Kyoto's Japanese sweets are also Christmas-specific♪ Limited time offerings from long-established stores to give as gifts

The morning and evening temperatures are getting colder and the city of Kyoto is now in full winter mode.
And the most festive season of the year, Christmas, will soon arrive!

Christmas cake is the standard when it comes to Christmas, but there are also many Japanese sweets in Kyoto that celebrate the holiday season. They are available only during this season and are a must-have. Because they are only available during this season, they are a must-have when you visit Kyoto.
So, we would like to introduce you to some Japanese sweets with Christmas motifs that you can buy in Kyoto.

Table of Contents

■White Christmas" by Tsuruya Yoshinobu

Tawaraya Yoshitomi "Christmas

Dried Christmas confectionery" by Yushoku Confectionery Goshosho Laomatsu

Suefu "Christmas crackers

■summary

White Christmas" by Tsuruya Yoshinobu

The first sweets are dried confections made by Tsuruya Yoshinobu.
Tsuruya Yoshinobu is a Japanese confectionery store located in Imadegawa, Kamigyo-ku, established in 1803.
It is best known for "Kyo Kanze," a rolled cake-like kokuragokan made with murage and Tanba Dainagon sweet bean paste, and for its rice cake sweets made of gyuhi with green yuzu flavor and covered with wasanbon sugar.
Recently, I have the impression that the company is innovative in introducing new things, such as the collaboration with "Kirby the Star" and the development of new brands.

Introduced here is "White Christmas," a collection of various Christmas motifs.

The tree is a fallen wild goose and has a soft and mild texture.
The snowflake and snowman are rakugan with wasanbon. The fine texture melts easily in the mouth.
The socks and stars are made of ground amber and have a unique texture with a crisp surface and smooth inside.
You can enjoy three different flavors in one box♪
Simply arranging them on the plate to your liking will get you in the Christmas spirit!

Tsuruya Yoshinobu also has fresh confections with Christmas motifs!
From left to right: "Suzu no Oto" (gairo x white bean paste), "Christmas Tree" (kinton x grainy bean paste), and "Noel" (konashi x koshian paste).
The colorful, detailed design also exudes a sense of sophistication that only a long-established company can bring to the table, and it is very exciting!

Incidentally, "IRODORI" located right in front of the Hachijo exit of Shinkansen Kyoto Station is also a brand of Tsuruya Yoshinobu.
A wide variety of cute and perfect souvenirs are available, such as colorful monaka, amber sugar, and arimpeito (a type of sweetened sugar).
There is also a café where you can enjoy sweet and Japanese drinks, so be sure to stop by during your trip♪

Store Name:Tsuruya Yoshinobu Honten
Address: 340-1 Nishifunabashi, Imadegawa Horikawa Nishi-iru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone: 075-441-0105

HP:https://www.tsuruyayoshinobu.jp/

Tawaraya Yoshitomi "Christmas

The next confectionary is a creative dried confectionary from Tawaraya Yoshitomi.
Tawaraya Yoshitomi was established in 1755. It is a long-established Kyoto confectionary store that faithfully examines ingredients and faces the challenge of making Kyoto sweets on a daily basis.

The representative confectionery here is "Unryu.
In 1918, the seventh generation of Yoshitomi at that time was fascinated by the cloud and dragon design in the nearby Shokokuji Temple, and expressed it in Japanese confectionery. In 1951, it won the Mayor's Prize at the first postwar Kyoto Confectionary Exposition.
The outer layer is made of bean paste and the inner layer is made of Ogura-an (sweet bean paste). The outer layer has a soft texture and the inner layer is moist. It has a nostalgic taste that sometimes makes me want to eat it irresistibly.

I would like to introduce "Christmas" this time.

Holiday motifs are expressed in fuyaki rice crackers, batter, and amber sugar, and are so cute that it is a shame to eat them! They are so cute that you can't help but think it would be a shame to eat them! The snowman fuyaki is especially humorous. It is sure to be a hit with small children.
Other products available only during the Christmas season include "Molasses Bonbons Jingle Bells" in the shape of a tree, boots, and snowman.
The outside is crispy, and molasses overflows from the inside, making this a somewhat unusual confectionery.

