📜 Shopping Details
In Ashikaga City, there are many long-established wagashi (Japanese sweets) shops, and "Souun Yokan Honpo" is one of them. It is said that the shop name "Souun" is named after Tanizaki Souun, who has deep ties to Ashikaga. Tanizaki Souun was a famous painter active during the late Edo period (1853-1868) to the Meiji era (1868-1912). This is a shop that takes the craft of making yokan (a type of jelly dessert) seriously. The shop's unwavering belief is to use only the best ingredients to create their yokan.
For a long time, they have insisted on using red beans from Tokachi in Hokkaido, along with carefully selected sugar, agar, and chestnuts as high-quality ingredients. Among their offerings, the "Steamed Chestnut Yokan" is particularly popular. This yokan is shaped in the common "chakin-shime" style found in Japanese sweets. A whole steamed chestnut is nestled in a red bean filling made with kudzu powder from Yoshino, then wrapped in a tea towel and stamped with a wood grain pattern, making it look like a piece of art. The slightly sweet, moist texture of the chestnut melds perfectly with the filling.
While yokan may seem simple and unpretentious, the yokan made by this long-established shop using traditional techniques and high-quality ingredients boasts an astonishingly refined flavor. Due to being handmade, the quantity is limited, so it is recommended to place orders in advance. Unopened products can be stored for about 20 days, making them a great choice as a gift.
