Discovering Japan 2014 no.12 Special Feature Another Side of Japan: Snacks and Sweets Spring Summer Autumn Winter niponica is published in Japanese and six other languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish), to introduce the world to the people and culture of Japan today. The title niponica is derived from “Nip- Special Feature pon,” the Japanese word for Japan. no. 12 Special Feature Another Side of Japan: contents Another Side of Japan: Snacks and Sweets Snacks and Sweets 04 Sweet Tooth Japan 20 Convenience Stores: Traditional Japanese confections (wagashi) have subtle flavors, and are often associated with A Paradise of Snacks and Sweets the current season. As the shelves in many shops demonstrate, sweets in Japan come in a 10 Japanese Confections: multitude of tastes and shapes. They play an important role in the culture of giving, and their Tasty, Fun and Cute! 23 Make Some, Eat Some: packaging can be surprisingly beautiful—so many types, so good to eat, so nice to look at Savor the Experience of and intriguing as well. This issue welcomes you to a land of wonderful snacks and sweets. 14 Confectionaries and Japanese Sweets and Snacks the Culture of Giving Top photos: Cherry blossom petals in layers, fresh green maple 24 Strolling Japan leaves, insects in a grove chirping at the harvest moon, snow 16 The Beauty and Tradition Asakusa and Mukojima: resting on a holly leaf—wagashi sweets are designed to cel- No. 12 ebrate the season. (All by Akasaka Shiono) March 14, 2014 of Japan’s Delicious Snacks and Rambles in Cover photo: Tai-yaki cakes made from a wheat flour and egg Wrapped Confections Yesteryear Tokyo dough. The dough is stuffed with an bean paste, then pressed Published by: Ministry of into a fish-shaped mold to be baked. (Kotai-yaki, by Tourindou Foreign Affairs of Japan Co. Ltd.) Kasumigaseki 2-2-1, Chiyoda-ku, 18 From Tradition to 28 Souvenirs of Japan Tokyo 100-8919, Japan Photos by Takeuchi Akio http://www.mofa.go.jp/ a Sweet New World Green Tea 2 niponica 3 Dialogue Sweet Tooth Japan Kurokawa Mitsuhiro and Aoki Sadaharu Admiring the changing seasons, cherishing the beauty of form, appreciating the taste of individual ingredients—these practices have all contributed to Japan’s fabulous culture of sweets. Both traditional and modern sweets are explored here by Kurokawa Mitsuhiro, the owner of a Japanese confectionery established more than 480 years ago, and Aoki Sadaharu, a Japanese chef pâtissier well known in Paris for his creations. Photos by Natori Kazuhisa Collaboration: TORAYA Confectionery Co., Ltd. and a-sweets house inc. Japanese and Western are chestnuts candied in syrup, made Japanese ingredients open found in confections in other coun- confections: How are with a technique somewhat similar to up new possibilities tries, along with ginger and wasabi, making an from adzuki beans. and most likely miso5 will be included they different? Kurokawa: About 10 years ago we too, before long. Some day, French Kurokawa: In Japan we categorize Kurokawa: Wagashi specialize in the launched shops offering fusion con- chefs might see an as a perfectly or- sweet food into two types: Japanese art of attracting the five senses. The fections—wagashi containing some dinary ingredient for their confections. and Western. Uniquely Japanese in- first of course is taste. The second is Western elements. For example, a A while back, world-class pastry gredients such as adzuki beans and visual—they have an attractive, blend of an and chocolate in a cake chef Pierre Hermé wanted to tour our mochi rice dough are used for wagashi tempting appearance. The third is fra- we call Adzuki and Cacao Fondant. factory to see how an is made. Our (traditional Japanese confections), grance, which is more subtle than that Another example: an paste adapted by workers were surprised and honored while ingredients that came originally of Western sweets, but good in bring- our chefs to use like regular jam. I’m by his visit and gave him a big wel- from the West are used for Western ing out the flavor of the matcha tea convinced we’ll see more crossovers, come. I’m hoping cross-pollination confections. Japan began secluding enjoyed during the tea ceremony. (So as wagashi and Western confections like this will expand the world of itself from the rest of the world in wagashi should not have a strong start using each other’s ingredients. sweet food. th Kurokawa Mitsuhiro the 17 century, but when it opened aroma.) The fourth is the sense of Aoki Sadaharu Seventeenth in the line of owners of TORAYA up again in the later 19th century, touch given by their texture. They Aoki: One of my clients in Paris told Aoki: Every year in my shops in Paris Chef pâtissier at pâtisserie