Six Japanese-Inspired Sweets We're Obsessed With Right Now

When you can't travel to Japan in person, these confections offer a little bit of a trip all on their own.

Through a riot of texture, color, and precision married with ingredients like miso, red bean, and yuzu, Japanese confectioneries capture our imaginations and our taste buds wherever we encounter them. These six Japanese-inspired confections, ranging from chocolate bonbons to luscious cheesecakes and, of course, some truly magical mochi, draw on their makers' heritage and childhood memories. Call it the ultimate indulgence, but when it comes to dessert time in Japan, we're all just kids in a candy shop.

SUGOi Sweets

Japanese Sweets
Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food and Prop Styling by Miako Katoh

These iridescent, hand-painted bonbons from chef Elle Lei are filled with memorable flavors such as milk tea, guava cheesecake, and mango–passion fruit caramel. There's not a single dud in the box of 24. $69 at sugoisweets.com

K. Minamoto Confections

Japanese Sweets
Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food and Prop Styling by Miako Katoh

Think mochi, sugar-coated fruits, sweet red bean paste–stuffed cakes, and more delivered to your doorstep. We recommend ordering the variety box of their seasonal treats to sample the whole lot of offerings. from $26 at kitchoan.com

Lady M Confections

Inspired by desserts from his childhood trips to Tokyo to visit his grandmother, Ken Romaniszyn's Lady M Confections makes delicate yet towering dessert centerpieces: mille crêpes in flavors like green tea, chestnut, and pistachio. $95, at ladym.com

Patisserie Tomoko

Japanese Sweets
Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food and Prop Styling by Miako Katoh

Pastry chef Tomoko Kato's crowd-favorite chewy mochi stuffed with truffle-like fillings in flavors such as fudgy Earl Grey chocolate ganache, green tea, and black sesame make for an explosive combination of gooey textures and bright flavors. $59 at goldbelly.com

Deux Cranes Chocolates and Confections

Japanese Sweets
Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food and Prop Styling by Miako Katoh

To develop flavors like matcha-almond-yuzu and miso-almond for her geometric chocolates, Michiko Marron-Kibbey draws from her Japanese heritage and a stint studying pastry in Paris. $12 at deuxcranes.com

Basuku Cheesecakes

Japanese Sweets
Photo by Jessica Pettway / Food and Prop Styling by Miako Katoh

Borrowing technique from Basque cheesecakes as well as jiggly, soufflé-style Japanese cheesecakes, Basuku has achieved cult status. They often sell out almost instantly, and nationwide shipping is in the works. $35 at @basukucheesecakes on Instagram

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