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Located about a half hour south of downtown Tokyo, the city of Yokohama has a couple of big tourist draws, like its gigantic Ferris wheel and bayside parks with panoramic views. If you’re hungry, though, you’ll want to head to Yokohama’s Chinatown, which is one of the biggest in Japan and is made up almost entirely of places to eat.

As a matter of fact, you don’t even have to grab a seat in a restaurant to fill your stomach, since the streets are lined with stalls selling all manner of munchies. Some of these you might see elsewhere in Japan, like the steamed pork buns that are also convenience store mainstays. But there’s at least one treat you can’t find anywhere but Yokohama’s Chinatown, and that’s these adorable sweet dumplings shaped like tiny hedgehogs.

The spiky little treats are available at Yoseigo, a dim sum takeout joint that’s been in business since 1946. If you’re after orthodox fare, Yoseigo has steamed shrimp dumplings, egg rolls, and the like. On the other hand, if you’re in the mood for something sweet, and also a little playful, you can’t go wrong with their hedgehog dumplings.

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The palm-sized snacks appear to be steamed first, and then later deep-fried to help give them a more defined shape. This brings us to what might be the only negative point about the hedgehog dumplings. Though they have a pleasantly crisp texture, the “quills” on their spiky backs are indeed a little sharp, so you’ll want to chew carefully to keep from poking yourself.

▼ Hard to believe he’d do anything to hurt you with a face that cute.

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A little extra caution as you chew does get you a very enjoyable reward though, since the hedgehog dumplings are filled with delicious custard cream.

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Yoseigo ordinarily sells them for 100 yen (US$0.83) each. At times, though, you can get a discount by buying in bulk, as shown by this sign offering six for 500 yen.

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Of course, the discount isn’t the only reason to buy multiple hedgehog dumplings at once. There’s also the fact that when you put a group of them together, their cuteness grows exponentially.

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But as happy as the above trio looks, sometimes it really is true that two’s company, but three’s a crowd. For the sweetest mood, nothing tops a hedgehog dumpling couple sharing a smooch.

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Ahhhh. You know, it’d just be too cruel to eat one of them and break up the happy couple. Really, in the name of love, the only proper thing to do is eat them both.

Restaurant information
Yoseigo / 耀盛號
Address: Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Yamashitacho 143
神奈川県横浜市中区山下町143
Open 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Website (Tabelog)

Source: Naver Matome
Top image: Tabelog
Insert images: Tabelog (1, 2), FC2, Twitter