Manshodo

Mt. Yoshino in the central region of Nara Prefecture is registered as a World Heritage site, as is the entire mountain area. In front of the gate of the Kinpusenji Temple, the head temple of the Shugendo religion and a symbol of the area, is the traditional Japanese confectionery store Manshodo, in business for over a century since the Meiji era and a well-known shop for visitors to the temple.

Their specialty is "Sakura Yokan," which is made with two layers of floral Japanese gelatin (agar jelly) cherry blossoms and green colored yokan (powdered green tea bean jelly), and has a perfect balance of sweetness and salt. Sakura Yokan has been a famous dessert of Yoshino, one of the best cherry blossom spots in Japan, and allows visitors to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms of Yoshino beyond the spring season. Since the cherry trees on Mt. Yoshino are sacred, their flowers are collected from as far away as Izu.

Their Kusamochi, made without using any additives and kneaded with bright green mugwort plants grown by contracted farmers, was presented to the Emperor Showa. The homemade sweet bean paste filling enhances the flavor of the mugwort, giving the rice cake a rustic yet complex taste.