Yakimochi

The Famous Hanazaka Yakimochi
Yakimochi Wakayama

Yakimochi introduction

Yakimochi (やきもち, roasted rice cake) is a specialty of Mount Koya, with its origins tied to the legendary "Jokishiya." It is said that during the foundation of Mount Koya, an elderly woman began roasting salted rice cakes which gained immense popularity and became known as "Hanazaka Yakimochi." This tradition lives on, with the rice cakes still prepared the old-fashioned way by hand to preserve their time-honored flavor. The sweet red bean filling is carefully simmered over low heat to ensure the beans remain intact, creating a soft, flavorful texture. Made with locally sourced premium glutinous rice and delicately sweetened red bean paste, the soft and chewy "Shiro Mochi" (plain rice cake) and "Yomogi Mochi" (mugwort rice cake) are proud creations of a 300-year-old established yakimochi shop.

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