As Father's Day approaches, companies in Japan have been releasing celebratory gifts, including a lineup of Studio Ghibli anime-inspired presents. Now Aichi-prefectured based confectionary maker Yagumodango is releasing a lineup of wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) to show gratitude for hardworking dads, specifically those who have to commute by crowded train every morning and night: Japanese sweets inspired by the image of dads putting up with hard jam-packed train commutes to support their families.

Many in Japan who work in Tokyo choose to actually live further away in more affordable rural areas or "sleeping towns", resulting in commuting to and returning from the office at hours where trains are famously packed like a can of sardines. To capture the image of this, Yagumodango has wrapped up daifuku--thin layers of mochi typically filled with cream, fruit, or bean paste--and placed them in wrapping decorated with "dad faces". To tie it all together, the sweets come packaged in a train box so they can all enjoy their grueling commute together.

The back of each daifuku also display a variety of messages of gratitude in Japanese, such as "Thank you for always working so hard for the family", "Thank you for always supporting me", and "I'm sorry to always worry you!"

Unwrapped, the daikfuku come in two flavors. Cream and red bean filling, and purple sweet potato and cream filling.

Boxes in Japan can be ordered from both the official site and Rakuten for 1,400 yen.


By - Big Neko.