Chilled Summer Wagashi That’s Cool to the Core! Fruit Daifuku, Mizu Manju, Goldfish Jelly

● Introducing popular summer wagashi that look refreshing and cool!

The sweltering heat is still going strong! On these hot summer days, wouldn’t you love some ice-cold, sweet treats?

From long-established wagashi shops to new stores, Osaka has plenty of spots where you can enjoy a variety of summer wagashi ♪

Today, we’re introducing “summer wagashi” that are must-tries when visiting Osaka—they look so cool and refreshing, they’ll soothe your heat-exhausted body.

Though they’re called summer wagashi, they come in many varieties. Mizu yōkan, mizu manjū, warabimochi, anmitsu, kuzukiri, wakasagi, and plum jelly are all classic items commonly found at wagashi shops. In addition, matcha soft serve, shaved ice, and fruit daifuku made with seasonal fruits are also very popular!

Looking at them, summer wagashi are all moist, chilled sweets～♡

Just imagining them makes you feel a bit cooler.

So let’s take a look at three summer wagashi recommended for purchase in Osaka.

● “Maruhime” Seasonal Whole Fruit Daifuku

First up is the fruit daifuku, which is rapidly gaining popularity. Since opening in December 2020, the high-end fruit daifuku specialty store “Fruit Daifuku Maruhime Minamimorimachi” has been making waves on social media and in the press!

About a two-minute walk from Osaka Metro Minamimorimachi Station, you’ll see the store with its mortar-style exterior, exuding a calm and dignified atmosphere.

Fruit Daifuku Maruhime Minamimorimachi Store

Inside, the decoration is elegant and upscale. Through the glass behind the counter, you can see the staff wrapping daifuku. Each one is carefully handmade, and they produce 400 to 500 a day! I wonder what fruit daifuku awaits—super excited ♪

Maruhime keeps about 10 to 12 items in stock according to the season. Since this is about summer wagashi, we asked the store manager to prepare a summer-recommended fruit daifuku for us.

From front to back, they are mango, dragon fruit, green kiwifruit, and yellow kiwifruit.

Because they use whole fruits, each daifuku is impressively large!

The 1-mm-thick skin wraps around the plump daifuku, and the colorful cross-section is adorable. Just looking at them makes my heart flutter ♡

Take a bite—the ultra-thin skin and white bean paste have a soft, sweet texture that pairs perfectly with the natural sweetness of the juicy fruit! Options like dragon fruit (crisp and refreshing) and kiwifruit (balanced sweet-sour and juicy) offer a variety of flavors. Truly a top-tier fruit daifuku that maximizes the sweetness of the fruit.

Besides takeout, the store also offers online sales. To eat, you can wrap the included thread around the center of the daifuku, pull both ends, and it will cut perfectly in half—fun! Be sure to give it a try.

● For Chilled Mizu Manju: First Choice “Hiyayaka Manju” from Namihoan

Next is “Namihoan Honten,” a long-established wagashi shop founded in 1858. It’s about a 5-minute walk from the nearest Daikokuchō Station, or about 10 minutes from Namba Station, quietly standing in Osu-Namba. It’s surprising that such a calm Japanese-style building exists just a little off the bustling area!

Their signature sweet “Aburi O-tarashi,” along with dorayaki, monaka, and other items—from unique to classic—make this a beloved wagashi shop among Osaka locals.

They also have an attached café where you can enjoy sweets, tea, and shaved ice, which is a nice touch. It’s so popular that sometimes there’s a line!

This is the recommended summer wagashi from Namihoan!

The summer-limited “Hiyayaka Manju.”

Open the barrel-shaped outer packaging, and inside are plenty of bouncy, jelly-like mizu manju.

Mizu manju is a summer sweet made with a translucent kudzu-based skin wrapped around bean paste.

Using the included small fork, cut it open to reveal the fluffy bean paste inside.

It melts in your mouth the moment you eat it, not too sweet, and very good.

These cool, refreshing “Hiyayaka Manju” are also highly recommended as mizu manju for when you have no appetite in summer.

● Bouncy and Cool Goldfish Jelly from “Sōke Minamoto Kitchōan”

Last is “Sōke Minamoto Kitchōan Kōraibashi,” a wagashi shop with 75 years of history, about a 1-minute walk from Kitahama Station.

The Kitahama area has many retro-style buildings, and the shop is on the first floor of one such brick-style building.

They offer classic wagashi like yōkan and Japanese buns suitable as souvenirs or gifts, as well as the popular “Natural Series” made with whole seasonal fruits. Their most famous summer items are the wagashi “Riku no Hōju” made with whole premium Muscat grapes and the luxurious jelly “Tōsenka” made with select white peaches.

From the countless wagashi at Sōke Minamoto Kitchōan, we chose a particularly summer-feeling jelly called “Goldfish” to introduce ♪

Inside the clear jelly, a large red goldfish elegantly swims—an incredibly cute-looking wagashi ♡ Since the Edo period (1603–1868), Japan has had the culture of enjoying the sight of goldfish swimming to cool off in summer, and this wagashi is a poetic representation of summer scenery.

The bouncy jelly has a refreshing Muscat flavor, while the goldfish part is made of yōkan. After enjoying the goldfish visually, go ahead and enjoy it deliciously ♪

With a shelf life of up to 30 days, it’s also an excellent summer gift—perfect as a souvenir for friends and family. On these hot summer days, why not try this chilled goldfish jelly to cool down and refresh your body and mind!