Sadaharu AOKI Confectionery, which goes back more than paris. He was presented with France’s Best 480 years. He carries on the same traditions Western cultural elements poured must be firm enough to cut with a me he wanted confections with a I use a total of about 500 kilograms Pâtissier Award and the French Mayors’ while also making new creations at TORAYA in. That’s the background behind toothpick, soft enough to break into green tea taste, so I made éclairs fla- of adzuki beans. That’s a big jump Award for his Western confections that CAFÉ and other shops. Chairman of the include traditional Japanese ingredients. Japan Wagashi Association. this categorization. pieces, and somewhat chewy when vored with green tea powder. That’s from the 25 kilograms I was using Based in Paris, he has 11 shops including you bite into them. the trigger that started me on using before. ones in Tokyo and Taiwan. Aoki: Yes, for example, wagashi use As for the fifth sense, hearing: Japanese ingredients. Now I’ll add In Christmas cake I often include a wide variety of sugars, and in dif- something else that sets wagashi apart black sesame, yuzu citrus fruit, roasted adzuki beans, green tea powder, and ferent ways. Western sweets often from Western confections is their green tea and wasabi to some of the praline. French pastry chefs who come start with wheat flour, whereas ability to stimulate an imaginative things I make, like macaroons and to Japan tell me they like adzuki wagashi start with rice. response when we hear their names, chocolate sweets. I like surprising beans a lot. which we associate with some scene people in Paris, taking their taste buds Kurokawa: I see wagashi as being in in nature, or a season. One example in new directions. Could yokan jelly ever a class by themselves because they use would be cherry trees in bloom. Mr. Kurokawa, maybe you remem- only plant ingredients, never animal ber when you came to Paris and after become as popular as oil, milk products or gelatin. Aoki: Wagashi have other marvelous, I gave you macaroons flavored with chocolate? even surprising, features that give green tea powder we talked about why Kurokawa: It’s been 33 years since we Aoki: Another distinguishing feature them world caché. Their fragrances the powder is never used in wagashi. opened our Japanese confectionery is that wagashi are often steamed. and colors are understated, and their What you said rang true to me—the shop in Paris, back in 1980. French cream puffs have cream coloring tends toward soft pastels, reason is that, traditionally, wagashi Yokan jelly6 is an important part of custard filling in a soft shell. So I with highly artistic color arrange- are to eat with tea made from green our lineup in Japan and we keep hop- think they have something in com- ments. In contrast, most French con- tea powder, during the tea ceremony. ing Parisians will like it, too. In fact, mon with Japan’s monaka,1 manju2 fections choose colors that suggest the it is actually gaining a few fans. Yo- and daifuku,3 all of which have a taste inside. Anyway, I personally Kurokawa: Today, though, I’d say it kan comes in blocks, the color is dark, unique doughy exterior and a filling think wagashi tend to be better at would be OK for Japanese confections and the appearance doesn’t hint at 4 Traditional yokan jelly sweetened with made of an. France’s marron glacés pleasing the senses. to contain green tea powder. It is now what it tastes like. Anyway, we began Matcha green tea, black sesame, raspberry, brown sugar (top), and Western-style yo- roasted green tea, chocolat macaron… just kan with pear (bottom). Just two examples a few of the new tastes chef pâtissier Aoki showing how TORAYA Confectionery keeps Sadaharu creates by combining Japanese coming out with one innovation after an- and Western ingredients. other, while carrying on ancient traditions at the same time. 4 niponica 5 Left: Aoki puts the finishing touches to his matcha green tea cake, Bambou. Below: His unparalleled éclairs have a rich taste, and colors that play up the ingredi- ents. From top: tart fruit, vanilla, nutty chocolate. including ingredients Westerners like, Kurokawa: You’re right about how Stop hiding techniques, such as black currants, mint, pears most French people have not taken to and let Japanese sweets and baked apple. And we gave our yokan yet. But Asians tend to be more spread worldwide modified yokan nice coloring and cut positive about it. People in China, it into bite-size pieces. South Korea and Southeast Asia are Aoki: Japanese fingers are nimble and quite at home with simmered adzuki aim for delicacy—just think of ori- Aoki: Actually, yokan isn’t my favorite beans, a major ingredient in yokan.