Recently, the cold grip of winter has eased significantly as spring approaches steadily. When the cherry trees blossom in spring, we would usually gather for Hanami (a Japanese spring event in which we party under the cherry blossoms or sakura, drinking sake and eating) on a normal year, but I think most people won't be doing that this year to avoid contracting COVID-19. Today, to let everyone enjoy sakura without going to a Hanami party, I would like to introduce some stores selling sakura confectionery in the Taito ward.

Japanese people love sakura a lot, so there are many types of sakura desserts around. The most common and traditional one is sakura mochi. It is a Japanese confection made from pink-colored rice cake infused with sakura flavor and filled with red bean paste (anko) that is wrapped in a pickled sakura leaf. At Kaede in Asakusa, they use sakura leaves from the Izu Peninsula's Oshima cherry trees. By the way, if you are trying sakuramochi for the first time, you should know that the sakura leaf can be eaten, so please do eat it.
Address: 1-40-6, Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

The next delicacy is the sakura chiffon cake from Otaco which specializes in rice flour chiffon cake. Otaco sells rice flour chiffon cake in many flavors such as earl grey, cocoa, matcha milk, and more, but the sakura chiffon cake is only available for a limited time during the sakura season every year. As you won't be able to buy it after the sakura season is over, please get it at the store before the cherry blossoms flutter off.
Address: 3-5-1, Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

The last store for today is the sakura gelato at Italiano Gelato-ya. As you may have noticed from the store name, while gelato is a dessert originally from Italy, please do try the sakura flavor gelato that may be only available in Japan. This flavor is also available for a limited time only.
Address: Nakayama Building 1F, 1-1-7, Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo