Chojya no Yama

Rice cake wrapped in red bean paste, Akita's famous confectionery

It is a folk song sung around Lake Tazawa in Akita Prefecture. It seems to be based on a song sung by the villagers to celebrate their happiness after a highly virtuous chief dug up a gold mine deep in the mountains of Lake Tazawa. The confectionery associated with this folk song is “Chojya no Yama” a famous confectionery made by Kaoru-do.

“Chojya no Yama” probably means “the mountain of the elders.”

 It looks like a beautiful cylindrical yokan, transparent and fresh. There seems to be a rice cake inside.

When you cut it in half, you will find a mochi firmly in the middle. The texture is similar to that of a slightly hardened mizu-yokan, rather than yokan, and it looks very tasty.

The mochi is wrapped in a refreshing red bean paste, which is fresher than it looks and has a perfect balance of sweetness.

At first I wondered if I would be able to eat one because of its hefty weight, but I ate it in no time. It goes great with a cup of hot tea. The balance between the red bean paste and the rice cake was so perfect that I could eat as many as I wanted.