I purchased "Chofukuji Mochi," a baked mochi with red bean paste inside, symbolizing a wish for lasting happiness. The soft mochi wraps around the sweet red bean paste, topped with black sesame seeds for a flavorful and delicious taste. Each piece is carefully handcrafted by artisans.

"I see, I thought it was a new product, but it's a reissue, isn't it?" That's what I said to the store clerk when I found this reissued soft mochi with red bean paste at this Kyoto confectionery shop. I thought I had tried all the sweets from "Sasaya Iori" except for fresh sweets and some limited edition items, as I often enjoyed their sweets when I visited Kyoto. However, on this day in early September 2023, when I stopped by the store, the sweet I saw for the first time, called "Chofuku-ji Mochi," was not a new product but a reissue after about 50 years. This is a fresh sweet where soft mochi wraps around whole azuki beans red bean paste, and each piece is carefully crafted by artisans. It used to be a popular sweet representing "Sasaya Iori," sold only for 3 days a month on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd, alongside the popular "dorayaki" (a stick-shaped dorayaki, different from the usual round ones). Due to changes in the times, it had been discontinued for a long time, but in response to the voices of loyal customers eagerly awaiting its return, it was decided to sell it again for the first time in about 50 years in 2023. Initially, I imagined a taste similar to "yakimochi" from "Aoiya Yakimochi Sohonpo" near the World Heritage Site Kamigamo Shrine, as they are both located in Kyoto and have a grilled surface on the dough. However, in reality, they are quite different, or if my memory serves me right, the "Chofuku-ji Mochi" this time gave me a more elegant and softer impression. This flavor is sure to please those who enjoy daifuku. Named after "Nagaku Keifuku wo Fumu," meaning "may long-lasting and great happiness continue," this sweet is perfect for treating yourself or as a gift for Respect for the Aged Day or other celebrations. I recommend it for various occasions. If you're interested, please give it a try.

"I was surprised to find a coffee specifically designed to go with traditional Japanese sweets at this confectionery shop. Lately, it seems like you can find coffee tailored to match the products or image of various places, not just at cafes or coffee specialty shops. Personally, I've recently seen and bought coffee that pairs well with high-end toast at a toast specialty shop, but on this day, when I visited the long-established Kyoto confectionery shop 'Sasaya Iori,' I also found their unique coffee. I purchased the 'Coffee for Wagashi' along with the 'Sweet Potato Pie' and 'Chestnut Pie.' This coffee is a blend of beans from Colombia and Brazil specifically designed to complement Japanese sweets, particularly anko. I've had a similar experience in the past with the 'UCC CAFE@HOME Doraemon Series' coffee beans from UCC Cafe Mercard, which focused on pairing coffee with food. The coffee from 'Sasaya Iori' had a similar taste profile, with a strong body and richness. The pairing with the 'Sweet Potato Pie' and 'Chestnut Pie' was perfect. It's rare to find a traditional Japanese confectionery shop offering their own coffee. If you come across this coffee at 'Sasaya Iori,' I recommend trying it with their sweets."

I was drawn in by the limited-time dorayaki pop-up and was considering buying it, but when I listened to the staff, it seems like it's not a regular dorayaki. Regular dorayaki is a pancake-like castella with sweet red bean paste in between, but this one is a snack made for Buddhist monks, so it doesn't contain eggs. The skin is like a chewy mochi. It's shaped like a tube with red bean paste in the middle. It's wrapped in bamboo skin, making it easy to eat without getting your hands dirty. I haven't tasted anything like it before, so I can't think of a good comparison. The skin has an elegant sweetness, not too sweet, with a restrained sweetness red bean paste rolled inside. It's delicious. I would like to eat it again. It's only sold for three days, from the 20th to the 22nd, including the anniversary of Kobo Daishi, so if you come across it, I recommend buying it immediately. The expiration date is 7 days, but it was very delicious. Thank you for the meal.

This dorayaki, known as a phantom, is only sold for 3 days each month. It is said to have the power to ward off evil spirits and can be purchased at any time right now. It has a mysterious texture and is delicious. Originally created by the fifth generation head of the Sasaya Iori in the late Edo period, at the request of a monk from Toji Temple in Kyoto who wanted a confection to accompany meals. The secret thin skin is baked on a copper gong (dora), wrapped around a stick-shaped sweet bean paste, and then wrapped in bamboo skin. This confection, named "dorayaki" because it is baked on a copper gong, became a topic of conversation in the town for its chewy texture and moderate sweetness. When it started to be sold to the public, it caused a frenzy of busyness. However, due to the laborious process and inability to produce large quantities, it has only been sold for one day each month, coinciding with the anniversary of Kobo Daishi, known as "Kobo-san." Currently, it is sold for 3 days each month on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd.

