Wagashi world make us give a feel of season

Japanese Wagashi cakes are made, in the shops, to give a feel of the seasons. When I visited the cake shop today, I found 桜餅/Sakura-mochi. Which is made using cherry blossoms and leaves. Cherry blossoms are pink, and its leaves are light green. Very beautiful.

These blossoms are preserved for making cakes, by being salted. Here in Japan the time when cherry blossoms bloom is the end of March, hence we cannot get it still now. Namely, these blossoms are preserved from last spring. It is meaningful for us to give seasonal gifts to someone, before the season comes.

For example, this Wagashi is often eaten at the place in 茶道/Sadou. In Sadou, we try to feel spring before spring comes, by eating these cakes such as Sakura-mochi. We call this sense “粋/Iki”, namely, it is chic.

And 草餅/Kusa-mochi is very simple Wagashi. This is Wagashi where red beans are wrapped in green rice cake. The color of green is the color of mugwort, its rice cake is mixed with boiled mugwort. Sweet and delicious.

In my childhood, I often went to the riverside to take wild mugwort. With my grandfather and grandmother. Those are my joyful memories in spring.