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For Today’s Japan photo, we will be taking a look at some of the most beautiful snacks you would have tasted. These beautiful pieces of confectionery are called Wagashi 和菓子.

This photo was uploaded onto flickr by user flag75*. I think its a really great photo that utilises a shallow depth of field and the wagashi just looks like pieces of minature art.

For those that have never tried these lovely Wagashi 和菓子:

Wagashi 和菓子 is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits.

Wagashi is typically made from natural based (mainly plant) ingredients. The names used for wagashi commonly fit a formula—a natural beauty and a word from ancient literature; they are thus often written with hyōgaiji (kanji that are not commonly used or known), and are glossed with furigana.

Generally, confectioneries that were introduced from the West after the Meiji Restoration (1868) are not considered wagashi. Most sorts of Okinawan confectionery and those originating in Europe or China that use ingredients alien to traditional Japanese cuisine, e.g., kasutera, are only rarely referred to as wagashi.