I went to Kyoto Takashimaya's depachika to buy wagashi from Sasa-ya Iori, but due to the impact of the coronavirus, they are not selling fresh wagashi in May. No store is selling fresh wagashi at the moment, so I ended up buying kuzumochi for 162 yen. I topped it with the included kinako powder and black honey. The amount of kinako powder seemed a bit excessive compared to the kuzumochi, which affected the original flavor. The texture is chewy and it tastes better when chilled. Since it has a long shelf life, it's good to stock up in the fridge for the upcoming summer. I hope they resume selling fresh wagashi soon! ☺️

New Year's first tea ceremony... not the official one, but a tradition where I look for the main confectionery to enjoy with the first tea of the year. I went to the corner where various main confectioneries from the Meika Hyakusen selection were displayed, but couldn't find what I was looking for, so I came here instead. I chose the White Plum and Kozuchi from the premium confectionery section priced at 432 yen each (tax included). I love mochi, so I tried the White Plum. It has a refined taste with white bean paste inside. It pairs well with lightly brewed matcha. The price is a bit high though. There seems to be a unique dorayaki available only on Kobo-san's memorial day. It might be difficult to get the limited edition, but if I have the chance, I would like to try it.

I bought some sweet potato pastries to take home. I also bought some for myself to eat. The pastries were moist and had red beans as a nice touch, making them delicious. It seems like they used the whole sweet potato, including the skin, but I didn't mind because the color of the sweet potato was beautiful and the skin didn't bother me.

Hanabiramochi is a must-try!

"I feel like it has a modern look and taste." I have purchased sweets from the long-established Kyoto confectionery shop "Sasaya Iori" several times before, but this time I bought a limited edition yokan for the first time. This yokan is called "Natsugumo" and is exclusive to Kyoto Takashimaya. I had previously purchased a yokan called "Mizu no Yado" from the same long-established Kyoto confectionery shop "Toraya," but "Natsugumo" differs significantly as it uses lemon juice and is meant to be enjoyed cold like a jelly. Intrigued by this aspect, I decided to purchase this yokan as well. A few days later, I chilled it well in the refrigerator before trying it. Compared to the one from "Toraya," it had a clearer appearance and a cold lemon flavor, so at first, I thought I was eating jelly rather than yokan. However, upon savoring it, I found that the texture was more elastic than jelly, and it was indeed a type of yokan called "Kohakuan." Yokan generally refers to a traditional Japanese sweet made by pouring a bean-based paste into a mold and solidifying it with agar. I was only familiar with chestnut and persimmon as fruits commonly used in yokan, so this modern and unique yokan I tried this time was quite interesting.

I suddenly felt like eating something, so I went to buy a famous specialty sold for only 3 days, including the 21st of the month during the Kobo-san market at Toji Temple! They were piled up at the store (lol). This time, I bought a dorayaki for 1,512 yen. Here is the content and taste: The dorayaki is like a cylindrical Japanese confectionery with a sponge cake-like dough wrapped around red bean paste in a ring shape. It is wrapped in bamboo skin and you cut it before eating. The best way to enjoy it is with a 1.5 cm width slice (o^―^o)ﾆｺ The dough on the rings is sticky and if you warm it up in the microwave, it becomes chewy! It has a texture similar to the famous Gifu delicacy "karasumi." It's a bit of an acquired taste, but for some reason, it's addictive (´ー｀*)ｳﾝｳﾝ Overall, it's completely different from your average dorayaki, but it's an interesting specialty. Kobo-san would be surprised by this dorayaki, so if you're curious, give it a try! Enjoy!

In Kyoto, there is a department store called Takashimaya, and within it, there is a shop called "Sasaya Iori" where you can buy various souvenirs when visiting tourist spots. The basement floor of this department store has many shops gathered together. I visited here to purchase souvenirs with many of Kyoto's specialties available. Sasaya Iori is a famous Kyoto confectionery shop. I decided to try their Mizuyokan, a type of sweet bean jelly. There are several flavors available, but I chose the matcha flavor, which costs 300 yen plus tax. The Mizuyokan has a nice balance of sweetness and the matcha flavor adds a unique touch. It's a bit different from the usual Mizuyokan and quite delicious. The portion size is also good for the price.

