While I was going on my Hina Matsuri walking tour, I went past a wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) shop that I pass every time I go to tennis. Figuring that I should at least once pay a visit, I stopped and bought this seasonal sweet, sakura manju.
Sakura Manju
Sakura are Japanese cherry blossoms, which are set to bloom any time now. In this treat, it looks like the sakura blossom and leaves were perhaps mixed with azuki paste (sweet red bean paste) and put inside a flour-dough pastry, which is what most manju are made of.
Usually sakura-flavored foods are only available in spring, the cherry blossom season, so I wanted to take advantage of the lovely day and refreshing walk to pick up a suitable snack.
I bought one for me and one for my friend. Don’t worry — The friend got the one that I did NOT get my dirty fingers all over and take tons of pictures of.
