After leaving "Mutsuya" in Ibuki City, I returned to Uji City! Encountering someone who seemed to be Mr. Mairebi (GS President) from Nara City made me a bit nervous even while driving. I couldn't focus on the navigation voice guidance and ended up making a few wrong turns! Trying to calm myself down, I arrived at "Yoraku Namiki Store" to buy some snacks for the day. I was curious about the "Orange Daifuku" banner I saw when passing by the shop recently. I bought two Orange Daifuku (limited edition) for 380 yen each and one Chestnut Pie for 240 yen. The Orange Daifuku, which seemed to be a seasonal item, was quite large with half of a big orange inside. The white bean paste filling was delicious with the ripe orange providing a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. The Chestnut Pie, a familiar item, was also tasty. The shop had a variety of spring-themed Japanese sweets like Sakura Mochi and Three-color Dango, but I couldn't buy them due to the short expiration date. A few days later, I saw a review of the same shop by a Mairebi who lives in Kyoto Prefecture. Surprisingly, they visited the shop just a few hours after me, and we almost crossed paths without knowing it! Such a coincidence!

It's been a while since I visited Yoraku-san! I wanted to buy the Jumbo Ichigo Daifuku, but unfortunately, it was sold out! I ended up getting the classic Ichigo Daifuku instead. The strawberries were juicy and very fresh! The combination with the white bean paste was excellent! It was really delicious. Thank you for the meal! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

Strawberry Daifuku @ 260 yen x 3 = 780 yen Nakam @ 170 yen x 2 = 340 yen Total 1120 yen The white bean paste is lightly sweetened and the whole strawberry is wrapped in it, very delicious. I have bought it several times. The Nakam is simply delicious.

I decided to buy traditional Japanese sweets for New Year's, so I visited "Yuraku Meiboku-ten," a branch of the store I reviewed before, "Yuraku Honten." I arrived at the shop a little after 2 pm, and the dedicated parking lot was almost full. There were also many bikes and bicycles parked in front of the store, and there was a line of customers waiting to buy traditional Japanese sweets inside the store. After waiting for about 15 minutes, it was my turn! This time, I bought: - Anmochi: 270 yen - Ume Daifuku: 210 yen - Uji Matcha Chagashi: 180 yen - Fig Pie: 250 yen - Honren Yokan: 180 yen (*All prices include tax) Review of the sweets: - Anmochi: A simple mochi with sweet bean paste inside. It was delicious after lightly toasting it in a toaster. - Ume Daifuku: A traditional New Year's sweet with a plum seed inside. The sweet and sour plum flavor complemented the white bean paste and mochi well. - Uji Matcha Chagashi: Bite-sized green tea-flavored mochi with a refined sweetness. It paired well with hot green tea. - Fig Pie: A pastry filled with fig from Joyo City. The concentrated sweetness of the fig was delicious, especially when warmed in a toaster. - Honren Yokan: A small-sized red bean jelly with an elegant sweetness. It was incredibly delicious, especially when enjoyed with good green tea. Overall, the traditional Japanese sweets from "Yuraku" are consistently delicious, and I have never been disappointed with my purchases. I understand why there was a line of customers buying sweets for New Year's. I will definitely visit again to buy more delicious traditional Japanese sweets!

I went to buy grape daifuku, but unfortunately it was sold out! I bought the classic strawberry daifuku, peach daifuku, and grapefruit daifuku instead. The strawberry daifuku was the best, as expected! Yoraku's is the best! The peach daifuku was a bit lacking in peach flavor, losing to the white bean paste. The grapefruit daifuku tasted just like eating a grapefruit! They were all delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Strawberry daifuku is famous, but all the other traditional Japanese sweets are delicious without exception. I like the ones with white bean paste. They are not too sweet and they bring out the deliciousness of the strawberries well. There are also many seasonal Japanese sweets available, and there are many long-lasting sweets that are good for souvenirs, so I think they are versatile.

Every year during strawberry season, I always buy Yuraku-san's strawberry daifuku. The combination of mochi, white bean paste, and strawberry is the best match. There are several stores in Uji City and Kyotanabe City, and every store offers delicious daifuku.

Since I moved and haven't had the chance to visit, I stopped by on my way back from a trip to Joyo City. I bought 3 strawberry daifuku and 3 wagashi. They were delicious as always! When I gave them to my wife, I only got one strawberry daifuku for myself.

I went to Yoraku, a traditional Japanese confectionery shop located near Uji's famous trees. They have a variety of sweets like manju and ohagi, perfect for souvenirs. Yesterday, I went to buy some sweets for souvenirs, but made sure to get some for myself too! I bought strawberry daifuku and sakuramochi. The strawberry daifuku is delicious!!! Inside this one daifuku is a whole strawberry. Between the strawberry and the mochi is white bean paste. Compared to the strawberry daifuku sold in supermarkets, Yoraku's version is on a different level. The strawberry is juicy, blending perfectly with the white bean paste and mochi, creating an elegant sweetness that fills your mouth. As for the sakuramochi, it was my first try this time. The chewy texture of the glutinous rice and the red bean paste were quite good. However, after eating the strawberry daifuku, it pales in comparison. When you enter the shop, they serve you tea and sweets as a complimentary service. The only downside is that the staff can be a bit chatty and might give you a hard time if you ask for an extra bag, but let's overlook that part.

