During my trip, I found this snack called "Keshimochi" in Hankyu Umeda while waiting for the train. I had never seen or tried it before, so I decided to buy it out of curiosity. It's a mochi snack with white bean paste inside and poppy seeds on the surface. The smooth mochi combined with the crunchy poppy seeds creates a unique and delicious flavor. I found it interesting and would love to try it again. Next time I visit Osaka, I definitely want to buy it as a souvenir.

Visited around 7:30 PM on a weekday. I had to come back because they were sold out last time. I bought Sakai's famous Keshi mochi as a souvenir and for myself. The mochi was very soft with a refined sweetness of red bean paste inside, wrapped in keshi seeds on the outside. The combination of the crunchy texture of keshi seeds and the soft mochi is incredibly delicious. I will definitely visit again.

- Kesimochi (rice cake with sweet syrup)

I was embarrassed to admit that I only learned about this shop from a TV show, but it turns out it has a history of 300 years specializing in keshi mochi. I happened to have some business in Umeda and bought it at Hankyu's underground area. When I held it, I was surprised by how soft it was! The chewy texture of the "keshi" was incredibly delicious (and it's easy to eat without crumbling when you pinch it). The smooth red bean paste inside was also exquisite. I also bought the "keshi no hana," which had various flavors, each with a refined sweetness that was very delicious. The box is impressive and would definitely be a well-received souvenir. I really liked it so much that it's a shame you can't buy it in Kyoto. I want to eat it again for sure!

I love traditional Japanese sweets and famous regional snacks, so I had heard of Kojimaya's Keshi mochi but never had the chance to try it as I rarely visit Sakai. Another snack I have been longing to try in Osaka is Kanbukuro's Kurumi Mochi. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to taste it either. However, I recently discovered Kojimaya at Hankyu Umeda, where I was able to purchase just one piece of Keshi mochi for 151 yen (tax included). The mochi was covered in a generous amount of poppy seeds, and the sweet red bean paste inside was delicious. I am glad I finally got to try this famous Japanese confectionery!

This is Tsunukko and Chibitsunu! Today, a friend came over to play and brought us Keshi Mochi and Nikkimochi (cinnamon mochi) from Kojimaya, a store based in Sakai City, Osaka. These Keshi Mochi and Nikkimochi are traditional Japanese sweets with a long history. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, tea master Sen no Rikyu popularized the tea ceremony in Sakai, leading to the spread of traditional Japanese sweets like Keshi Mochi and Nikkimochi in the area. Keshi Mochi is made with poppy seeds and sweet bean paste wrapped in mochi skin, while Nikkimochi is a small mochi ball filled with cinnamon-flavored sweet bean paste. Both sweets use ingredients that were brought to Sakai through the city's thriving Nanban trade with foreign countries. The poppy seeds in Keshi Mochi and the cinnamon in Nikkimochi create a unique and delicious flavor. Chibitsunu: "Let's dig in!" Nikkimochi looks like a small daifuku mochi, and the cinnamon-flavored sweet bean paste inside is delightful. Keshi Mochi has a fun appearance with its mochi skin and poppy seeds, creating a satisfying texture. These traditional Sakai sweets were delicious. For those who can't easily visit Sakai, Kojimaya also has stores in department stores in Osaka, making it a great choice for souvenirs!

Kojimaya's keshi mochi, a specialty of Sakai, is famous. Kojimaya was established in the early Edo period and has been around for over 300 years. Sakai has had its own unique development, and with the tea ceremony being popular in the area, it's natural that various sweets have flourished. The keshi mochi comes in a set with two colors of daifuku, which are coated with wheat flour instead of keshi. Some people may not like keshi, but you can just not eat it. I compared the two and found that the keshi mochi with keshi was definitely more delicious. When lightly toasted in a toaster oven, the keshi grains on the surface become fragrant and irresistibly tasty. It's definitely better to toast and eat it.

I tried a local specialty, a baked confectionery called "Keshi no Yado" which contains poppy seeds and fresh ginger. There were various shapes of baked confectionery, making it enjoyable. I usually avoid such snacks since I broke a tooth while eating a rice cracker, but I decided to try it as a tea snack. The crispy texture was very pleasant, not as hard as I expected. The sound of chewing was comforting, and the gentle flavor of fresh ginger in my mouth was delightful. The variety of baked confectionery had different flavors, and each one was satisfying. While it clearly tasted like a Japanese confectionery due to the ginger flavor, the texture was more like a cookie. It was a nostalgic classic baked confectionery, but more refined than I imagined, and I was very satisfied with the product!

The bite-sized mochi covered with sesame seeds was incredibly soft and dense. It deformed slowly under the pressure of my fingers, sinking between them. Although I initially thought it would be hard to separate due to the neat packaging, I realized that the mochi had naturally turned into a square shape due to its weight. The sesame seeds prevented sticking and acted as a coating. I was surprised by the softness of the mochi, which almost felt like it was melting in my mouth. The crunchy texture of the sesame seeds combined with the chewy mochi created a delightful contrast. The sweet red bean paste had a refined sweetness, slightly on the sweeter side for my taste, but the nuttiness of the sesame seeds balanced it out nicely. Overall, it was a pleasantly surprising Japanese sweet.