十万石春日部店 Jumangoku Manju

Luscious local manju

Japan's got so many varieties of manju, the confection filled with adzuki bean paste. Saitama has its own variety, Sengoku manju, originating in the 1940s. Sengoku Manju Kasukabe is located a short walk from Kasukabe Station's west exit. They make celebratory red and white manju, too, for special occasions. This manju has a great texture, with a thick and fluffy outside, and adzuki bean filling prepared with hulled beans. The filling is smooth and not too sweet. The main shop in Gyoda City, Saitama, is worth a visit, too, as it is housed in a heritage building, a kimono shop built in the 1880s.