Taiyaki, Drayaki, Castella

Taiyaki is a sweet made from cake batter in the shape of a sea bream. It has red bean paste inside and is often eaten hot. It seems to have been adapted from a round Japanese sweet called "Imagawayaki" into the shape of a sea bream. It is usually grilled in an iron taiyaki mold, but there is also "age taiyaki", which is further fried.

The most common filling inside is red bean paste. There are also many other types of bean paste, such as white bean paste, sesame bean paste, custard cream, and chocolate cream.

Some people make it their hobby to go eating around in search of particular flavors, such as the degree of baking of the dough, the type of bean paste, and the balance between the amount of bean paste and the dough. By the way, November 1st is Taiyaki Day.

Dorayaki is a Japanese sweet made with bean paste sandwiched between pancake batter shaped like a gong. The name is said to come from the word "DORA"(=gong). 

It is one of Japan's representative sweets that is loved by men and women of all ages. It is also sold at convenience stores and supermarkets.

The most common dorayaki bean paste is red bean paste. Other varieties include those with mochi, fresh cream, and those with matcha or cocoa added to the dough.

Castella is a traditional Japanese sweet and a type of sponge cake. It was introduced to Japan from Portugal in the 16th century, and was later modified in the Japanese style in Nagasaki, where it took on its current form. "Nagasaki Castella" is famous nationwide.

Castella is made using flour, sugar, eggs, and honey as the main ingredients. The dough is thoroughly mixed before being baked, giving it a moist texture.

- Castella: Common castella. A fluffy castella cake made by whisking egg yolks and sugar.

- Gosanyaki Castella: The highest quality castella. This castella has a firm texture, using starch syrup instead of honey, and more generous use of egg yolk than regular castella.

- Baby Castella: Bite-sized castella. It tastes like a plain sponge cake and is often found at festival stalls. There are matcha flavors and chocolate flavors.

- Suzu Castella: This is also a bite-sized castella, but only half of the round castella is browned, the surrounding area is sprinkled with granulated sugar, and the dough is a little sweet. It is sold at supermarkets etc.

Castella cake has a relatively long shelf life, so it is also recommended as a souvenir.