【SoraNews24】Eight great Japanese sweets for celebrating Wagashi Day (or just for celebrating today)!

quasi-

意味　擬似的な, 似て非なる; 見た目は

Japan has a lot of quasi-holidays, and one of the sweetest is on June 16, Wagashi Day, a day to celebrate (and eat) wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets.

https://soranews24.com/2024/06/18/eight-great-japanese-sweets-for-celebrating-wagashi-day-or-just-for-celebrating-today/

○○の日（祝日以外）、ってこんな言い方するんだ。

surpass

意味　(ややかたく) …よりまさる, 優れている (excel)

I like all kinds of wagashi, but none of them can surpass the dorayaki made by Usagiya. They sell them at the Usagiya shop in Tokyo’s Ueno neighborhood, and right in the same building, in the basement, is the kitchen where they make the dorayaki, so the ones you get there are super fresh. People even joke that there’s a team of rabbits (usagi in Japanese) working down there. The dorayaki cost 240 yen (US$1.55), and there’s no other wagashi that can make me this happy for this price.

https://soranews24.com/2024/06/18/eight-great-japanese-sweets-for-celebrating-wagashi-day-or-just-for-celebrating-today/

どら焼きは、ローソンのどらもっちが最高。

faint

意味　＜空腹· 痛み· 暑さ· ショックなどで＞ 気を失う, 卒倒する (away) ＜from, with＞ ((よりくだけて)pass out)

Fukuya’s Botan Dango are dango with anko (sweet bean paste) inside, and the dango are covered with anko too. It’s such a decadent double serving that the first time I tried them I almost fainted from how good they tasted. Botan dango are so good that I think anyone will fall in love with them instantly, so they’re a great choice to give as a gift. Actually, I give them as a gift to myself sometimes too. When I’ve been working really hard, I’ll get myself a skewer, pour a cup of tea, and take a happy little moment for myself. Fukuya is originally from Saitama Prefecture, but they have one shop in Tokyo, in Ogikubo, and I think it’s worth making the trip there just to buy these.

https://soranews24.com/2024/06/18/eight-great-japanese-sweets-for-celebrating-wagashi-day-or-just-for-celebrating-today/

slather

意味　〈バターなど〉を 〈パンなど〉に厚く [たっぷり] 塗る.

Gunma Prefecture is famous for yakimanju, which are dumplings that are grilled after being steamed, and slathered with a flavorful miso-based sauce. The sauce is very sweet, but if you get dumplings without any sweet bean filling inside, then the balance between the sweet sauce and doughy manju is actually really good. My grandparents, who live in Gunma, have been sending me these in the mail since I was a little kid, and it’s a flavor I’ve loved for as long as I can remember.

https://soranews24.com/2024/06/18/eight-great-japanese-sweets-for-celebrating-wagashi-day-or-just-for-celebrating-today/

algae

意味　[U]藻, 藻類 （本来ラテン語 alga の複数形） .

I’ve loved these ever since I was in elementary school, and I’ve been eating them ever since. So have my mom and my two older sisters. They’re nice and chewy, and the bean paste inside isn’t too sweet. The dough is made with kawanori, an edible mountain stream algae that can be prepared like dried seaweed, which gives it a special rustic feel.

https://soranews24.com/2024/06/18/eight-great-japanese-sweets-for-celebrating-wagashi-day-or-just-for-celebrating-today/