niponica is a web magazine that introduces modern Japan to people all over the world.
2014 No.12
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Another Side of Japan: Snacks and Sweets
The Beauty and Tradition of Japan's Delicious Wrapped Confections
Baskets, ceramics, Japanese paper—
Containers as handicraft art
The artistic appeal of these containers will make you want to keep them long after their confections are eaten.
Left: Small chest of drawers covered with cheerful chiyo-gami paper. Each drawer has brightly colored confections made with a different type of sugar. (Chiyo Tansu, by Shioyoshi Ken)
Right: The wooden box comes crammed with candy balls in five different colors. Rice flour is mixed with honey, formed into balls, cooked, then coated with five different colored flavorings for five different tastes: ume apricot, yuzu citrus fruit, ginger, sesame and cinnamon. (Tama Orihime, by Matsu-ya Tobe’e)
With each shake of the gourd-shaped ceramic container, out come several mellow sweet konpeito (round sugary confections with points on their surfaces). (Furidashi, by Murasaki no Wakuden)
Small bell-shaped monaka confections arranged neatly in a little box made of woven bamboo. The combination of the fragrant toasted crusts of sticky rice and the sweet bean paste is delectable. (Suzu no Monaka, by Suzukake)
Top: The paper box with the lush pine needle design contains baked confections made of kuzu arrowroot starch kneaded with yuzu citrus fruit. Pine branches and needles are used to signify a joyful occasion. (Yuzu no Kuzu-yaki, by Murasaki no Wakuden)
Below: Put fine-grained wasanbonto sugar morsels in your mouth and they melt away quickly. They come wrapped in soft Japanese paper. The small spot of scarlet on the top represents the mouth of a maiko dancing girl. (O-choma, by Kagizen Yoshifusa)
Soft-texture sugar confections shaped like plants represent the current season. The cheerful design on the paper box cover will change each season. The confections in this photo are for autumn. (Han-Nama-Gashi, by Nagato)