Joyo Manju

A steamed manju whose wrapper combines grated mountain yam, rice flour, and sugar around smooth bean paste. The yam in the wrapper is said to give it a light, airy bite and a faint natural sweetness of its own. Versions dyed red and white for celebrations are also known, the color choices said to carry meaning — white for auspicious events, a red-and-white pair for betrothal gifts. The quality of the yam and how finely it's grated are said to determine the wrapper's mouthfeel, this one extra step said to be reflected directly in price.

Grated mountain yam is mixed with rice flour and sugar and worked into a wrapper dough. Wrapped around smooth bean paste and steamed, the wrapper puffs up and often develops fine cracks on its surface — said to be where a shop's skill shows through. The cracked surface that appears after steaming is said to form naturally, and some traditions are said to favor not smoothing it into perfect uniformity. A custom of packing it into a formal wooden box as a gift is also known, treated as much as an act of etiquette as a sweet in its own right.

One account traces manju made with mountain yam back to the Nara period, when it is said to have been offered to people of high rank, earning it characters that read as "for upper use." Because the ingredient list is so simple, differences in a maker's skill are said to show directly in how the wrapper turns out, and it is said to have settled into the manju used at formal occasions such as celebrations and memorial services. Straight out of the steamer it is too soft to handle, so letting it cool somewhat before boxing is said to be standard.