Matcha, Wagashi & Sweet Shops: A Guide to Japanese Sweets

Japanese sweets are refined, seasonal and beautiful to look at. Whether you love matcha or prefer something gentler, there's a whole world to explore.

Wagashi: traditional sweets

Wagashi are traditional Japanese confections, often less sugary than Western sweets and designed to pair with tea.

• Mochi — chewy pounded rice cakes, plain or filled.
• Daifuku — mochi stuffed with sweet anko (red bean paste), sometimes with a whole strawberry (ichigo daifuku).
• Dorayaki — two little pancakes sandwiching anko.
• Dango — skewered rice dumplings, sweet or savoury.
• Nerikiri — delicate, artful sweets shaped to reflect the season.
• Taiyaki — a fish-shaped cake filled with anko or custard.

Many are shaped and coloured to match the season — a core idea in Japanese sweet-making.

All about matcha

Matcha is finely ground green tea, prized for its rich, slightly bitter flavour.

• Enjoy it as a whisked hot tea, often served with a small sweet to balance the bitterness.
• Modern cafes serve matcha lattes, ice cream (soft serve), parfaits and cakes — hugely popular with visitors.
• Regions such as Uji (near Kyoto) are famous for high-quality tea.

Where to try them

• Traditional sweet shops (wagashi-ya) and tea houses for the classic experience.
• Depachika (department store basement food halls) for a dazzling range to sample and buy.
• Cafes for matcha desserts and modern twists.
• Convenience stores and supermarkets for surprisingly good everyday sweets.

Great for souvenirs

Beautifully boxed wagashi and matcha treats make wonderful gifts. Look for individually wrapped items with a reasonable shelf life for travelling — staff can advise.

Pair a bitter matcha with a sweet wagashi and you'll understand the balance at the heart of Japanese sweets — it's a small ritual worth savouring.