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Sweets Tales
Tokyo's "Candy Zoo"
Sendagi, Tokyo: a town with an old downtown charm.
There you can find a sloping rode named after Japanese sweet rice dumplings: Dango-zaka
Uphill on Dango-zaka sit Yoshihara, a shop that specializes not in dumplings, but taffy.
There they sell "Amezaiku", candy sculptures often found at festivals in Japan.
Yoshihara is the first shop in Japan to specialize in Amezaiku.
Step inside and you've entered a zoo of candy animals.
Yoshihara-san: "In the old days, traveling storytellers would go to parks or shrines and make candy figures as a part of their show."
"I thought that if I created a place where people could come to see Amezaiku, then maybe the tradition would continue."
Unable to abandon his childhood dream, Yoshihara-san became apprentice to an Amezaiku master at the age of 27.
The main ingredient is a starch syrup made from corn.
The syrup is boiled down so the moisture can be extracted.
The candy must be molded while still hot as it begins to harden immediately.
Yoshihara-san has 3 minutes to perfect his creation.
"Each figure is made from one ball of taffy, which is sculpted by stretching and cutting it."
"Stretching is the most important part of the process."
"Being able to create curves and shape them into animal figures is the most captivating part of this work."
The allure of Amezaiku lie in the beauty of their curves.
But for Yoshihara-san, it doesn't end there. He has created a new character using Amezaiku.
Meet Ame-pyon, the rabbit alter-ego of Yoshihara-san - who was born in the Year of the Rabbit himself.
Without further ado, we present the premiere showing of Ame-pyon Dance!
"You can play with and have fun, you can appreciate its beauty."
"But at the end of the day, I hope you find it delicious!"