Cafe Life in Tokyo - Part 2

Common menu items in Japanese Cafe's -
Here is typical menu.(JP), -Thank you Kaede! Okay I will introduce each sweet.

Mitsu-mame (Syrup & Peas)
Mitsu-mame will be able to become popular in western countries. If I were to be appointed "ambassador to export mitsu-mame", I would love to canvass the world and introduce mitsu-mame to all
Generally, for Japanese, mitsu-mame is salted peas; a bit of sugary soft rice cake called gyuuhi(sugary soft rice cake) and served with sliced fruit with low-calorie cubed Kanten(or Japan agar), topped with syrup. Kanten provides a cool fresh feeling for the throat and the natural syrup yields a mild sweetness. Sometimes, swirling in ice cream and Anko(or sweet bean jam), adding new dimension of sweetness.
At times, the salted peas release just enough saltiness in contrast to the sweetness of mitsu-mame, leaving a refreshing balance for the taste buds. Ah, my mouth is beginning to water!
For your information, at super markets, mitsu-mame costs around \300, about $2.80 US. Moreover, this is oil-free and 100% sweeten naturally. There are different names for mitsu-mames based on their respective toppings such as; fruits mitsu-mame (plus fruits), cream an-mitsu (plus ice cream and anko), mame-kan (the simplest version, only salted peas & syrup). Mitsu-mame has only 245 calories and is fat- free!

Kuzu-mochi and Warabi-mochi (Arrowroot cake and bracken starch dumpling)
Ah, I hope you have powder arrowroot and bracken starch in your country! I am not sure, but this might be a unique Japanese starch? It looks similar to corn starch but is made from edible root, and is very in low-calories, same as Japan agar.
Kuzu-mochi and Warabi-mochi have elastic features, yet are jelly-like with a slighly natural sweet flavour and are eaten with Kinako, or powdered soy beans and brown sugar syrup. This subdued taste keeps you wanting more with only 171 calories and a smidgen of fat from the soy beans.

Tokoroten
Another representative of a low-calorie snack in Japan. Tokoroten is made from tengusa (a kind of seaweed), and formed into sleek jelly-like noodles. Named tokoroten is for one of the styles of kanten. Oddly enough, in the Kanto region (Tokyo) tokoroten is eaten with vinegar, but in the Kansai region (Osaka and Kyoto) people favour sweetening their tokoroten with syrup.
Although Japan is relatively small, food culture and preferences change dramatically regionally. Stay tuned to future articles for more regional comparisons! Incidentally, I am Edokko-a Tokyo resident so please excuse my bias for Eastern regional foods. Kanto Style is only 5 calories and work for Kanten" target="_blank">your diet perfectly.

Ice cream
Ice cream and popsicles are universal. However, when accounting for the tastes of Japanese, we love a few unique flavours. Most famous flavours is Azuki ice cream (sweet red bean).　Sweet bean is not only a must for Japanese sweets but also Japanese national sweets, something close to mom’s home baking. Azuki sweet beans are full of vitamin B1 and prevents heat exhaustion in the summer by converting sugar into energy. To eat Azuki ice cream in summer is natural for Japanese hot and humid summers.　If someone offered me 5 Azuki popsicles I wouldn't hesitate galloping them down…But nobody has!