🍚 Sakura-mochi (rice cake with bean paste wrapped in a preserved cherry leaf)
It is said that "Sakura-mochi" was invented in 1717 by a man named Shinroku Yamamoto, who lived in front of the Chomeiji Temple and worked as an official of the temple. Since that time, Sumida-zutsumi (Bokutei Street) has been a famous cherry blossom viewing spot. The idea came to him while he was cleaning up the large number of fallen cherry leaves on the bank of the river, so he pickled the leaves in salt and wrapped a rice cake with sweet bean paste inside. The “Sakura-mochi” (cherry blossom cake) was so popular that it became a local specialty. The “Sakura-mochi” was invented in the Edo period (1603-1867) and has continued to be sold until the present day. Leaves of Oshima cherry trees are used for the Sakura-mochi. In Kanto, wheat flour dough is thinly baked into a circular shape, then folded in half or cylindrical shapes and wrapped with “Koshi-an” (sweet smooth bean paste) so that the bean paste can be seen from the side. On top of this, two or three pieces of pickled cherry leaves are wrapped. Chomeiji Sakura-Mochi Yamamoto-ya" still sells “Sakura-mochi” near Chomeiji Temple.