So far I’ve only reviewed chocolate products so this time I thought I’d do some proper Japanese sweets, starting with anmitsu. Anmitsu is a cold dessert consisting of cubes of a gelatin-like substance called kanten in a thin brown or white sugar syrup (mitsu), topped with a paste of sweetened azuki beans (an) and often cream and a variety of fruits. In this version the kanten/syrup base is green tea flavour, and a lovely colour to match. This was only about 300 yen but it’s nicely presented in a sturdy plastic pot that has a little shelf to keep the cream and fruits separate from the syrupy mixture below, so everything is fresh. The appearance of the fruity topping is mouth-watering, the kanten is smooth and glossy and the syrup gives off a sweet yet earthy scent of matcha.

The topping contains slices of juicy mandarin, a cocktail cherry, plain and matcha sweetened whipped cream that melts in the mouth, chewy shiratama (glutinous rice balls), soft an and whole azuki beans, so there is a great variety of textures in play.
The kanten is slightly firmer than jelly so has a little resistance when you bite into it. The matcha taste is very subtle but the syrup has a stronger flavour, though it is sweet rather than herbal.

I’ve bought anmitsu at 7-11 several times now but I’ve never tried putting the fruits etc on top of the kanten, I like to keep it all separate so that the cream doesn’t dissolve into the syrup.

Thanks to the staple of Japanese life that is the conbini, you don’t need to go a cafe to treat yourself to a tasty dessert but if you’re looking for something more luxurious here are some similar sweets that I’ve had in Japan:

This anmitsu that I had at Hanakanro (花かんろ) near Mt. Hakodate has vanilla ice cream and multi-coloured kanten flavoured with various fruit juices such as lemon and strawberry. It’s so colourful and pretty that it seems a shame to eat but I somehow managed^^ It’s a very generous serving with lots of handmade shiratama so quite filling but also refreshingly fruity. If you ever happen to be in Hakodate I seriously recommend checking this place out because it’s in a picturesque area full of old-fashioned Japanese-style cafes and the atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing~

I had this drink at Nana’s Green Tea in Yokohama but it took me a long time to choose because everything on the menu looked insanely delicious – all kinds of iced lattes and ice creams. What I went for in the end is almost a liquid version of the matcha anmitsu: kanten cubes in a milky green tea crushed ice drink, with a sprinkling of azuki beans. My husband went for the richer version, with matcha ice cream and shiratama.

This ‘Mini shiratama parfait’, which you can eat at Rokkatei (六花亭) in Hakodate, doesn’t contain kanten but the other key elements of an, shiratama and cream are there, so if it turns out you love anmitsu but don’t care for kanten this would be ideal.
Rokkatei is mainly a sweet shop and the cafe is only a small, roped-off section, meaning there’s usually a waiting-list to get seated, but while you wait you can browse the selection of chocolates, biscuits, mochi and beautiful gift boxes on display.