containing two Yatsuhashi. The packets release a strong smell of strawberry once opened, although it is a vaguely artificial, sweet smell. The small, crisp wafers have been dipped in a strawberry concoction, so one end is thick and smooth while the other is rough. While they are supposed to be Strawberry Chocolate Yatsuhashi, I can really only taste the cinnamon and strawberry, although the chocolate colour is present. Regardless, they are very yummy, quite sweet and although the individual wrapping is bad for the environment, it does inspire a whimsical novelty in the experience.

Overall, I love my Strawberry Chocolate Yatsuhashi. Even better, the tin is just the right size to store all those annoying “Wish you were here” postcards from well meaning friends.



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May 15th, 2007
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Christina
Posted on:
June 11, 2007 at 10:39 pm

I found your site through Google. I was doing research on these cookies. My friend, also named Yasmin, brought them to me as a gift from Japan. I have the chocolate yatsuhashi and a friend received the strawberry. Both are very delicious. I would be interested in finding a retailer in the US who may sell these, as I can not navigate the website well. http://www. otabe.co.jp
Great site.
~christina

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Yasmin Sabir
Posted on:
June 12, 2007 at 5:01 am

Hi Christina,

Unfortunately I’m not sure about availability of Yatsuhashi outside Japan, also I’m in Australia so I’m definitely not sure about availability in the US! However through Google I found a few recipes for these tasty biscuits…perhaps you could try creating them at home? Good luck!
- Yas

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Tetheus
Posted on:
December 30, 2007 at 1:44 pm

I am currently in Japan and I have tried another type of yatsuhashi, nama yatsuhashi, which is made of mochi and filled with anko or other sweet gooey fillings. I think it is one of the best things ever! It can be had with a variety of fillings including strawberry, chocolate, chestnut, black goma, and mango. Word on the street is that they make sakura and momo filled ones during the spring, since seasonal flavors are important in Japan. I think these are also more recently popular than the traditional yatsuhashi, so there’s not much info, but there are lots of shops that sell it.

Yatsujashi also has a website, but it is in Japanese, and I don’t know if they ship to the US or Australia.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Tracy
Posted on:
July 8, 2008 at 5:33 am

My sister went to Japan on a business trip and brought me back all sorts of Japanese candies, including a tin of these Yatsuhashi. The green tea ones are amazing (so much that I’ve rationed them and still have about eight packages) and I wish they were available in the US. The tin is so cute, I can’t decide what I want to do with it when the Yatsuhashi are gone.