Japanese Traditional Sweets Day Means Twitter Is Full of Mouth-Watering Photos of ‘Wagashi’ · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

Making suisen manjuu (水仙まんじゅう) at Iseya, a traditional Japanese confectionery shop in Obama, Fukui Prefecture. Photo by Nevin Thompson.
June 16 is Japanese Traditional Sweets Day and Twitter users are uploading pictures of their favorite confections using the hashtag “#和菓子の日” (wagashi no hi).
Japanese traditional sweets, known as wagashi, have long been associated with good fortune and gift giving, and Traditional Sweets Day has been observed for more than a thousand years. Today, wagashi are still an important part of the Japanese tea ceremony, and the hundreds of varieties of confections are also a popular treat.
For example, dorayaki, a sort of pancake filled with sweet red bean paste, is still very much a popular snack.
Happy Wagashi Day! 6.16 = #和菓子の日 or Japanese Traditional Sweets Day ? pic.twitter.com/a7G8ehFPke
— Yuuki (@ore_english) June 15, 2017
To kick the day off, a Japanese yuru-kyara or mascot holding a dango, a popular traditional sweet, explained the origins of the day:
おおさか和菓子親善大使のたいしくんだよ！あした6月16日は、和菓子の日っ！むか～しむかしから、6月16日に16個のお菓子やおもちをたべて、健康でしあわせにくらせますようにとねがった「嘉祥（かじょう）（嘉定）」という行事があるんだよ。だからあしたは、「和菓子の日」だよ。#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/hHZDkVP1kM
— たいしくん (@taishi_cho) June 15, 2017
Hi, I'm Taishikun, Osaka's official wagashi ambassador. On June 16 it's wagashi no hi! Long ago, in the olden days, on the 16th we would eat 16 pieces of wagashi to ensure happiness. The day was originally call “kajou” (嘉祥, 嘉定). And so the 16th is wagashi no hi.
Yet another mascot, Gunma-chan, who represents the Japanese prefecture of Gunma, showed off some elaborate wagashi that are representative of the delicate details common in some varieties of Japanese sweets:
お昼のほっこりぐんまちゃん１
今日は和菓子の日との事なのでぐんまちゃんの和菓子を張って置こう
桐生の舟定さんの芸術品です＾＾#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/3YTXqJ26BR
— ぐんまちゃん投票応援アカウント (@gunmachan_toa) June 16, 2017
[…] Since today is wagashi no hi, here are some wagashi that look just like me, Gunma-chan. These were made in the city of Kiryu, in the mountains of Gunma.
Many people are uploading photos of their own favorite traditional treats:
今日は和菓子の日みたいなので！
いつぞやつくった桃山と練りきり
#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/hFjJonnThv
— さゆき (@_sayuki_12) June 17, 2016
It seems like today is wagashi no hi! Here's a photo of some momoyama (a confection made with rice flour) and nerikiri (a sweet made from white azuki bean paste, sugar and yamaimo, a kind of starchy mountain yam) that I ate a while ago.
先の2枚は浅草でよく食べる。あとの2枚は昔からの大好物(❁´ω`❁)
#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/a2QqToTUPt
— みずっち@羅夢 (@hibi_miz) June 16, 2017
[…] Here are some photos of my favorite Japanese traditional sweets. (❁´ω`❁)
Wagashi come in all shapes and sizes, some whimsical and others more like works of art.
和菓子♥
すごいおいしい。ありがたや。#写真撮ってる人と繋がりたい #写真 #和菓子の日 #フォロバ ←気になった人だけ pic.twitter.com/Pugo8hroQs
— ＭＡＭI (@sakura4200) June 17, 2016
These are super tasty #awesome_photos #photo #wagashinohi #follow_me
Just as wagashi are connected to traditional Japanese culture, so is the old imperial capital of Kyoto, which has its own traditions associated with the tea ceremony and sweet confections. One Japanese cafe has capitalized on wagashi no hi to invite people to try out its own beautiful creations in the lead up to the Gion Matsuri, one of the most famous festivals in Japan that is as old as the thousand-plus year-old tradition of wagashi no hi itself.
おはようございます。
少し蒸しますか？あと半月もすれば祇園祭…the京都の夏は近いようです。
喫茶去京極の一週間の始まりは金曜日「和菓子の日」本日も11時半open&ランチタイムスタートです☆
今週も宜しくお願いいたします！#清水寺 #和風カフェ#和菓子の日 pic.twitter.com/8Xk8N2922C
— 玉露cafe 喫茶去京極 (@gyokurocafe2008) June 16, 2017
Good morning! It's just a couple of weeks until the Gion Matsuri and the beginning of summer in Kyoto. […] Kyoguku, our traditional Japanese cafe, will be open today for wagashi no hi starting at 11:30AM. We hope to see you!
#Shimizu Temple #Japanesestylecafe #wagashinohi
Japanese wagashi are not just limited to delicate confections. Shaved ice, served with macha tea and a macha syrup, is also popular in some traditional Japanese cafes.
#和菓子の日 ということで抹茶ー♡ pic.twitter.com/JtXdRadQx9
— 香川愛生@17日JCGｼｬﾄﾞｳﾊﾞ-ｽ (@MNO_shogi) June 16, 2017
It's wagashi no hi, so we're having macha.
Of course, marketers are also trying to take advantage of the hashtag on June 16. Giant candy maker Glico reminded everyone about their own product. While not exactly a traditional, this Japanese snack has become popular all over the world.
一応、50年以上つづく日本発のお菓子なので。#和菓子の日 #ポッキー pic.twitter.com/FRJKa4fMOb
— pockypretz11 (@pockypretz11) June 16, 2017
It's been more than 50 years since this candy was first introduced to Japan. #wagashinohi
To see more photos of traditional Japanese sweets, follow the hashtag #和菓子の日 on Twitter.