Traditional Japanese Sweets at Takeno To Ohagi (タケノとおはぎ）

Ohagi (おはぎ) is a type of traditional Japanese sweet that is made by pounding cooked glutinous rice (similar to the way mochi is made), but this process is stopped before it gets too smooth in order to preserve some of the shape of the rice grains. The pounded rice is then covered with a sweet bean paste which can be piped onto it (kind of like icing) into different shapes such as flowers. If the layer of bean paste isn't piped into a shape, it is usually covered with toppings such as

soybean flour, sesame seeds, or coconut flakes.

Takeno To Ohagi has taken the traditional method of making ohagi and added their own charm to it, with new shapes and flavors based on the changing seasons. They also add flavors to the inside of the ohagi using things like jam and candied fruits.

This area is famous for its early blooming cherry blossoms. I stopped by here after my visit to Sakura Jingu Shrine to see the cherry blossoms. Click here to read that blog post.

Where: 1 Chome-21-11 Sakurashinmachi, Setagaya City, Tokyo 154-0015

How Much: Prices vary, the most expensive (at this time) is 330 JPY

Instagram (no website): https://www.instagram.com/takeno_to_ohagi/

The storefront is very simple and elegant with the special ohagi of they day spread out on the counter in front for you to choose.

After you choose which ohagi you would like they are carefully placed into their branded bamboo boxes and you can make your choice of washi tape to hold it together.

There are no seats in the shop so it is takeout only.

This was from a previous year, it was actually a savory ohagi with vegetables.

This time we chose nuts(ナッツ), matcha coconut(抹茶ココナッツ), hemp fruit & soybean flour(麻の実ときな粉), mimosa(ミモザ), and poppy (アネモネ).