The best souvenirs from Kyoto

Kyoto is a famous tourist attraction that is just as popular as Tokyo. The city's charm comes from the many temples and the nice neighborhoods it has, which make it a destination loved by visitors from all around the world. Let's take a look at what kinds of souvenirs Kyoto has to offer.

1. Nama Yatsuhashi With Red Bean Paste

Among the Japanese, a long time favorite souvenir from Kyoto is the nama yatsuhashi. Yatsuhashi is a type of senbei, cracker that is made of rice flour, sugar, cinnamon and water, which is mixed, then rolled out into a thin sheet before being baked. When the dough is steamed instead of being baked and filled with red bean paste, it turns into a confectionery called nama yatsuhashi with red bean.

2. Konpeito Sugar Candy

Konpeito is traditional sugar candy that originates from Portugal. True to its name, Kyoto Marun's "World's Smallest Konpeito" is very tiny. White, green, yellow and pink konpeito as small as grains of sand can be found in a jar. It is very tiny, but you can taste the wonderful flavor of the sugar in each piece.

3. Fukkura Usagi Set

Fukkura Usagi is a sugar confectionery made by Kyoto Marun. The sugary treats in the shape of hearts and bunnies are so cute that it's almost hard to take a bite. The bunnies are placed in a box that is filled with konpeito sugar candy. Cute designs such as this are a trait of Japanese souvenirs.

4. Yuumochi

Yuumochi are bite-size rice cakes inside a cute packaging in the shape of yuzu citrus. When you open the lid, you will smell the refreshing aroma of the yuzu citrus. It has a nice texture, almost like something between a gummy and a standard rice cake. The yuzu citrus flavor is very bold and makes you feel like you are eating the actual fruit. You can also taste the mild bitterness of the citrus, making it an addictive treat.

5. Matcha Anpone

Matcha Anpone is a confectionery set with matcha green tea bean paste, homemade cheese cream and monaka (Japanese wafers). The unique trait of this sweets is how you stuff the filling into the monaka wafers. The two types of pastes, homemade mascarpone cheese and bean paste using matcha green tea from Uji, Kyoto, come in jars. The Japanese confectionery, monaka is a crispy waffle made out of thinly baked mochi rice cake with a red bean filling.

6. Suhama Dango

Suhama dango is a cute tri-colored sweet made of domestically produced kinako and syrup that has been mixed together. Kinako is a powder made from ground soybeans. The soybean powder has been mixed in so you can savor the taste of the beans from each bite. The sugar coat also helps bring out the sweetness of the bean as well. Since it comes in a nice bite-sized piece, it is hard to resist eating more than one.

Read more: The ultimate Japanese food guide

Source matcha-jp