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Awayuki is a unique sweet treat with a long history in Miyoshi, and a texture said to resemble snow melting in the mouth, giving it a name that literally means “snow foam.” When it comes to tasting the sweet flavor and incomparable texture of awayuki in Miyoshi, there’s one destination on everybody’s lips: Tochiya. Tochiya was established in the mid-19th century, towards the end of Japan’s Edo period, and the shop became so popular that their sweets were taken to Hiroshima Castle, to be eaten by the samurai lords ruling over the region. Since those days, they’ve been making awayuki for the people of Miyoshi to enjoy for more than a century and a half! Over nine generations, the family-owned business has passed down the name Wasuke Tawara along with the tools and techniques needed to make the perfect Miyoshi awayuki, and customers still flock to the shop to this day.

Awayuki is light and fluffy, but with a firm bite, and that melt-in-your-mouth foaminess that lent the treat its name. When first tasting awayuki, some compare it to Japanese yokan jelly, or to modern marshmallows, and the truth is that this dessert does have things in common with both sweets. The experts at Tochiya make awayuki by combining a sweet meringue with agar-agar, which seems to capture the light foamy bubbles in solid form, and leave it with a simple sweet flavor that earns the treat fans both young and old. At the shop, they still use the very same methods and recipes that were used to make awayuki back in the 1850s, and even the enormous custom-made metal bowls have been handed down for generations. Ask the expert sweet makers, and they’ll tell you that it’s a lot of work to whip up 2 kg of egg whites into the perfect meringue, but doing it by hand is the best way to come out with a perfect batch of awayuki every time.

Tochiya isn’t lacking in innovation, though, either! While their classic awayuki tastes just like it did back in the Edo period, these days they also offer interesting options like “oboro awayuki,” which has been dried into light, crisp texture. Both kinds of awayuki go perfect with a cup of tea or coffee, and the sweetness balances the slightly bitter flavor of the hot drinks.

Many people buy boxes of awayuki as souvenirs, to take back home and share a taste of Miyoshi with friends and family. But for those who want to enjoy Miyoshi to the fullest while they’re still in the city, the volunteers at nearby Umpekikyo (the old traditional residence of Rai Kyohei) sometimes offer a cup of matcha and a piece of awayuki to visitors who come to see the house. Call ahead to Umpekikyo to decide on a time, and enjoy the flavors of this simple sweet just like Umpekikyo’s Edo-era residents once did.