During the sweltering summertime, yokan, the Japanese jellylike red bean sweet, makes for a refreshingly cold dessert. The Wagashi Yui brand of confectionary maker Ryoguchiya Korekiyo in Aichi Prefecture has created a lineup of yokan that are traditional and eye-catching.
One of these products is a yokan called Tokyo Enbo, or “A distant view of Tokyo,” which depicts landmark structures of Tokyo, high-rise buildings side-by-side and a dignified Mt. Fuji watching over the metropolis shining in morning’s glow.
“We worked very hard to portray Tokyo as beautifully and emotionally as possible. We started with sketching the cityscape many times,” said Makoto Nojiri, 58, head of the company’s factory in the prefecture, recalling the work involved in developing the product. The sweet is made entirely by hand by the company’s workers…