As cherry blossom season creeps ever closer, pink, spring-themed snacks are popping up in convenience stores and supermarkets all over Japan!

One of the main differences between the types of Japanese donuts lies in the dry ingredients used for them.

Unlike other green teas, matcha is a fine powder produced by drying and grinding specially cultivated tea leaves, thereby conserving all of the leaves’ nutrients.

Dorayaki are a Japanese confection made up of two miniature pancake-like patties with sweet azuki bean paste, called anko, nestled inside.

Found in traditional candy stores across Japan – Konpeito is one candy that virtually every Japanese person is familiar with.

For many Japanese, making mochi (glutinous rice cakes) is a time-honored tradition. As a variety of Japanese cakes made from sticky rice dough, mochi comes in many different shapes and flavors.