It's been really cold lately. Don't you want to enjoy something warm and sweet in this weather? Today, I'll be telling you about a few places in Ueno where you can enjoy Japanese snacks that satisfy both those needs at once!

・Oshiruko from Anmitsu Mihashi
Oshiruko is a Japanese dessert made with red bean soup that has been sweetened with sugar and which contains ingredients such as mochi, rice-flour dumplings, and candied chestnuts. Anmitsu Mihashi offers a variety of different oshiruko: "Inaka-jiruko" which uses red bean paste made by simmering red beans with their skin on (tsubu-an), "Gozen-jiruko" which uses red bean paste made by simmering red beans with their skin removed (koshi-an), "Awa-zenzai" which contains glutinous millet instead of mochi, "Kintoki-zenzai" which uses Dainagon red beans, and "Kuri-zenzai" which contains candied chestnuts. The last three are winter-exclusive items, so make sure you try them during this season!

・Panda obanyaki from Anya Hiyoko
Obanyaki is a Japanese snack made by wrapping red bean paste in a primarily flour-based batter, which is then baked in a metal mold. It is exceptionally delicious if you eat it when it is freshly baked and soft. The obanyaki I would like to share with you in this post is called "Panda obanyaki," which contains custard cream instead of red bean paste. Its custard filling has just the right level of sweetness which matches the pancake perfectly. This "Panda obanyaki" is only available at the Ecute Ueno store, and its adorable grill mark will definitely warm your heart.

・Matcha from Kissako
The last place I would like to share with you is one where you can enjoy a cup of warm green tea. At Kissako, you can order matcha alongside a manju pastry known as fu-manju as a set. Matcha is a flavor that can be found in many different forms throughout Japan, including delicious matcha-flavored chocolate and ice cream, matcha latte, etc. But did you know that real matcha is actually not that sweet but in fact very bitter? Enjoying a cup of warm matcha and its simple bitter flavor will help to relieve your fatigue in this cold weather.