Kyoto Prefecture, Uji City, 4th Wagashi Shop in 2014 (1st time this year, 1st time overall) After having ramen for lunch, I decided to visit a Wagashi shop that I had been curious about in the direction of Joyo. Kyogashi-shi Yoraku Namiki-ten The main store was near the location on this day, but I was worried that the Wagashi might go bad if left in the car on a hot day, so I decided to have lunch first and then visit this branch. Upon entering the store, I found it quite spacious with a wide variety of sweets on display. Although I was looking for their strawberry daifuku and "fruit dango," I couldn't find the latter. Instead, I chose three different items this time. - Strawberry Daifuku (3 pieces): The outer mochi is very soft, and the sweetness of the white bean paste coating the strawberry is gentle, with the tartness of the strawberry being more prominent. It's a refreshing treat. - Terada Imo: The outer skin is soft and fragrant. The sweet potato paste inside has a chunky texture and a mild sweetness. It might be better to eat it with a drink as it can feel a bit dry. - Fig Pie: The crispy crust contains sweet and sour fig pulp. The contrast in texture between the crust and fig is excellent. However, I feel like I've tasted this flavor somewhere before, but I can't recall where. After trying these three items, the strawberry daifuku was indeed delicious with a refreshing taste, but it didn't have any distinct characteristics. The Terada Imo and Fig Pie were not particularly unique, but they were not overly sweet and felt safe to eat. If you're in the mood for Wagashi, this is a casual place to visit. However, it would be more convenient if they had a parking lot.

My family home is nearby, so I have been using this place often since I was young. A gourmet friend who lives in Kyoto city even comes here to buy, which surprised me. But I can understand why. During the winter season, they sell "strawberry daifuku" (220 yen) which I always make sure to buy at least once. The strawberries used have a moderate acidity, so the taste and sweetness are consistent no matter when you eat them, which is reassuring. The strawberries are wrapped in white bean paste. I feel like many strawberry daifuku with black bean paste tend to mask the natural sweetness of the strawberries, but with white bean paste, it slightly emphasizes the sweetness of the strawberries while still allowing the acidity to come through. Because of this, even people who aren't big fans of sweet treats find this enjoyable. The skin, like mochi, is perfectly chewy and smooth. Another favorite of mine is the "Shirakawa uiro" (100 yen). There are two types, black sugar and white, and I love the texture with bits of mochi rice remaining and how easy it is to cut with a knife. Also, the "warabi mochi" (170 yen) which is actually a type of steamed bun. It has a smooth red bean paste with a slightly lower moisture content wrapped in warabi mochi and dusted with roasted soybean flour. It's delicious when eaten slightly chilled. With all these options, I always end up buying a variety of items when I visit. Normally, the shop serves sweets and tea, which is also part of the fun of going there. For some reason, they didn't serve anything today, which made it a bit lonely...

It's spring. It's the season for strawberries♪ Strawberry daifuku season♪ In the past, when strawberry daifuku first came out, red bean paste was the main filling, right? I personally didn't really like that, I prefer white bean paste with strawberries♪ When it comes to strawberry daifuku at home, it's always "Yoraku"!! The first time I tried it was probably when I received it from my husband's parents. The shop has 3 locations: the main store in Joyo City, and branches in Uji City and Kyotanabe City. Since it's far away, we rarely go there ourselves. But they don't offer shipping, so it's a precious traditional Japanese sweet that we can only enjoy by going there. On a day when we had to go out by car, we suddenly remembered and decided to go! We had a few things to do and went there last, so I called ahead to reserve some so they wouldn't sell out! We went to the shop called "Nagi" in Uji City. There were various options, and in the end, we arrived about 30 minutes before closing time... It was already dark outside (^_^;) But since we had made a reservation, it was okay~ We bought 4 souvenirs for my husband's family and had 4 for ourselves divided into 2 sets. When we were paying at the shop, they served us tea and snacks (‾∀‾*) The snack was like a mochi with soybean flour, and the tea was plum green tea. It was delicious. Since they don't last long, after I took myself and the packages home, my husband went straight to his parents' house. A while later when he came back... huh? He came back carrying a Yoraku bag. ...Did he forget to give it to them...?? No way. When my husband handed me the bag, I opened it and found 2 strawberry daifuku inside... Huh, if he took 4 to his parents' house, 2 came back... Could it be!? It was exactly that! Today, my mother-in-law went to Uji and bought some for us... (laughs) What a coincidence! If we had known, we could have asked her to get some for us~ (^_^;) When my husband took them, his mother burst out laughing when she saw the bag. Of course she did. So, from 2 to 3 strawberry daifuku per person (´∀`) These strawberry daifuku are quite large♪ They are quite heavy. They leave a clear mark of your teeth... Sorry... The strawberries are very juicy, so the juice drips on the first bite, so it's okay to slurp it up! (laughs) They are really delicious~~~ (‾∀‾*) Even one is satisfying, but they are so delicious and light that you can easily eat several! But we are saving them... They are precious after all (laughs) They should open a shop in Kyoto city~~~!!

The number one sweet I want to eat before I die is the exquisite strawberry daifuku! The size, chewiness, and ratio of white bean paste to strawberry are all perfect. I used to not acknowledge the existence of white bean paste, but after meeting Yoraku's strawberry daifuku, I feel sorry for my prejudice. The price of one strawberry daifuku is around 220 yen. I usually buy about five, but end up devouring 2 or 3 by myself. I haven't tried any other sweets, so I can't recommend them. Yoraku's main store is located in Joyo City, next to Uji City. The closest store to central Uji is the Komyo store. For those coming from Osaka, there is the Matsui-ga-Oka store. Please note that strawberry daifuku is usually sold from November to April, so it's recommended to call the store to confirm. Also, they may sell out before closing time, so making a reservation is recommended.

I have purchased souvenirs from this shop many times. Personally, I always get the strawberry daifuku and the limited summer fruit sweets. The balance between the texture of the strawberry daifuku and the deliciousness of the strawberries is exquisite. These menu items tempted me, someone who rarely eats traditional Japanese sweets. The summer fruit menu is quite expensive, but the juicy deliciousness that can only be tasted here is always worth it.