A day for daifuku

Today, and February 9th annually, is Daifuku Day 大福の日. Daifuku is a soft, chewy rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste. In recent years, Ichigo Daifuku are very popular. Ichigo Daifuku have strawberry rather than bean paste in them.

"Daifuku day" is a light‑hearted food anniversary dedicated to one of the country’s most beloved traditional sweets. The date comes from a bit of Japanese wordplay: the numbers 2‑9 can be read as the fu‑ku in 'daifuku' and which sounds like “good fortune".

A major food wholesaler, Nihon Access, created the anniversary to promote wagashi, traditional Japanese confections. The idea is simple but effective: use a fun, memorable date to draw attention to daifuku and encourage shops to run special promotions.