Did Someone Say Mochi??

What better way to start off the blog than by starting with mochi?

Today I set out to find Nisshodo Candy Shop (because I am finally done with my end-of-semester exams! Woot woot!) Nissodo is definitely a hole-in-the-wall shop that I had the hardest time finding. I was walking around an industrial area with furniture storage and fishing supplies shops around me. I stopped to ask a few people if they knew where to find this little shop and after what seemed like hours, but was really only minutes, I had found it!! The shop was surprisingly smaller than I had expected, but what was inside the glass display case was the treasure I had been searching for. I decided to get two green tea mochi daifukus, one regular daifuku, one peanut butter daifuku, two chichi dango with kinako powder, and one yaki manju (If you do not know what these little gems mean, I have provided some-what of a translation for you down below). 

When I was walking back to the bus stop I found a sidewalk that was really feeling the love. I always get excited whenever I find art in random places, it just makes the adventure that much cooler.

And this is what my favorite mochi, the green tea flavored daifuku, looks like on the inside. YUM! 

I say that this adventure was a definite success!

Words explained:

Mochi- Rice that is soaked, pounded, and formed into any shape that is sticky and ooey gooey delicious.....mmmm

Daifuku- Mochi wrapped around anko/tsubuan (redbean paste) traditionally, but can be filled with anything you can think of!

Chi chi dango- Soft sweet mochi, usually made with coconut milk

Kinako powder- Soybean powder/flour (usually an acquired taste)

Manju- Small puffy buns that can be flaky or spongy in texture that are also filled with anything you can think of, my personal favorite is sweet potato (imo) manju.

Much love
Crystal