Wagashi are traditional Japanese confectioneries, which evolved into an art form in Japan's ancient Imperial capital of Kyoto.
Beautiful to the touch, sight, and smell, they are a feast for all the senses.
The Japanese appreciation of the seasons is vividly reflected in the art of wagashi, which are made to vary in appearance according to the time of year. Further, there is a type of wagashi to accompany every Japanese festival and life event. In that sense, wagashi are deeply embedded into Japanese culture.
One of the most simple and yet best-loved types of wagashi is the mitarashi dango. Plump white balls of sticky rice are threaded onto a skewer, before being liberally coated in a sauce of sugar and soy.
When in Osaka, the best place to enjoy this sticky delight is at Namiyoshian's main store, just south of Namba Parks. Not only do they stock mitarashi dango in a baton shape unique to this store, they also stock a whole variety of delicious wagashi for you to enjoy in store and take away.
