There’s not a whole lot of winter in Fukuoka, it’s not that cold and apparently the snow at the beginning of the month was quite rare. It’s not even February and the very first glimpses of spring are happening (if you focus primarily on the sweets calendar). This is an uguisu namagashi・ウグイス生菓子 from Kichi-Zoh・吉蔵 and it was truly amazing. Uguisu is a Japanese warbler, and their presence and song are known to be the first signs that winter is coming to a close.
I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve had namagashi (non-baked sweets, often very decorative and filled with smooth red or white bean) and this was an exceptional. Kichi-Zoh does everything well but their namagashi are really something else, like make you stop everything else you are doing kind of good.
I had tried drying some citrus on my balcony but some uguisu got to them before I could. Well, I’m happy for them and am happy for me too because I got to see and hear them. Spring time desserts in Japan are some of my favourites so I’m happy to welcome the little birds and their sweet simulacra.
Tea, Sweets and Trails 