Have you ever tried yokan? It’s a delightfully smooth jelly-type Japanese dessert typically made with red bean paste and agar. It’s quite thick in consistency so it could be described as something in-between a cake and jelly, and it usually comes in a long, solid block form which you cut into smaller pieces to eat. The dessert has a history in Japan going back centuries, and now, a shop in Southern Japan has come out with a jazzy, stunningly modern take on the traditional sweet. It’s the Jazz Yokan, artfully created with the look of a piano keyboard, and just looking at it may make you want to play some music!
CREEKS., the shop that sells this beautiful yokan, is a quaint general merchandise store, cafe and gallery combined, located in the Yufuin District in Oita Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu, an area known for hot springs and the spectacular view of Mount Yufu.
The shop is also very much involved in efforts to promote musical activities locally, such as inviting musicians to Yufuin, and they wanted to create a fun original dessert with a musical theme, which resulted in the Jazz Yokan.
It apparently took them 10 months to complete the product, as they wanted it to be not just another traditional Japanese confection but a more general sweet to be enjoyed in a wide range of situations. And of course, they wanted to get the look of the keyboard just right, too.
Each yokan is hand-made by a professional Japanese confection chef, so if you look carefully, each one has a slightly different appearance. The Jazz Yokan is quite special in terms of flavor and texture too, as they contain pieces of dried fig marinated in wine!
Just imagine — the texture of all those fig seeds combined with the natural sweetness of the brown sugar they use in the yokan should make for a snack that goes amazingly well with coffee!
And according to the folks at CREEKS., the dessert can also be delightful with a glass of wine or some granola as well. They even recommend having it thinly sliced on bread or crackers.
And since they wanted customers to feel excited while taking out the yokan from the box, they also took particular care with the packaging, decorated with a stylish black label and a bright red band.
It seems there has been plenty of positive response from customers, as the shop has received comments such as: “Such a fun and delightful treat!“, ” It’s too pretty to eat!” and “It’s perfect to give someone who plays the piano.”
They’ve even made a YouTube video introducing the yokan, so here it is:
The Jazz Yokan is available on the CREEKS. online shop for 2,160 yen (US$18.06) a piece, and they also have different sets that come with coffee beans, mugs and granola. While unfortunately it seems they don’t ship overseas, the yokan certainly looks like a great way to relax and enjoy your coffee or wine. So kudos to the people at CREEKS. for creating a treat that’s such a feast for the eyes as well!
Source: CREEKS. online shop (Japanese)
Top image: CREEKS. website
Inset photos: CREEKS. online shop