Ginza Akebono Strawberry Daifuku: For the most part, I've been able to try all the major traditional Japanese confectionary treats in my time in Japan, so I generally haven't been going out of my way to visit particular shops. However, if I see that a shop has a line, I'll take a look, especially as there are essentially no tourists in Tokyo now and so any place with a line is a local favorite. I hadn't known about this small shop in Ginza that opened right after WWII (about 60 years old), but their ichigo (strawberry) daifuku was prominently on display – large balls of fresh mochi each encasing a whole strawberry surrounded by red bean paste – and I had yet to try this popular dessert. It was kind of pricy, at about $3.50 a piece, but the quality was very high. The mochi itself had a perfect elasticity, the strawberry was juicy and both sweet and a little bit tart, and the red bean paste was very smooth. Definitely some of the best mochi I've had! 4.0/5.0

exceptional tokyo mochi ginza japanese ginzaakebono strawberry daifuku 4.0