I got off at Marutamachi Station and found a small mochi shop near Kumano-ryo in Kyoto University. I bought 805 pieces of small mochi and tried them at home. The mochi was delicious, made only with mochi rice without any preservatives or additives. It was truly a pure and energizing taste. I regretted only buying 5 pieces and decided to buy in units of 10 next time. I also tried some warabi mochi, which was chewy and good, but not as impressive as the plain mochi. Overall, it was a delicious meal.

One of Kyoto's famous shops. I felt like eating seasonal Japanese sweets, so I bought "Kashiwa-mochi" for 346 yen. It contains two types of Kashiwa-mochi: yomogi-mochi with whole bean paste, and the regular type with smooth bean paste. Both are delicious. I prefer the smooth bean paste one. It was nice to be able to enjoy them unexpectedly.

When I went to the Kyoto University Hospital, I stopped by here and bought uguisu-mochi, bean daifuku, castella cake, manju with chestnut filling, and red rice. I ate the uguisu-mochi and bean daifuku in my hospital room right away. They were soft and filled with deliciousness. The red rice was especially tasty when I had it at home later.

On Children's Day, I was walking along Marutamachi Street thinking about buying some Kashiwa-mochi. That's when I came across a mochi confectionery shop called "Narumi Mochi." While Kyoto has many famous traditional Japanese sweets shops, stumbling upon this one felt like fate, so I decided to try their Kashiwa-mochi. I bought one each of the Koshi-an, Goma-an (sesame), and Miso-an flavors. Once back in my room in Osaka after 9 days, I tasted them. The bite-sized and small Kashiwa-mochi had a moist and deliciously chewy texture. The Miso-an flavor, which is rarely seen in Kanto, was a first for me, and the sweet-salty taste was amazing! If I had to wish for something more, it would be to have a bigger-sized Kashiwa-mochi like the ones I used to eat as a child.

I walked a lot in Kyoto for a memorial service. As the meeting time approached, I crossed the Kamo River and came to the "right bank" side. While walking, I found an old-fashioned Japanese confectionery shop! The lineup was full of nostalgic items. Come to think of it, I haven't had three-color dumplings in a long time... That pink color, now that I'm an adult, makes me wonder if it's bad for my health. So, I decided to buy something I haven't had in a while... and chose kashiwa mochi. It has a mochi outer layer with red bean paste inside. When I bring it close to my mouth, I can smell a faint scent of leaves. By the way, can you eat these leaves? They're not as tough as the leaves used in persimmon leaf sushi, just the right texture to be edible or not. Well, since it won't kill me if I eat it, and if it tastes bad I can just spit it out, I took a bite. Hmm, it's good. You shouldn't eat the stem part in the center of the leaf, but the rest is fine. When it's freshly made, it probably had a stronger scent of mugwort. As I was munching on the leaf, I noticed a passing foreigner glancing at me. Eating things like this is how you truly get to know Kyoto, Japan, you know~ I gave them a look to convey that message...

I knew that the main store of Narumi Mochi was located along Horikawa Street, but this shop is located along Marutamachi Street, which runs south of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The sign for "Narumi Mochi" is divided by a curtain, and I heard that there are several of these shops in Kyoto, each with its own unique touches. The red rice here is made with a special brand of rice from Shiga. I bought a 400 yen pack to eat on the way back on the Shinkansen, and it was incredibly delicious with a deep flavor. I regretted not buying a slightly larger pack. The products here mostly consist of traditional Japanese sweets, so that might actually be their main focus.