His and hers steamed cakes are a popular gift for newlyweds.
Once you’ve tied the knot with your loved one and are setting out on the path of marital bliss, you’ll likely be opening wedding gifts together after the big day. Here in Japan, friends and relatives usually present the bride and groom with money, but that’s not to say newlyweds can’t receive an additional little something as an extra wish for happiness in their marriage..and in the bedroom.
That’s the concept behind a rare and beautiful set of manju sweets produced by a small, eight-person business in a rural town in Ibaraki Prefecture. Called Kimura Seika, this sweets company may be small, but what they make has become big with tourists.
▼ Kimura Seika has been in business since 1931.
This sweets specialist is famous for their Inyo Manju, which translates to “Yin and Yang Manju“, with manju being the word for traditional steamed cakes with a paste filling. And if you’re wondering what the Yin and the Yang in the name refers to, one quick look at the product should explain everything.
▼ A precious gift for newlyweds.
As the above photo shows, the sweets look like his and hers private parts. While the design is intentional, the manju on the right is said to resemble a matsutake mushroom and the cake on the left is said to resemble the fruit of the chocolate vine.
▼ The mushroom and the fruit appear on the beautiful packaging.
The Inyo Manju pay homage to nearby Inyo Shrine, which was built as a sacred site for marriage-related deity worship after 17th century feudal lord Tokugawa Mitsukuni passed through the area and discovered rocks resembling male and female genital parts.
While these “inyo” rocks are said to have collapsed during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the shrine remains a sacred spot for couples today. Conveniently, matsutake mushrooms and chocolate vine plants grow in the mountains near the shrine, imbuing these special his and hers sweets with a whole lot of extra meaning and significance.
The Inyo Manju are only available in and around the local area, making them an incredibly rare treat. Every time someone posts a photo of them on Twitter, the tweets receive a lot of attention from people seeing them for the first time, and that’s what happened when Twitter user @yosizo shared these photos online recently.
茨城土産の珍菓「陰陽萬寿」を頂戴しましたの。お心遣いを有難うございます。「あわび」と「まつたけ」を模したお目出度い姿を拝みつつ、夫婦円満を祈って美味しく頂きますの(^ ^; pic.twitter.com/87n3Qoaj5n
— よしぞうmaro' (@yosizo) January 2, 2021
People were quick to comment with:
“Wow, I live in Ibaraki and I’ve never seen these before!”
“These would be fun to eat with your partner!”
“I’d like to try them. I’m a bachelor so maybe they’ll give me good luck!”
“I like the attention to detail with the black sesame seeds resembling pubic hair.”
“These would be even more delicious if they were drizzled with honey and condensed milk.”
According to those who’ve tried them, the sweets have a tasty red bean paste filling that includes the unusual addition of walnuts. And while the cakes are meant to help create a harmonious marriage, you don’t have to be married or even in a relationship to eat them and get some good fortune for love in your belly.
Sold in 12-piece boxes for 1,000 yen (US$9.59), the manju aren’t all that easy to find, though, and the small headquarters reportedly sells out of them in the mornings, so they’ll definitely be a satisfying reward for the intrepid traveller. And if you’re in the area, you might want to say hello to the giant Daidarabotchi yokai while you’re there.
Store information
Kimura Seika / 木村 禎明
Address: Ibaraki-ken, Hitachiomiya, Nishinouchi 134
茨城県常陸大宮市西野内134
Also sold at:
Yamagata Bussanten / 山方物産店
Address: Ibaraki-ken, Hitachiomiya, Yamagatanaka Yuzawanai 467-1
茨城県常陸大宮山方中湯沢内467-1
Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Source: Twitter/@yosizo
Featured image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
Insert images: Twitter/@yosizo
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