
This tasty sweet is now easier to eat…but the edible package version is harder to find.
If you’ve done any amount of traveling in Japan then you know that every prefecture boasts its own unique kind of food. For Yamanashi Prefecture, home to the northern half of Mt. Fuji, one of their signature sweets is known as Kikyo Shingen Mochi. This rice cake is traditionally served in slices in a small, square plastic container, dusted with kinako soybean powder, topped with kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup), and eaten with a wooden toothpick-like utensil.
Shingen Mochi is a highly popular sweet that has even been turned into a popcorn flavor, but many complain that it’s hard to eat out of its plastic container since digging out bits of jiggly mochi from a flimsy plastic box with a wooden stick isn’t the easiest feat. Plus, unlike other mochi desserts, they come individually served in single-use plastic containers, which aren’t exactly eco-friendly. Luckily, the maker of Shingen Mochi, Kikyoya, has come up with a new way to serve it: in an edible container.
The box and the lid are both made of monaka, Japanese-style wafers which are typically served filled with red bean paste. This edible box lets you not only ignore the stick, since you could just take a bite out of the whole thing, but you also don’t have to worry about having anything to throw away after! It’s a win-win.
Fans of Kikyo Shingen Mochi were delighted with the new packaging:
“What a revolution!”
“Such a great idea!”
“Genius.”
“This is what we’ve all be looking for!”
“Now I can eat it in one bite.”
“Adding monaka to that already delicious flavor…It’s evolved into an exciting new sweet!”
The new version is called Kikyo Shingen Mochi Kiwami to distinguish it from the usual plastic-package version (which is still available for sale) and it became available on December 24. But beware: only a limited number of sets will be sold each day, and because it’s a high-demand item, customers are limited to one box of each size (it comes with either three or eight individual snacks). The packs are listed for 700 yen (US$6.10) for the three-pack or 1,800 yen for the eight-pack.
You can find the Kiwami version only in Yamanashi at Kikyoya stores in Ichinomiya, Kofu, and Kobuchizawa, so if you find yourself visiting the Yamanashi-based Fuji-Q Highland amusement park, make sure to take some time to make a pit stop at one of Kikyoya’s stores if you want to try it!
Source: Yahoo! News Japan via Twitter/@mokumecat via My Game News Flash, Kikyuya (1, 2)
Top image: Kikyoya
Insert image: Kikyoya
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!


Visiting the Kikyoya Shingen Mochi theme park takes some planning–but it’s a stop worth making!
McDonald’s Japan’s newest east-meets-west dessert, the Shingen Mochi Pie is here, but is it good?
Sweet mochi beer? Yamanashi sweets maker teams up with craft brewer for Kuromitsu Black
Sweet mochi popcorn: Japan’s newest East-West crossover sweet we can’t wait to eat
Is Kyoto’s raindrop cake as good as the original from Yamanashi?
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Early-blooming sakura cherry blossoms create pink-tinged wonderlands in Japan
Japanese trains in Sapporo might be better than those in Tokyo, thanks to one special feature
Howl’s Moving Castle’s scene-stealing dog is here to clean your home as a plushie mop
Fading Tokyo – Horikiri Station, the Arakawa River, and Kinpachi-sensei[Walking course]
Starbucks Japan releases FIVE new Frappuccinos in a day, and we try them all in 90 minutes
Studio Ghibli hair accessories keep your style tidy with help from Kiki, Moro, Calcifer, and more
Tokyo turns its phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots, and here’s how to use them
Can putting a giant dragonfly on your head repel bugs?
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says