🍱 Game no ha Manjyu

"Kashiwa Mochi" is a traditional Japanese snack made during the Boys' Day celebration and is especially popular among children. Although it is typically eaten on Boys' Day, the leaves of the Japanese emperor oak tree required to make it aren't found in Fukuoka Prefecture. As a result, an alternative snack has been created using leaves from the smilax glabra plant, known as sankira. In northern Fukuoka Prefecture, the local word for “turtle” or “soft-shelled turtle” is “game”, and the leaves of the sankira plant resemble the shell of the turtle. This is why the snack is also called “game-no-ha” (turtle leaf) or “sankira manju”. Interestingly, the name “sultry rose” is also used to describe the plant, due to its thorny vines, round leaves, and roots, which monkeys even enjoy.