Mizu Yokan: Where to Eat, Prices & Opening Hours (Fukui)

Mizu yokan is known across Japan as a cool summer sweet, yet Fukui has the unusual custom of savoring it at the kotatsu during the snowy cold season.

Highlights

It is marked by a gentle sweetness lifted with brown sugar and a smooth melt in the mouth. Poured into a flat box, it is scooped out with a small spatula in the Fukui manner. Its cool texture makes a fine contrast with the warmth of the kotatsu. In the days without refrigerators, sweets high in water and low in sugar spoiled easily, so making them in the cold, low temperature winter is said to be one reason it is loved as a winter sweet in Fukui.

Enjoying the Seasons

Fukui mizu yokan is a scene of winter. It begins appearing in shops around November, and enjoying it with family around the kotatsu in the cold season is the custom. In parts of the Hokuriku region, a custom of serving mizu yokan at the New Year table still remains.

Access and Basic Information

It is made at Japanese sweet shops throughout the prefecture, starting in Fukui City. The sweetness and texture differ by shop, and it is cherished as a winter only item.

Practical Travel Notes

• Many Fukui mizu yokan are winter only items, generally on sale from around November to March. It may not appear in shops in summer.
• Sold in a flat box, it is scooped with the enclosed spatula in the Fukui way. Chilling it before eating makes the melt in the mouth stand out.
• As it is mostly a fresh sweet with a short shelf life, checking the use by date and keeping it cool is reassuring when taking it as a souvenir.
• At Japanese sweet shops in Fukui City the sweetness and texture differ by shop, so a winter tasting comparison is enjoyable.

A Quick Tip

Chill it well first. Scooping one slice at a time with the enclosed spatula lets you fully enjoy its smooth texture.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• When it is sold: Many shops make it only in the winter season, and the long-established Egawa in Fukui City officially states that it produces and sells it from November to March.
• Where you can buy it: Egawa (3-6-14 Terute, Fukui City) / from November to March it is open 8:30-18:00 with no closing days, and from April to October 8:30-17:00, closed on Wednesdays and the third Sunday of the month. Telephone 0776-22-4952.
• Main areas where it is sold: The list of shops on Fukui Prefecture's official tourism website includes Kubota Seika and Muranaka Kansendo in Fukui City, Kashidokoro Osaya in Sakai City, Okashitsukasa Osaya in Ono City, Kanzando in Katsuyama City, Kameya Mannendo in Sabae City, Kizuya in Echizen City, Shofukudo in Tsuruga City and Iseya in Obama City.
• Points to note: Some shops, such as Kiyaden in Obama City, keep selling it until around April when the cherry blossoms bloom, so the sales period differs from shop to shop.

* Opening hours and prices at individual shops vary from shop to shop.

(Sources: Egawa official website; Fukui.com, List of Shops Selling Mizu Yokan, a Winter Speciality of Fukui)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourist information for Fukui Prefecture together with information published by the individual shops. Prices and sales periods are subject to change, so please check the official information of each shop for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: From several hundred yen per box
• Where to buy it: Confectionery shops and souvenir shops throughout Fukui Prefecture (mainly in winter)
• Recommended time of day: Winter is the season. The Fukui way is to chill it and let it slip down smoothly
• Avoiding the crowds: Some shops sell it only in winter, so check the timing
• Enjoy it together with: Other Fukui specialities such as habutae mochi, served with hot tea