Tokyo business trip is over. Now it's time to return to Takamatsu. I headed to the airport a little early and decided to check out the popular Airport Garden. I had a meal at an eel restaurant, and then browsed for some souvenirs. I stumbled upon a shop that specializes in kin-tsuba, a type of Japanese sweet. Let's stop by! "Ebisu Mameen Haneda Airport Garden Store" had cherry blossom decorations outside. It seems that they are selling cherry blossom kin-tsuba exclusively for spring. In the showcase at the front of the store, various types of kin-tsuba were displayed. There were different varieties such as those with chocolate or milk mixed into the sweet bean paste, and those using Naruto sweet potato paste. So many options to choose from! I decided to go for the Haneda Airport exclusive set. It includes cherry blossom kin-tsuba as well. Opening the box with illustrations of airplanes, Tokyo Tower, and Skytree, I found three types of kin-tsuba inside: black bean, cherry blossom, and milk. I decided to split them in half and share with my friend. The kin-tsuba were packed full of sweet bean paste, each with its own unique flavor. The black bean kin-tsuba is a more standard one, but the scattered black beans inside added a special touch. The milk flavor was a new experience for me, and surprisingly, it went really well with the kin-tsuba. And the cherry blossom flavor, with its delicate scent, truly brought the feeling of spring. The main store is located in Ebisu. If I have the chance, I would like to visit the main store next time.

Entering the newly opened Haneda Airport Garden, "Ebisu Mameen" had a slightly lonely atmosphere, perhaps due to its location a step inside. However, I was captivated by the wide variety of kin-tsuki (sweet bean paste-filled rice cakes) unique to this specialty shop and ended up purchasing four different kinds. The kin-tsuki, made with carefully selected ingredients, were priced at around 400 yen each and could be bought individually. They also offered boxed sets that would make great gifts. The interesting combinations such as chocolate and red bean paste, Naruto sweet potato and black bean paste, white kidney bean paste, and almond red bean paste seemed to perfectly match the current trends. The kin-tsuki, filled with elegantly sweet bean paste, were quite satisfying even when eaten alone.

This is Haneda Airport Garden. Oh, is this a specialized shop for Kinutaba? It's quite a small place, but I like red bean paste, so I'm happy. They have unique flavors like apricot and cherry blossom. The sesame Kinutaba was delicious.

White Kin-Tsuba costs 365 yen each. They offer various flavors such as honey, black honey, matcha, sweet potato, and rum raisin. I didn't buy the regular sweet bean paste because there were so many options. The Kin-Tsuba is small, with a firm and thick skin. It's not too sweet. Since they are individually packaged, they make for a great souvenir.