For those who love Japanese sweets
A masterpiece of amber confectionery with beautiful packaging
Konki from Osuga Kashin
The soft gradation of the cream yellow wrapping paper and light beige hornbeam string is the theme of the store's logo, which was created by Yukiko Inoue, a graphic designer from the Setouchi-based company "Moone Koubou." It was carved from a slender tip of a tachibana branch that inherited the DNA of the sacred tachibana tree at Tachibanamoto Shrine in Wakayama Prefecture, where the founder of sweets, "Tajimamori," is enshrined. 
When you open the package, you will see a white box with instructions for "Kinkame." 
Inside the box, individually wrapped Kinkame candies are neatly lined up. A pack of 10 costs 2,850 yen. Other options include a pack of 5 for 1,500 yen and a pack of 15 for 4,180 yen. 
The beauty of the kanoko beans faintly visible through the amber sugar. Best before: 40 days. 
When you break it open, you'll see surprisingly fresh agar and kanoko beans...! 
The carrier bag was also designed by Yukiko Inoue. The two-tone white and cream yellow design conveys the message of "opening the sliding doors to welcome visitors and offering them warm hospitality."
Located along the central shopping arcade in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, at the foot of Hikone Castle, is Kashin Osuga Main Store, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop with a history of approximately 72 years since its founding.
The shop's motto is to offer carefully crafted Japanese sweets, and its signature confection, along with the "Sanjugomankoku" mochi filled monaka, is the "Konki," which was invented by the previous owner. The confection is made by boiling plump Hokkaido azuki beans, hardening them into a soft, tortoiseshell shape with domestically produced agar, and then drying the surface to create a amber sugar.
There used to be an ancient temple called Hikone-ji Temple on Mt. Hikone, and its principal image was a 1.8-foot tall Kannon statue riding on the back of a golden turtle, so Mt. Hikone was called Kinkiyama and Hikone Castle was called Kinkijo. "Konki" was created in honour of this history, and the elegant sweetness of the amber sugar and the single piece of gold leaf on top evoke the elegant appearance of Kinkijo Castle.
When you pick it up with your fingers and crack it open, the agar, which has been kept fresh by the amber sugar, appears, and the uniformly sized kanoko beans sparkle from deep within the clear agar.
A pleasant balance of the crunchy texture of amber sugar, the smoothness of agar, and the fragrant kanoko beans...!
Each one is individually wrapped in washi paper and decorated with the auspicious "flower turtle shell" motif, a flower overlaid on a turtle shell, a symbol of longevity and prosperity, and the sincere care that went into making the sweets is evident.Their small size, which can be eaten in just two or three bites, is also quite elegant.
This is a representative Hikone confection made with meticulous care in every detail, making it the perfect gift for someone special.
