Kitarindo

The candies at Kitarindo range from clean, gentle sweetness to flavours that linger with notes of plum or sansho pepper. One customer describes Kiku no Tsuyu as having the refined sweetness of bekko-ame, a type of amber-coloured sugar candy. Another says the shop explained that it is aruheito made with beet sugar and cooked slowly over a low heat. It could be a good choice when you want to savour the sweetness of the candy itself, or are looking for a gift.

For something with a little more edge, try Ōrinbai, which combines plum extract with brown sugar, or the sansho candy, whose peppery kick made an impression on one customer. A review describes Ōrinbai as balancing tartness with the sweetness of brown sugar, without being too sweet or too sour. The sansho candy, meanwhile, was said to leave a tingling sensation on the tongue. Those after a fruitier flavour might opt for the strawberry candy, which contains freeze-dried strawberries. One customer noted that the strawberry flavour lingered on the tongue after the candy had melted, and found it recognisably like strawberry.

Alongside the candies, there is Wariita, a thin, breakable sheet-shaped sweet. Some customers singled out the version with cacao nibs, while others praised the crunch of peanuts or the flavour of black sesame. It offers a different texture from the candies.

Some visitors to the Hannancho shop say they chose their sweets after trying samples and hearing explanations. If you cannot decide, you could start with Kiku no Tsuyu, with its bekko-ame-like sweetness, and add one that catches your eye, such as plum, sansho or strawberry.