Sakuramochi (桜餅) is a variety of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink mochi (rice cake) and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura (cherry blossom). The sakura leaf is edible.
The style of sakuramochi differs by region.
Basically, the east of Japan such as Tokyo uses shiratama-ko (白玉粉, rice flour) and the west side such as Kansai uses dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉, glutinous rice flour) for batter. Read the recipe for Sakuramochi.
Sakuramochi is traditionally eaten on Girl's Day (also known as Hinamatsuri) in Japan, on March 3.
Hinamatsuri (雛祭り Hina-matsuri), also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day, is a special day in Japan. [1] Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of ornamental dolls (雛人形 hina-ningyō) representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.[3]
The custom of displaying dolls began during the Heian period. Formerly, people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called hina-nagashi (雛流し, lit. "doll floating"),
in which straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a
river to the sea, supposedly taking troubles or bad spirits with them.
The Shimogamo Shrine (part of the Kamo Shrine complex in Kyoto) celebrates the Nagashibina by floating these dolls between the Takano and Kamo Rivers to pray for the safety of children.
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