Toraya's official website announces the appearance of confections to celebrate the Boys' Festival on May 5. Toraya will be offering small yokan (yokan) "Gogetsunobori", seasonal yokan "Shobuawase", Kashiwa-mochi (rice cake with sweetened oak leaves), and zongzi (dumplings wrapped in dumplings wrapped in dumplings).

Small Yokan "Satsuki-nobori

The small yokan, "May Nobori," will be available at all stores until May 5. The price is 292 yen per piece (tax included, same below).

The "Yoru no Ume" (night plum) Ogura Yokan with Iris on the package, "Shinryoku" (fresh green) Yokan with green tea and "Omokage" (brown sugar) Yokan with Kabuto on the package are also available.

Seasonal Yokan "Shobuawase

Seasonal Yokan "Shobuawase" will be sold in limited quantities at all stores until early May. The price is 1,944 yen.

The elegant color combination of yokan reminds one of irises in bloom. The name "Shobuawase" is said to be a reference to the Heian period (794-1185) game of competing to see how long the roots of irises would grow during the Boys' Festival on May 5, when people would write poems and other poems.

rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves

Kashiwa Mochi" will be available starting April 21. The price is 346 yen per piece.

Kashiwa leaves are considered a good omen for perpetuation and prosperity of the family lineage, since old leaves do not fall off until new leaves sprout. There are two types: gozen-an (sweet bean paste) and miso-an (miso bean paste). Stores in the Kanto region and Gotemba are made of mochi (rice cake), and stores in the Kinki region are made of gaira (uiro).

cake wrapped in bamboo leaves

Chimaki" will be on sale from May 1. The price is 465 yen per piece, or 1,394 yen for a bundle of 3 pieces.

The history of zongzi dates back to the Heian period (794-1185), when they were prepared at court to ward off bad luck on Dragon Boat Festival. There are three types of zongzi: yokan zongzi, narcissus zongzi, gaira zongzi with white sugar, and gaira zongzi.