Wagashi is the word used to describe Japanese traditional sweets and desserts. They match perfectly with a cup of green tea for a sublime Japanese teatime, but apart from just tasting exquisite, they often also boast beautiful presentation.

One type of traditional sweet which has captured worldwide attention is Japanese style jellies. These have become known as ‘raindrop cakes’, thanks to a trend for them in New York, as they resemble a raindrop which has landed on a plate. As translucent treats, they hold plenty of potential for the show-stopping sweet aesthetics that Japanese confections have become famous for.

For example, convenience store Lawson’s ‘asteroid jellies’, or the seasonally pink cherry blossom ones.

Kitchoan, a Japanese confectioner, noticed the similarity between a round raindrop jelly and a round goldfish bowl. So they turned their hand to making this fishy masterpiece, the goldfish Japanese-style jelly.

The treats have little perfectly crafted goldfish suspended in the jelly, as if they were swimming around in a fish bowl. They are made of yokan, a type of sweet made from bean paste. The flavour of the sweet is juicy Muscat grape.

They come in sets of one, three or five.

They have also produced square shaped sweets which have a whole serene underwater display playing out, with fish, stones and fallen leaves. The overall flavour is a refreshing lemon and lime.

Both types will only be available until mid-August.

The manufacturers describe these treats as perfect for summer, apart from their refreshing and light flavours, just looking at the fishes swimming around in the water is enough to cool us down too!

The shop's main premises is located in Ginza, Tokyo, and they also have an online store.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.