Sakura mochi *traditional sweet for spring*

It's still freezing cold, and it seems miles away for sakura season, but you could enjoy "sakura moch" already!

 "Sakura Mochi" is one of the seasonal sweet in japan which you could find only during winter-spring time.

Although capitalism and mass consumption-ism has ruined seasonal atmosphere of Japan, very beautiful Japanese culture, pretty much, finiding "sakura mochi" at some point of the season changing period should make many Japanese people feel that spring is just around the corner even now.

 It is the signal of spring.
 It has "Anko" sweetened red beans paste, inside of very soft touched "mochi" rice cake rapped in preserved cherry leaf (and you can eat the leaf together!).
It can be found widely in Japan, but there are 2 kinds, East version and West version.

  East one is called "Chomeiji" (長命寺)



 


 West one is called "Doumyouji" (道明寺)


 

 I'm definitely more into Doumyouji, as this is the one I'm grown up with. But if you travel both sides of Japan, East and West, you should try them both:)