Milk-manju Tokowaka

"Tokowaka" means always young and fresh.

“Milk-manju Tokowaka” by Fujiya Sougetsu-do was established in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, at the beginning of the Meiji era. It is a very long-established Japanese confectionery with a store in “Okage Yokocho” where many people stop by when visiting the Ise Jingū.

When I looked up the meaning of the word “Tokowaka” I was told that it means “to always be young,” and that this is the underlying concept behind Ise Jingu’s shikinen sengu (the transfer of the shrine from one location to another).

“Fujiya Sougetsu-do” has continued to make many traditional Japanese confections and has represented the history of Ise, but it may be that they continue to make new confections in the very spirit of “Tokowaka”.

When split in half, it contains a generous amount of white bean paste wrapped in a thin crust.

Elegant red bean paste is delicately wrapped in a delicate manju skin. You can tell that this manju is made using traditional Japanese confectionery production methods. I enjoyed the taste, convinced that it is a confectionary that embodies the traditions of Ise and the spirit of “Tokowaka”.