The candymakers are now trying to track down David Beckham’s son after a puzzling turn of events.
In Japan, the art of “kumi ame” or “assembled candy” has been around since the Edo period (1603-1868). This type of sweet was first made by craftsmen, who used special techniques to create the saintly face of Okame and the large-ear-lobed head of Fukusuke (symbols of good luck) on the side of hard, round candies. The face of Kintaro, or “Golden Boy“, one of the heroes of Japanese folklore, was also moulded into the candy during the period, leading many to call this type of sweet “Kintaro Ame“, a name which still sticks today.
Now, of course, these cute little chunks of moulded sugar are available all around the world, with the technique used to personalise sweets for all sorts of ocassions, from weddings to birthdays and even business events.
One of the companies still keeping the tradition alive in Japan is a small business in Nagoya called “My-Ame”. Despite having less than ten employees, the small company still receives a large number of orders from prominent businesses who want a taste of their beautifully handmade candies.
▼ Recently, they created treats for attendees at a panel discussion event held by Instagram founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom.
My-Ame first gained attention worldwide through one of their videos, which has been viewed more than 5.5 million times, largely because it became a hit with the ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) community, who feel tingling sensations on the skin when watching the attentive preparation of food like this.
The growing popularity of My-Ame has stretched much further than they could have imagined, as the small business could hardly believe their eyes when they received a message via their Instagram account from a customer in England called Brooklyn Beckham. Brooklyn wanted to know whether the company would do up an order for an individual customer, as opposed to a business order, and after some discussion via direct messaging, it was decided that a candy with the initials “BB” on them would be made.
▼ My-Ame immediately went to work, crafting a black-and-white sweet according to the customer’s requirements.
The minimum order of 3,500 sweets was quickly produced, and to avoid burdening the customer with excessive customs tariffs and import taxes, they shipped off an initial box of 500 to the U.K. address supplied, using Express Mail Service (EMS).
As always, the company was eager to please their customer and hoped they would receive some confirmation that their product had been collected at the other end. According to EMS records, the package arrived safely at its destination on 28 March, five days after it had been dispatched from Japan.
The company sent another private message to Brooklyn, asking whether he had received the package. Despite their frequent communication in the lead-up to the delivery, now the message was left unread. After a couple of days, the company sent him another message, saying they were worried about whether the package had been received or not. Still, no answer.
After hearing about their plight online, our Japanese-language reporter Mr Sato got in touch with the company to find out what they would like to ask Brooklyn if they could get in touch with him. They replied:
“What would you like us to do with the remaining 3,000 pieces of candy?“
So if you’re reading this, Brooklyn, please check your private messages and send a reply to the company as soon as possible! If you’re busy and need some help sorting out the matter, feel free to get in touch with us here at SoraNews24. We’re more than happy to help devour those cute little candy pieces for you!
Related: My-Ame
Images: Nakamura Corporation
[ Read in Japanese ]
[ Read in Japanese ]
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