Text Size largest larger medium (normal) smaller smallest Back number Vol.1 Vol.2 Vol.3 Vol.4 Vol.5 Vol.6 Vol.7 Vol.8 Vol.9 Vol.10 Vol.11 Vol.12 Vol.13 Vol.14 Vol.15 Vol.16 Vol.17 Vol.18 Vol.19 Vol.20 Vol.21 Vol.22 Vol.23 Vol.24 Hello, everyone. I’m Shoha. It’s been about a year since I came to Japan. I am very interested in Japanese culture, and right now I am learning Aikido. The “omanju” I will introduce to you now is a must-try in Japan, I hear. By making “omanju” myself, I was able to come in contact with a part of Japanese food culture I never knew before, and in the end had a very valuable experience. This is Tonoshikisha, in Kitsuki’s Yamaga town. Here they make such traditional Japanese treats as “odango” and “omanju.” They apparently treat the country taste with importance, because they use local ingredients grown from the earth, such as Yamaga rice and mugwort. This time I was allowed to help make Tanoshikisha’s own original “hide and seek manju.” It’s special characteristics are its dough’s mochi-like consistency and the sweet potato and azuki bean paste filling. First we make the filling by cutting the sweet potato into flat round slices and spreading the bean paste between them. Next is preparing the dough. Oh, this is so cool! Flatten out the ball of flour dough with a roller. Soon it stretches to a length of what looks like 3 meters or so. Next, cut the dough you just rolled into pieces of the same size, and use it to wrap carefully the filling you just made before. It takes a while to get the hang of it. Finally, put the pieces in a steamer for 20 mintues, and your “hide and seek manju” is finished! The freshly made “hide and seek manju” is pillowy, and has a nice sweetness. It feels as if I found a new comfort food in japan. I had such a memorable experience. Thank you, everyone. “10 o’clock, 11 o’clock…” carefully wrap it in a clock-wise fashion. The treats made at Tanoshikisha are frozen and sent to various markets within the prefecture. The pillowy manju has just been steamed. It looks so good! Tanoshikisha Ltd. 2552-1 Uchigawano, Yamaga Town Kitsuki City Tel/ 0977-75-1335 Fax/ 0977-75-1337 Store hours: 9:00AM – 5:00PM Closed: Tuesday every week, and New Year’s holiday Copyright(c) 2007 Oita Prefecture. All rights reserved.