Takeno To Ohagi Setagaya Main Store

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"In my experience, French people generally aren’t enamoured with Japanese sweets, but these ohagi are really special—beautiful, full of delicious flavour, and sure to delight as a small gift; you could say this is truly a Japanese artisanal technique. At the main Setagaya store a short walk from Sakura-Shinmachi Station, which many people know from the popular comic strip series Sazae-san, these treats feel like ephemeral art that lasts a single day: alongside standards like tsubu-an and koshi-an, there are five special seasonal varieties (for example, Sakura no Machi with salted yaezakura, coffee, and raspberry purée), with ingredients rarely seen together with red bean paste co-starring in traditional wooden bento boxes. Reservations can also be made online in advance." - Wakana Kubo