Ginza Akebono Sakura Mochi: The first time I had sakura mochi, pink mochi wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf, it was from Fugetsu-Do in Los Angeles, I was surprised by the sweet and savory combination. The leaf is typically pickled and has a concentrated salty flavor that can catch you off guard if you're used to the mild and sweet anko-filled dessert. This version of sakura mochi was purchased from the Ginza sweets shop Ginza Akebono, where I had previously tried their strawberry-covered mochi. The chewiness of the m... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese ginza tokyo ginzaakebono sakura mochi 3.5
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) dai... (read more) 4.0/5.0
exceptional tokyo mochi ginza japanese ginzaakebono strawberry daifuku 4.0