Daifuku, Ohagi, Dango

Daifuku is one of Japan's traditional sweets. Generally, it has a soft skin mochi (with a chewy texture) made from glutinous rice, and has sweet bean paste inside. Fruits or fresh cream may also be added to the bean paste. Daifuku is usually round or oval in shape, and the surface is sprinkled with potato starch. There are Daifuku of all sizes, and you can enjoy different flavors and variations depending on the season and region.

- Daifuku: White daifuku with sweet red bean paste.

- Mame Daifuku: Mochi dough filled with beans (peas). Popular with people who like beans.

- Kusamochi Daifuku: Mochi dough with mugwort kneaded into it. It is green in color and has a slightly bitter taste.

- Strawberry Daifuku: Daifuku with fresh strawberries inside. Some have fresh cream or custard cream instead of red bean paste.

Ohagi is a traditional Japanese sweet made of half-mashed rice, rolled into balls and wrapped in sweet bean paste. It is unique in that it is not mashed until it becomes a perfect paste like mochi, leaving grains of rice remaining. Originally, it was commonly eaten during the autumn equinox, but now it can be eaten anytime.

Ohagi is also sometimes called botamochi. There is a theory that says that food made with glutinous rice is called botamochi, and food made with non-glutinous rice is called ohagi.

In addition to red bean paste, there are also ohagi made with sesame paste, yellow flour, and zunda (edamame bean) paste.

Dango is a mochi-like dough made from non-glutinous rice that is shaped into bite-sized balls. Dango sold at convenience stores are skewers of 3 to 5 dango, topped with red bean paste, sesame paste, or mitarashi.

During the Autumn Harvest Moon, there is a custom of offering dango shaped like the moon and viewing the moon. The dango at this time is generally not skewered.