Society

Cherry Blossom Picnic: Enjoying Japanese Sakura Inspired Food in Kawazu

Mar 21 (Japan by Food) - Japan is famous for its beautiful sakura, or cherry blossom trees. While the peak season for hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, is late March to early April, there's a deep pink variety of cherry blossom called “Kawazu-zakura” that blooms in early February to early March.

The city of Kawazu celebrates these beautiful trees every year with the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festavel. And of course, no festival is complete without a lot of great street food!

Shizuka travels to Kawazu in Shizuoka Prefecture to enjoy the lovely flowers while sampling the tasty food of the festival. There are so many food stands to visit, and she works her way through a variety of tasty snacks from the friendly vendors. Some are traditional Japanese festival snacks, while others take inspiration from the cherry blossoms to create unique treats. Come along and enjoy the hanami with us as we eat our way through the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival!

FEATURED FOODS

Today’s featured food’s are all street foods from the Kazuwa Cherry Blssom Festival!

Haruka juice: A juice sweezed from a “haruka” citrus fruit

Haruka slices: Slices of this citrus fruit are sweet but milder than an orange

Hanami dango: The classic tri-colored sweet rice dumplings are a popular snack in the spring

Nigiri tenkushi: Nigiri means “pressed together” and “tenkushi” means tempura on a stick

Edamame ten: Fried stem beans and a shrimp cake on a stick

“Croissant” taiyaki- taiyaki made with a croissant-like pastry instead of the traditional waffle-type pastry

Sakura oyaki: A stuffed dumpling with pickled cherry blossom leaves and white bean paste

Nikumaki omusubi: A rice ball wrapped in beef

Sakura amazake: Cherry blossom amazake, a fermented rice drink that’s a byproduct of sake

Isobeyaki dango: Mochi covered in sweet soy sauce and wrapped in seaweed

Ichigo sakura mochi: A mix of two classic Japanese desserts; ichigo daifuku (mochi with red bean paste and strawberry) and sakura mochi (a granular and sticky mochi wrapped in a pickled cherry blossom leaf)

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