Candy Tour – Part One: Kyoto
September 28, 2007
Recently, Diane and I took a trip to Japan, visiting Tokyo and Kyoto over a 10-day period. In bothĂ‚ cities, we sought out the best candies and candymakers. Following is a little bit about what we found…
In Japan, Kyoto is definitely the capital of confection. Among the foodstuffs for which Kyoto is known, candy ranks right up there with freshly baked rice crackers, superb pickles and multi-course kaiseiki meals. There seems to be an artisan confectioner on every street. For the most part, candy in Japan is intimately connected to tea consumption and the ceremony surrounding it. Most candymakers specialize in wagashi, confections meant to accompany tea. Most are made from bean paste and/or sticky rice, with the exception of higashi, which are hard candies made from a special type of Japanese sugar pressed into molds. Without exception, they are beautifully made. The flavors tend to be more subtle and less sweet than American or European candies.
In Kyoto, one of our favorite streetsĂ‚ is Shijo-dori,Ă‚ on the east side of the Kamo riverĂ‚ in the heart of the Gion district. The sidewalks of the street are covered, creating an arcade-like effect, and the storefronts are typically open entirely to the street, so that there is little distinction between the interior and exterior of the store. The art of merchandising takes on a whole new meaning in Japan – I have never seen anything like it. Whether selling pickles, candy, or fans, the shops are exquisitely designed and the products are displayed like jewelry. The area has a touch of unreality about it, highlighted by the Geisha that begin to appear on the streets in the early evening, pursued by tourist photographers.
The most famous confectioner on Shijo-dori is Kagizen, which is over 100 years old. In the front section of the store, amazing hand-carved cabinetry holds teapots and antique molds used to make wagashi. This is also where you purchase the candies. The back section of the store houses a tea house, where you can enjoy their candies along with a cup of matcha. The whole experience is very civilized, not kitschy like most American candy stores. Needless to say, we walked away from this shop with many new ideas about what a candy store could be. The simple, clean aesthetic of the shop, and the respect that its employees and patrons have for the candy and its history are definitely things we wanted to bring back to San Francisco with us.Â
- BrianÂ
Filed under: Random Thoughts | Comments (1)
[...] We visited Tokyo both before and after our trip to Kyoto, which is described in a previous post. One of the reasons we decided to go to Japan is because we are both city people, and Tokyo is the ne plus ultra of urbanity. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. Imagine the density of Manhattan spread out over the acreage of Los Angeles and you’ll get the idea. [...]