On Sunday at 10:30, at the first floor of Kyoto Takashimaya, I purchased 3 sets of small cherry blossom rice cakes, each containing 2 pieces. Two sets are for souvenirs. The cherry blossom leaves are delicious! Yummy, tasty! The small size is pleasing. I want to buy it again. It was a delicious taste. Ah, I am happy.

Sakura mochi surprise! Inside two sakura leaves, there is a sweet red bean paste mochi. Wondering how to eat it, I suddenly took a bite from the end of the leaf. The mochi melted so smoothly that I thought there couldn't be anything softer! The harmonious combination of the salty sakura leaf and the sweet red bean paste was delightful. Thank you for the meal!

◆Exploring Tokyo's Lunch Spots▪︎ Tsuruya Jyu Honten (Sagatenryuji Shar

Alley behind the station. A shop in a residential area. A handmade sakura mochi wrapped in two sakura leaves. Despite having two sakura leaves, there is no hint of the leaf's bitterness, making it enjoyable even for those who dislike it. The sticky rice inside is shiny and very delicious. A must-try if you visit Arashiyama.

During a trip to Kyoto with my beloved daughter, we visited Tsukaya Ju Hon Ten, located on the way from JR Saga Arashiyama to Togetsukyo Bridge. We arrived a little earlier than the opening time at 8:54 am. We bought two pieces of Sakura Mochi for 206 yen each. They were wrapped individually in two soft leaves after we placed our order. The slight saltiness of the leaves complemented the cherry blossom fragrance. The white mochi was still slightly chewy, indicating the presence of whole grains of rice. The smooth sweet bean paste filling was delightful. It was a treat for our tired bodies on this unfamiliar journey. While the fresh greenery around Togetsukyo Bridge was beautiful, I look forward to visiting again during the autumn foliage season.

There is a quiet Japanese confectionery shop on the Nakamichi Street in Arashiyama, without a parking lot. This shop learned from Tsuruya Yoshinobu and is famous for the sakura mochi made by request of Yoshikawa. The sakura mochi is wrapped after receiving the order, so the leaf retains its moisture. You can enjoy the chewy white doamochi, elegant bean paste, and the strong fragrance of the Ooshimazakura leaves. Udon and sakura mochi are a must-try in Arashiyama, a popular tourist spot in Kansai. There are many different shops in the area targeting tourists, but this shop comes highly recommended. Additionally, this shop can be found in other locations such as Isetan Urawa, Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, JR Nagoya Takashimaya, Seibu Tokorozawa, Mitsukoshi Ginza, Hankyu Umeda, Sogo Yokohama, Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, Fukuoka Mitsukoshi, Abeno Harukas Kintetsu, Takamatsu Mitsukoshi, Nagoya Sakae Mitsukoshi.

Today, I went to Arashiyama in Kyoto for some errands. On the way back, I decided to stop by a sakura mochi shop. Tsuruya Kotohuki is a specialty shop for sakura mochi, established in Arashiyama, Kyoto, in 1948. They sell sakura mochi all year round. Inside the shop, there were beautifully packaged sakura mochi for gifts, mainly made for high-end ryokans in Arashiyama. The idea for these sakura mochi originated from a request by the Michelin-starred restaurant "Kyoto Kitcho" to create a souvenir. I purchased two pieces, each priced at around 200 yen. The Arashiyama Sakura Mochi had two pieces of salt-pickled sakura leaves wrapped around the mochi. Unlike the pink sakura mochi commonly seen, Tsuruya Kotohuki's version features white mochi made with domyoji rice, maintaining its original color. Inside the mochi, there was a smooth "anko" filling. The combination of sakura leaf flavor and the mochi's texture was delightful. The subtle saltiness of the sakura leaf added depth to the taste. It was elegant and luxurious. With a shelf life of about 4 days, it would make a great gift. I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious sakura mochi.

(10/16/2021: Visit) I visited this place not far from Nakamuraya Main Store, with its quaint appearance that is both alluring and slightly sketchy at the same time. As a specialty shop for sakura mochi, they mainly sell sakura mochi all year round, unlike the usual seasonal availability in spring. I bought two "Arashiyama Sakuramochi" for starters. The unique feature of Sakuramochi here is its small size, white mochi without coloring, and being sandwiched between two salt-pickled Oshima cherry leaves. The elegant sweet red bean paste with just the right amount of sweetness, combined with the crisp texture of the mochi that doesn't stick to the teeth, enhanced by the subtle saltiness of the cherry leaves, truly stood out. This was a big mistake... I should have bought more of this exceptional treat...

I discovered and tried sakuramochi and warabimochi for the first time while participating in a weekly event at Takashimaya underground shopping area in Nagoya Station. I wasn't expecting much, but they turned out to be delicious. The sakuramochi was small but had a refreshing sweetness and was elegantly delicious. The warabimochi was also very satisfying in taste. Kyoto is indeed different from Nagoya, with its elegant and delicious sweetness. Thank you for the meal. Gassho, gassho, gassho!

