Japanese Wagashi

Does your country have its own famous traditional sweets? Do you also love eating rice cake? Or are you more of a western sweets kind of person?

Ever since I came to Japan, I’ve wanted to try Japanese sweets called “wagashi” like dango, daifuku, dorayaki, taiyaki and many more. They have their own unique flavor and are usually stuffed with “anko” which is red bean. They aren’t too sweet and you can feel the work put into making them.

I’ve first seen these in anime like Doraemon as he enjoys his dorayaki or Naruto which often features dango as a popular snack. Coming to Japan and having access to all these sweets and flavors makes my heart full and my childhood dreams fulfilled.

Perhaps my favorite among all these is the “daifuku” soft rice cake wrapped around a filling or sometimes ice cream. It’s one of my comfort food whenever I feel down or stressed.

Another memorable one is “oshiruko” which is mochi in red bean soup which was prepared by a friend’s mother for me on New Year’s which was a very warm experience.

If you are ever in Japan or if you are ever in a bad mood, please give them a try and you might feel a lot better.

Sakura Mochi

Japanese Instant Food

Are you the type of person who’s always on the go? Don’t have enough time to make a decent home-cooked meal? Well, fear not because Japan has an array of wonderful and ever-changing instant food to keep you full and comfortable when you eat~

I’ve always been a fan of instant noodles especially the Nissin brand since I was in the Philippines and coming to Japan and discovering its many other flavors gives me joy as I re-live my childhood.

Other instant food that I like include Japanese Sea Chicken or canned tuna which can also be found in my country under a local name. I enjoy making quick pastas with it as well as salads.

I enjoy other treats like instant gyuudon—Japanese beef bowls, which were recently released during the onslaught of the pandemic. These among others make my life a bit easier especially when I feel too lazy or tired to cook.

I believe that Japan’s instant food is also changing for the better and healthier as it offers more natural ingredients and less preservatives especially for onigiri—rice balls, soups, and noodles. I hope that you can try them one day when you visit or if you have always been the hardworking mom, just take a step back and have your family heat some up for you.

I hope you share a lot of comfort food with your families!

One of my favorite instant food is tada~ Instant Omurice!