Nasukogen Kashiwaya 那須高原柏屋

Famed manju and tarts

I thought I liked manju until I had a usukawa, or thin-skinned, manju from Kashiwaya. Now I love the stuff! The Kashiwaya main store is in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, and it has a dozen or so locations in the Kanto area. The Nasukogen Kashiwaya offers the traditional sweet, one of three famous varieties in Japan, along with tarts and seasonal confections. For cheesecake fans, go for the lemon tart, available year-round, and the seasonal peach tart.