I bought it because I was in Osaka for an event. It didn't exceed my expectations in terms of taste, but it came with two leaves which was just right! It had a good texture and was not too sweet. The taste of cherry blossoms was subtle and not too strong.

I stopped by a shop in Arashiyama to buy some sakuramochi, which I remembered from a manga. The shop was called "Sakura Mochi" and their sakuramochi was different from the usual ones. Instead of pink mochi with sweet red bean paste wrapped in salted cherry blossom leaves, theirs had white mochi with a more subtle sweet red bean paste and two cherry blossom leaves. The combination of the slightly sweet and salty flavors was perfect with Japanese tea. I also tried their "Warabi Mochi," which was different from the ones sold in supermarkets - it was more vibrant in color and had a chewy texture. Sprinkling the included soybean flour on top added a nice sweetness. Overall, it was a delightful experience trying out these traditional Japanese sweets, and I would recommend comparing them with other shops as well.

It's been a while since I visited Kyoto. Near Saga Station, there is a charming Japanese sweets shop. I recommend trying the wheat gluten manju, which is easy and delicious, but the real highlight is the seasonal limited edition products. Today, I visited after a long time and purchased the Kyoto Purple Ball. Each piece is small and elegant, with a strong sweet potato flavor. If you want to truly enjoy tea, I recommend the premium quality tea. Our shop excels in serving premium quality tea.

This is a shop in Arashiyama, Kyoto, where you can buy sakura mochi all year round. I was used to the Kanto-style sakura mochi, so the white sakura mochi here felt fresh to me. They are a bit smaller in size, but I found myself wanting to eat more. They use smooth red bean paste and generously include two sakura leaves. The texture is chewy, the sweetness is mild, and the saltiness is just right. It was delicious! The expiration date is 3 days, so I bought them as souvenirs for my trip. They also offer online shopping, so I recommend checking their official website.

I went to the shop because it was written that they make the color of Daomiji powder stand out by making it whitish. The shop was not very spacious, and their specialty seemed to be sakuramochi, so I bought 3 pieces of that and 2 pieces of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu monaka. My friend seemed fine with just one piece, but was told that they only sell in sets of 2, so my friend ended up buying 2 sakuramochi, 2 monaka, and a warabimochi. The typical sakuramochi is wrapped with one salted cherry blossom leaf, but here they used two leaves sandwiched around the mochi. The taste was a delicious sakuramochi with an elegant sweetness. The monaka had one card from Hyakunin Isshu inside, with sweet red bean paste sandwiched in a delicate and slightly sweet monaka. When my friend tried to buy just one sakuramochi, the landlady scolded in a blunt voice, saying "you have to buy two," which made my friend want to quickly buy and leave. Despite the landlady's stern demeanor, both wagashi were delicious, but it felt like the lack of friendliness was a bit of a downside. I found out that the sakuramochi (5 pieces) is sold as a nationwide famous confectionery at Takashimaya Osaka and Kyoto stores, so when I want it, I'll buy it here.

It is said that the confectionery shop originated from a division of five Kameya and two Tsuruya in the past. This shop has been specializing in sakura mochi since it was founded by Tsuruya Yoshinobu. Made with mochi pounded from glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet red bean paste, it is wrapped in a salted cherry leaf. Originally created as a gift from a traditional Japanese restaurant, sakura mochi is now available year-round. While sakura mochi is made throughout Japan, the one from this shop still exudes elegance and sophistication.

JR Nagoya Takashimaya's confectionery corner. Arashiyama Sakuramochi. These are traditional Japanese sweets that originated as gifts from high-end restaurants. I purchased a pack containing two pieces. The mochi was very light when held. It was a small sakura mochi, with a delicate sweet red bean paste filling, wrapped in two sakura leaves.

Arashiyama's Sakuramochi with two pieces of cherry blossom leaves was a luxurious cherry blossom mochi! When I was young, I probably wouldn't have liked it very much. But now, I want to say that it was the most delicious cherry blossom mochi I've ever had! The elegant sweetness and the perfect balance of the salty cherry blossom leaves! It was splendid ♡

"Tsuruya Ju" is a famous shop for sakura mochi located in Arashiyama. I had always planned to buy it when I visited Arashiyama. I bought the "Sakura Mochi" here (6 pieces for 1071 yen *including a gift box). It is made with a unique Kansai-style mochi called "Doamajiri". It has a nice scent of sakura leaves. The thin and transparent Doamajiri dough contains sweet red bean paste inside. It's completely different from the Kanto-style sakura mochi. Actually, I haven't tried the Kanto-style one yet."

I bought it at a nearby supermarket. The balance of saltiness and sweetness was good.