Moon viewing with sweets

According to the lunar calendar, today is August 15. On this day, we have an annual event “moon viewing.” It is said that the moon is seen most beautifully at this time of year. Though it was raining during the lunch break, I went to JR Hamamatsu Station to pick up some sweets I had ordered in advance (I was worried that they would be sold out). In May One Ekimachi West, there is a Japanese-style confectionery shop Furusato (ふる里). It is an old store in Hamamatsu established in 1947.
When I came there, they were selling several sweets for moon viewing. In Japan, it has been said that there is a rabbit on the moon. So, they had also sweets that resemble rabbits.

In fact, the most common sweet for the event is tsukimidango or moon-viewing dumpling. Usually, it is known as ball-shaped dumplings arranged to form a pyramid. They are intended to thank the moon for the harvest of the year. In Hamamatsu, we have also tsukimidango, but it is flat. This kind of tsukimidango is traditional in western and central Shizuoka Prefecture. It is often called “hesodango” or navel dumpling at it has a dent in the center that looks like a navel.

The pack I bought in Furusato had six tsukimidango with adzuki bean paste in aluminum foil. When you eat one, you can put some paste on the navel.

The sales clerk said that their tsukimidango is made from high quality powder of non-glutinous rice. But it seemed to contain some sugar also as it was slightly sweet. It was good as it was but better with adzuki bean paste. Though the navel dumpling is a traditional sweet, this was my second time to see it. I hadn't had expected that there was a confectionery store selling this unique dumpling that used to be made at home. When I was little, I saw it for the first time at my relative's house. It was my aunt who made it. Today it her birthday. Happy birthday!

I also had a rabbit bun. It was cute.

This bun seemed to contain yam in the skin, and I felt a hint of berry-like flavor in azuki bean paste inside. Unfortunately, Furusato doesn’t attach labels of ingredients on their packages. But their sweets are excellent!

Now, the moon is seen clearly without any cloud. I had thought for a long time that you could see a full moon at the night of moon-viewing event. But I was wrong. This year, a full moon will be seen tomorrow, on September 14 on the solar calender.