Kanazawa's long-established Japanese confectionery shop "Murakami" offers "Wari-kori," a simple sugar candy made by hand-splitting dried agar over 6 days. The ingredients are sugar, agar, and coloring only. This traditional treat is available year-round and comes in a smaller size. The outer layer is crispy while the inside is soft, providing a delightful texture contrast. In addition to the classic Wari-kori, there is also a pale-colored version made with natural coloring. It would be great if this became a regular item!

Sitting under the kotatsu with a cup of strong tea and sweet wagashi is perfect for New Year's. I tried the New Year's wagashi from "Murakami" - two tai fish, a fan, a pine tree, and a red plum. I noticed a white one - turned out to be a sheep, representing the zodiac sign. I broke open the tai fish - sorry for the messy break, I used my bare hands. The white anko inside was moist and delicious. The pine tree had a hint of matcha flavor. It was a fun and tasty treat for the New Year.

Every day, I need at least 2 sweets for my body (lol), so I was looking for some delicious Japanese sweets. I found a lucky bag at Murakami that looked delicious and had visible contents, so I decided to buy it. It was priced at 1000 yen, but when I asked the staff, they said it contained 1400 yen worth of sweets. I thought it was a good deal to be able to enjoy various kinds of Japanese sweets that last long. As a side note, from my experience, lucky bags for clothes often contain items that I can't wear anywhere and end up being useless, but lucky bags for food and cosmetics with visible contents are not only a good deal but also items that I can actually use and consume, so I personally recommend them. The Fukusamochi was like a wrinkled dorayaki skin with red bean paste and mochi inside, quite large and satisfying to eat. The Kakiho was a sweet mochi with persimmon paste wrapped in it, topped with sesame seeds and icing, small but elegant and delicious with green tea. Due to the influence of the tea ceremony culture, Kyoto, Matsue, and Kanazawa are nationally famous for their Japanese sweets. The second lord of the domain was a direct disciple of Sen no Rikyu, and during the time of the fifth lord, a tea utensil administrator was appointed to prepare tea ceremonies for the domain. When the first lord of the domain entered the castle town, there were no sweet shops around the castle, and from there, sweet shops were established, starting the confectionery culture of Kanazawa. The characteristic of Kanazawa's high-quality sweets for tea is that they can be enjoyed with all five senses: taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing. Truly, delicate and beautiful high-quality sweets allow you to feel the sense of the season and emotional richness. Murakami, founded in 1911, stands out among the sweet shops around Abeno Harukas for its intricate and delicate craftsmanship. Enjoy a luxurious and blissful tea time at home with freshly brewed green tea or matcha. ❤

I received a limited edition New Year's mochi (rice cake) called Fukume from Wagashi Murakami, which has its main store in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The design of the mochi is shaped like a plum blossom, which is used in the crest of the Kaga Domain. The sugar on the mochi skin easily falls off when you take it out of the wrapping paper, so you need to handle it very carefully. The sweet red bean paste is mixed with syrup, making it much sweeter and stickier than regular red bean paste, which would be appreciated by those who love sweet treats. The sticky, very sweet red bean paste with sugar-coated mochi skin goes well with bitter green tea. It's a celebratory sweet that can only be purchased during the New Year, but it's a mochi that could become addictive.