The other day, I purchased kuzukiri from Sasaya Iori at the Kyoto Takashimaya underground food market. It is best to keep it refrigerated, so I stored it in the fridge when I got home. Today, the delivery person visited in the hot weather, so I treated him to some kuzukiri as a token of appreciation. It seemed like it was his first time trying kuzukiri, and he was very happy. I also tried it, and it was really delicious. I pushed it out of the bamboo tube like agar jelly in front of him, and it looked like the photo. It seemed to have less moisture than the ones in a bag.

I like sweets from "Momoyama" (＾∇＾) From Iori Sasaya, during the cherry blossom season, "Iori no Sakura" - Inside is strained sweet bean paste with cherry blossom flavor. Just like the New Year's "Okiagari Koboshi," they are individually wrapped in cute packaging and have a shelf life of 40 days. Momoyama in the past was a bit too hard for my taste, but this time it has a firm texture and is delicious. It doesn't have much browning and doesn't look like Momoyama, and the cherry blossom flavor is not very noticeable, but it's cute and perfect for the current season (^-^)

I tried the Azuki Mochi from Sasaya Iori. When I opened it, it looked like a folded dorayaki skin. It was my first time trying it. The dough was moist and chewy, with sweet red bean paste inside. It reminded me of "Ajari Mochi". It was delicious and I can see myself getting addicted to it. I realized that both "Ajari Mochi" and this Azuki Mochi are Kyoto sweets. Since this was a gift from someone living in Kyoto, I assume Sasaya Iori is a well-known store in Kyoto.

Recently, whenever I go somewhere with a department store, I always end up stopping by the basement floor. There are shops with names that seem Kyoto-like, such as "Ori" or "An" or "Emon"... I was looking for some Japanese sweets that are reasonably priced, not filled with red bean paste, and have a refreshing taste, and ended up buying these two: - Yuzu Hanjū is a water candy, with a texture similar to a firm gummy. It brings back memories of eating this kind of candy when I was a child. The surface is sprinkled with rough-textured wasanbon sugar. The vibrant yellow-green color unfortunately turned out to be artificial coloring... - Sasakuzu Mochi is a slightly firm sweet that falls between jelly and sweet bean paste. When you open the box, you'll find a set of four items: kuzumochi, shiromitsu (white honey), uguisu powder, and a toothpick. It's a type that you have to complete yourself. Don't you feel a bit excited even though it seems like a hassle? The combination of shiromitsu and uguisu powder was a first for me, and it's less assertive and more delicate compared to kinako. Maybe it doesn't go well with black honey because it would be overpowered by it. Anyway, it gives off an elegant vibe. However, it also has a fleeting quality that makes you finish it in one bite. Priced at just over 100 yen each, they seem to be sophisticated Japanese snacks for adults.

I received a gift from a friend who lives in Kyoto^^ Inside the box were chestnut natto and chestnut confectionery♬ The box of chestnut confectionery I received contained two types: "chestnut natto" and "chestnut with astringent skin"^^ I love chestnuts, so usually I would finish them in no time, but this time I decided to savor them slowly!! The chestnuts are wrapped in a soft and fluffy texture♪ Since I love chestnuts, I chose the main confectionery with chestnut paste☆☆☆ It's delicately sweet and delicious~~(＾∇＾) Sasaya Iori was founded in 1716. It was during the mid-Edo period when Tokugawa Yoshimune became the eighth shogun. The founder, Sasaya Ihei, who was a confectioner in the castle town of Ise, was summoned to Kyoto by the shogunate and appointed as the official confectioner. Since then, for over 300 years, we have been serving the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, shrines and temples, and the tea ceremony masters. We continue to refine our traditional confectionery making that reflects the beautiful seasons of Kyoto while responding to the demands of our discerning customers. Please feel free to ask for any confectionery requests, and we hope to have a long-lasting relationship with you. From the official website.

In November 2018, I asked a friend to buy me the dorayaki from "Sasaya Iori," which is only sold for 3 days each month on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd. Originally, it was only offered at Toji Temple, a place associated with Kobo Daishi, on his memorial day, the 21st of each month. However, since 1975, they extended the sale period to 3 days. When I brought it home, I found that it was different from the typical dorayaki I had imagined. It was cylindrical in shape and when I cut it, I saw that the sweet bean paste was wrapped in a thin layer of dough. The dough was moist and chewy, and the multiple layers of thin dough gave it a substantial texture. The smooth bean paste had a refined sweetness. Although it didn't feel like a typical dorayaki in terms of appearance, texture, and taste, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for the delicious treat!