And there is a "Kyoto Confectionery Museum" next to the Karasuma store to the north.
Based on the concept of "conveying the culture of Kyoto confectionery properly to as many people as possible," ancient documents and paintings related to Kyoto confectionery, models of Japanese confectionery, sugar confectionery, and other items are on display.
The museum also has a tea house, Shounken, where visitors can enjoy matcha green tea, Tawaraya Yoshitomi's famous "Unryu" confections, and seasonal fresh confections (for a fee).

Store Name:Tawaraya Yoshitomi Karasuma Store
Address: Kamidachiuri-agaru, Karasuma-dori, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
Phone: 075-432-3101

HP:https://kyogashi.co.jp/

Dried Christmas confectionery" by Okumatsu, a confectionery shop for the confectionery industry.

Next, I would like to introduce some dried confections from Laematsu.

Laematsu was established in 1908. The main store is located in Kami Shichiken, the oldest Hanamachi district, right next to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, which is dedicated to the god of learning.
Goshoguruma" is well known as a representative confectionary, and its sweet bean paste filled with "Goshoguruma" is popular among people of all ages.
Another signature product is "Bankan Sugar," a refreshing cool snack made by hand-hollowing out large grapefruits, squeezing the juice and agar together, and pouring the mixture back into the peel.

The "Christmas dried confections" pictured here are a gorgeous assortment of dried confections featuring an all-star cast of Christmas motifs, including bells, holly, snowmen, and snowflakes. (*Isetan limited product)

I arranged them as if I were painting a picture on a navy blue plate with the image of the night sky!
Each piece is beautifully colored, the box is Christmas-specific, and the affordable price makes it a perfect souvenir. (*Isetan limited product)

Store Name:Yushoku confectionery shop, Laomatsu J.R. Kyoto Isetan
Address: B1F Higashi Shiokoji-cho, Shiokoji-sagaru, Karasuma-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-352-1111 (main)

HP:https://oimatu.co.jp/

Suefu "Christmas cracker

Lastly, I would like to introduce Sue-Tomi's rice crackers.
Sue-Tomi was established in 1893. It is a long-established Japanese confectionary store that has been trusted immensely by Kyoto's tea masters and shrines and temples.
You may know it by its light blue wrapping paper with a flower pattern on it, called "Suetomi Blue.
Uzubeni," a rice cracker with ume plum paste sandwiched between the rice crackers, is well known as a representative famous confectionary.

Christmas Sembei (3 pieces)" is a large fuyaki sembei with a snowman, wreath, and tree on it.
The crispy and pleasantly chewy texture, the aroma and gentle sweetness derived from glutinous rice are a relaxing taste.
It is quite large at 18.5 cm in diameter, so it makes a big impact. It is also recommended as a casual seasonal gift.

Also available in a smaller size is the "fuyaki sembe Merry Christmas 5 pieces".

The soft and light fuyaki rice crackers are branded with five types of branding: merry christmas, tree, bell, reindeer, and snowflake, and coated with five colors of molasses.
The combination of the Japanese branding technique and the Western motifs makes for a very tasteful, elegant, and cute ♬.

And speaking of Suetomi, the beauty of the design of the main confectionery is also worth mentioning.
We received the two kinds of kinton in the photo, and the forms and colors are really cute.

The "Carol" is made with green-dyed kinton to represent a Christmas tree, multicolored nashi balls to represent tree decorations, and finally topped with an agar star.

The "Holy Night" is a snow-covered Christmas tree. Both were smooth and sweet. They were very satisfying in both appearance and taste.

Store Name:Sueomi Head Office
Address: Muro-machi Higashi-iru, Matsubara-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto
Phone: 075-351-0808

HP:https://www.kyoto-suetomi.com/

summary

Some people may have an image of Kyoto's wagashi as being somewhat reserved, too sweet, or plain.
However, wagashi in this millennium-old city continues to evolve, and there are many highly “fashionable” wagashi.
Please enjoy the Christmas spirit in a Kyoto-like way with Japanese sweets.