Just a short walk to the right after exiting Koyoen Station, across from Tsumagari, I picked up some New Year’s-style wagashi at “翁菓舗” (^ ^)
This is a manju bun shaped like this year’s zodiac animal, the rat 🐭 So cute ❤️
It’s kind of like the white half of the red-and-white manju served at celebrations like graduation ceremonies, but with a little face drawn on it. Elegant smooth koshian is wrapped in a chewy dough↓
This one is nerikiri, which is basically a sweet bean paste confection shaped by hand, and it’s modeled after a camellia. The inside is also filled with smooth koshian, and its gentle sweetness fills your mouth.
Enjoying it with matcha like this might feel very New Year’s-like too ♪( ´θ｀)ノ
Each nerikiri wagashi has its own name. They don’t always have the same ones, and the lineup changes with the seasons. That’s part of what makes them delicious to look at too ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
From the left, their names were “Winter Morning,” “Zodiac Rat,” and “Tama Tsubaki.” (The inside of Winter Morning was tsubuan.)
They also had the monaka that became a hot topic last year, when Nishi2 even took on a Guinness challenge.
Do you think monaka don’t really differ much in taste? This was completely different from the monaka I received from “成田家” at the end of the year!
What they both have in common is that the design isn’t scary, and they’re delicious (^ ^) This monaka has apparently been loved for over 40 years.
Store Information for “翁菓舗”
In the New Year, they are open from the 2nd.
Here’s the location↓
Phone: 0798−74−6825
Hours: 9:00〜19:00
Closed: Wednesdays
Finally
The name “翁菓舗” may look a little difficult to read, but locally it’s known as “Okina-san” (^ ^)
The shop was founded in Showa 43. The monaka with a Mt. Kabuto pattern has a flavor that makes it clear why it has been loved for over 40 years, and every time you visit, the staff are wonderfully pleasant.
They’re also open from January 2 for the New Year, so it might be nice to take your time and enjoy some seasonal wagashi ^ – ^
