Wagashi are traditional Japanese confections, often served with tea. They are made from a handful of ingredients that have barely changed in centuries: rice flour, sweet bean paste, and sugar.
The shapes and designs of wagashi are usually inspired by nature — flowers, birds, seasonal plants. In this article, we'll walk through 18 of them.
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The History of Wagashi
Wagashi have a long history in Japan, with the first recorded mention dating back to the Heian period (794–1185). During the Edo period (1603–1868), production spread across the country, and different regions developed their own distinctive styles.
Today, wagashi are enjoyed by people of all ages and are often given as a small gift. The range goes from simple shapes to highly elaborate designs shaped by hand.
If you want to try wagashi in Tokyo, a few well-regarded shops and cafés worth visiting are Kagetsu Arashi, Ichigo Ichie, and Kaiyodo.
Want to Learn How to Make Wagashi?
Before diving into the list, I'd recommend the Traditional Japanese Wagashi Cooking Course. You can watch an interview on Jornal da Tarde with Cesar, the creator of the course, talking about his wagashi recipes:
Click here to access the wagashi course
1. Namagashi (生菓子)
Namagashi is the umbrella term for the sweets used in the tea ceremony. They are meant to be as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate, and most are filled with azuki bean paste.
Namagashi can include jellies, gelatins, and other soft textures; they are made from natural ingredients and often take a nature-inspired form, like flowers or leaves.
2. Sakuramochi (桜餅)
Sakura mochi are rice cakes filled with bean paste and wrapped in a salted sakura leaf. They are eaten to celebrate Hinamatsuri — Japan's Girl's Day — on March 3rd.
3. Amanatto
Amanatto are most often azuki beans coated in sugar — essentially a jelly bean made from beans and other grains. The grains are simmered in water with sugar, dried, and then rolled in more sugar.
Beyond azuki, soybeans and other beans can be used to make amanatto, each giving a slightly different flavor. Amanatto tend to be more popular with older generations and are often served with tea in nursing homes across Japan.
We recommend reading: Amanatto – The Bean Jelly Bean
4. Kompeito (金平糖)
Kompeito are small, colorful sweets made of pure sugar. They are round, with tiny spiked bumps that form naturally during cooking, giving them a star- or asteroid-like shape.
Kompeito were first brought to Japan by Portuguese traders in the 16th century. They are still presented as gifts of gratitude to visitors of the Imperial House of Japan.
We recommend reading: List of 100 Japanese Sweets
5. Hanabiramochi (葩餅)
Hanabiramochi literally means "flower petal mochi." It is traditionally served at the first tea ceremony of the new year — a custom that began with the Imperial Family. Hanabiramochi has a distinctive shape and color.
It is filled with mung bean paste, and its shape and colors carry symbolic meaning tied to the new year.
6. Suama (寿甘)
Suama is a confection made from rice flour and sugar. It is dyed red on the outside while staying white inside, giving it a clean, two-tone look.
7. Wasanbon (和三盆)
Wasanbon are fine, colorful sugar sweets. The sugar itself is made from a thin-stalked cane grown in Shikoku, called taketo (竹糖) or chikusha (竹蔗).
8. Botamochi (ぼたもち)
A seasonal sweet made with glutinous rice and red bean paste, traditionally enjoyed in spring.
9. Karukan (軽羹)
A confection from Kyushu made from rice flour, sugar, and Japanese yam — light, slightly springy, and gently sweet.
10. Uiro (外郎)
Uiro are chewy, lightly sweet cakes. They come in a range of flavors — green tea, sakura, strawberry, chestnut — each with its own seasonal mood.
11. Dango (団子)
Dango are Japanese dumplings similar to mochi, served on skewers of three or four. Flavors shift with the season. The name literally means "group of children."
The Japanese have been eating dango since the Jōmon period — many originally prepared from forest nuts, which were crushed, bloomed, and mixed into porridge to survive the winter.
In everyday use, "dango" can also describe anything round on a skewer, a ball-shaped object, or a cluster of round things grouped together.
We also recommend reading: Dango – Curiosities and Recipe of the Japanese Sweet
12. Monaka (最中)
A crisp, thin mochi wafer sandwiching a filling of red bean paste — light, crunchy, and intensely sweet at the center.
13. Yokan (羊羹)
Yokan is a jelly-like dessert made from red bean paste, agar, and sugar. It is often set with green tea powder, chopped chestnuts, whole sweetened beans, or other ingredients suspended in the jelly.
We also recommend reading: Yokan – Recipe for Japanese Seaweed Jelly
14. Manju (饅頭)
Manju is a traditional Japanese sweet made from glutinous rice flour, usually filled with anko (red bean paste). It is said to have originated in Kyoto during the Heian period (794–1185). Manju can be boiled or steamed, and the dough is often shaped by hand into balls, pyramids, or crescent moons.
You'll find manju in most Japanese confectioneries, and they are often given as gifts for special occasions such as weddings or births.
We recommend reading: Yaki Manju – Discover the sweet filled with beans and its Recipe
15. Kuzumochi (葛餅)
Kuzumochi is a type of mochi made from kuzu starch, traditionally prepared in Japan during the summer months. The sweet is white, with a smooth and chewy texture, and is often served with a sweet syrup or kinako (roasted soybean flour).
To make it, kuzu root starch is mixed with water, boiled, cooled, and shaped into small balls, which are then rolled in roasted soybean powder.
16. Kusa Mochi (草餅)
Kusa mochi literally means "grass mochi." It is mochi made with powder from the leaves of the Japanese mugwort plant and is traditionally eaten in spring. It is usually served with sweet soybean flour as a topping.
17. Taiyaki (たい焼き)
Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cake. It is commonly filled with red bean paste, cheese, or cream. The name literally means "grilled sea bream," and it comes in both sweet and savory versions.
Taiyaki is essentially a regular pancake or waffle cooked in a fish-shaped mold on a grill. It is quite similar to a Swiss crepe, and it is usually cooked until golden brown.
The classic filling is sweet bean paste, but you'll also find chocolate, cream, cheese, green tea, or even meat and chicken. With the right mold, the possibilities are nearly endless.
We also recommend reading: Taiyaki – The famous fish-shaped cake
18. Yatsuhashi (八橋)
The signature sweet of Kyoto, with the chewy texture of mochi and a warm cinnamon flavor. They are sometimes baked and crunchy; other times, served soft with a bean filling.
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