Kotobuki Castle

The consumption of tochi nuts has been recorded as far back as 8000 BC, by ancient Japanese from the Johmon era. Since then, their recipes and cooking methods have been passed down from generation to generation. Even today their distinctive flavor in rice cakes is a common source of nostalgic childhood memories for the local Japanese.

"Shiro (white) Tochimochi", rice cakes with sweet red bean paste inside and "Aka (red) Tochimochi", rice cakes covered in red bean paste are our two best sellers at the castle.

We have other products such as "Fukufuku Usagi" (jumping rabbit by the moon), "Taikoku Yaki" (sponge cake with top quality red beans), and our butter sponge cake "Castilla". These are great gift ideas for family and friends or for yourself!

Tochi Nuts

These nuts have a long history of being an important part of the local diet since the Johmon era. The nuts are also known to have very strong bitterness and impurities and it takes about half a month to process them for eating.
There are more than ten steps in the process, and particular care must be taken to control the water temperature when cooking and drying.

The cooking procedure

• First, freshly harvested nuts are placed in water to allow for the extraction of their impurities. Once extracted, they are drained and shelled.
• Then they are again soaked in a large pot of water and left for 2-3 days with special charcoal to purify the water.
• Next, the nuts are washed and peeled. The removal of this inner layer is crucial to prevent any discoloration in the final product.
  *The nuts are not edible by themselves, even after this purifying process. They are normally used in cooking.