My first Sakura flavor of 2026

Danish Heart Mochi Mochi Sakura Mochi

Brand: Danish Heart

Price: 206 yen

Place of purchase: Maruhiro

Rating:

I liked the novelty of the Danish Heart Mochi Mochi Sakura Mochi pastry currently available at Andersen bakeries across the Japan. I think it is the first sakura flavor / themed food I have had so far in 2026. I really like the buttery crispness of the Danish dough with some sugar coating. Moreover, the soft, chewy texture of the sakura mochi added a lovely contrast of texture. Sakura mochi wouldn't be my favorite flavor in the world, so I also appreciated that there was only a little bit of it inside the medium sized heart shaped pastry. The top is finished with what resembled a sakura petal, which added a nice pink hue to the otherwise brown danish pastry.

This version of Andersen's "Danish Heart" brand appears in Andersen’s Seasonal Recommendations, aligning with early spring and the start of sakura season. It’s designed to evoke the gentle sweetness and soft textures associated with hanami treats. However, as such, it is only available at this time of year. They currently don't give an end date to its availability. It's a little bit expensive for the size, at 206 yen, but you are paying for the novelty factor, the seasonality and the sakura mochi. As such, I thought it was worth it, but I wouldn't be buying it very often.