My wife wanted me to go to Murashima Manju Shop to buy some steamed sweet potato dumplings that are only available in the morning. I bought the "Oimo-san" dumplings, which were warm when I bought them. They were filled with sweet potato paste and tasted great with warm green tea. I also bought the "Game no Hah Mochi" and "Mame Taiko" for variety. The Game no Hah Mochi had a different texture from regular mochi, with my favorite chunky red bean paste. The Mame Taiko was not made by the shop, but by a company in Nara. I preferred it over a similar snack I tried in Amakusa, called "Tenmusu," because it didn't have small fish in it.

This is a classic steamed wagashi (Japanese sweets) shop that has been in business for 70 years, located a short distance from Sasaguri Town Hall. The shop is known for its popular black sugar manju (steamed buns) and miso manju, all made with care and handcrafted. They also offer a variety of seasonal products in addition to their signature items. The shop also sells various goods related to Sasaguri. On this day, which happened to be the anniversary of my late grandmother, I bought some wagashi that she used to love. I chose four different types, including amazake manju and yabure manju. The amazake manju costs 90 yen each and is a classic wagashi filled with plenty of sweet bean paste. The yabure manju also costs 90 yen and is a famous wagashi originally from Nobeoka, shaped like the fruit of the sacred tree "ogatama." The black sugar manju costs 90 yen each and has a gentle aroma of black sugar, with a thin skin-like outer layer. The black sugar manju comes in two varieties, white bean paste and black bean paste, both with a smooth and creamy texture. The shop is located along a road that branches off from the prefectural road, possibly an old road. It is situated along the road when you turn south at the Sasaguri Town Hall traffic light. Murashima Manju Shop Address: 4774-7 Sasaguri, Kasuya District, Fukuoka Prefecture Phone: 092-947-0203 Business hours: 8:30-18:30 Closed on Mondays.

A traditional manju shop that has been in business for 70 years. When I visited the shop, it was right before the Obon festival and the store was filled with traditional Japanese sweets like rakugan, senbei, ame, yokan, and coffee jelly. They also had T-shirts and straw sandals for sale. I decided to buy some steamed manju from the display case. The "Yabure Manju" had a thin skin with plenty of sweet bean paste filling. The "Miso Manju" was a steamed manju with a white bean paste filling, although I couldn't taste the miso. Perhaps the miso was used in the skin. The "Kurozato Manju" was also a steamed manju with a black bean paste filling.