Daifukumochi (Rice Cake Stuffed With Red Bean Paste)

Brand: Ashiritsu Industrial Corporation

Cost: 108 yen

Found At: Ministop

This dessert is a beautiful hockey-puck of delight. I have been told that mochi is not for everyone. Whether it is the gooey texture of pounded, sweet rice or the unfamiliar concept of a bean-based desert filling, it seems to be one of those things you either love or hate. For me, there’s no question- I can’t get enough of it! I eat mochi like it is going out of fashion, and will try any and every variation I can find. Nagoya, however, is not a big mochi town – at least not in the same way that Kyoto is. Nagoya excels at baked goods, but I have been missing the soft, lightly sweet mochi that I love so much.

But, as usual, the Ministop provided. This mochi, which is the size of my fist, is everything I could want in a desert. The pounded rice is gently soft without being sticky and the red bean paste that fills it is smooth and ever so slightly sweet. The rice flower sticks to your lips as you bite through the gummy exterior and savor the lovely mixture of rice and beans that leaves you feeling full and happy. It’s a little slice of heaven in blob form.