{"id":5789,"date":"2023-07-31T12:47:19","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T03:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/nagoya-its-sweet-enough-uiro-nagoyas-tasty-dessert\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:33:44","slug":"nagoya-its-sweet-enough-uiro-nagoyas-tasty-dessert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/nagoya-its-sweet-enough-uiro-nagoyas-tasty-dessert\/","title":{"rendered":"Nagoya, It’s Sweet Enough – Uir\u014d, Nagoya’s Tasty Dessert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nagoya meshi<\/em> [cuisine] is known for its rambunctious flavors, typified Taiwan Ramen, ankake<\/em> pasta, and by the red miso that is slathered all over pretty much everything. However, when it comes to desserts, things get a little bit more refined, particularly in the case of uir\u014d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Pronounced as “wee-roh,” uir\u014d<\/em>\u00a0is a soft and chewy wagashi <\/em>[Japanese sweet] similar to mochi <\/em>made from glutinous rice flour and subtle hints of sugar, flavored with azuki red bean paste, green tea, citrus yuzu<\/i>,\u00a0strawberry or chestnut. Originally a medicine in the Muromachi period (1336\u20131573) uir\u014d<\/em> actually started out in Tokyo’s prestigious Odawara samurai clan as a breath cleanser, like a tic tac. However, unlike tic tacs, uir\u014d<\/em>\u00a0was the preserve of the elites, and in China it was only sold to the Emperor.<\/p>\n

References of uir\u014d<\/em> as a confectionary product as opposed to a medicine start to appear in the 18th century, and in the tumultuous Meiji era, it became available to the general public, initially at Mochibun Sohonten in Nagoya’s Minami Ward. Purveyors of wagashi<\/em> since\u00a01659, Mochibun Sohonten, became the watchword for quality in uri\u014d<\/em>, encouraging other Nagoya confectioners to do likewise, and very soon, uir\u014d<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>became synonymous with Nagoya.<\/p>\n

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Today there are numerous top-quality confectioners at which to buy this delicious sweet, either for yourself or to give as gifts. Below are a few of them that you might like to try out.<\/p>\n

Uir\u014d Stores in Nagoya<\/h2>\n

Mochibun Sohonten<\/h3>\n

Established in 1659, these guys are the aforementioned originators.<\/p>\n

Where<\/strong>: 2 Chome-36-24 Yutaka, Minami Ward, Nagoya (map<\/a>)
\nWebsite<\/strong>: mochibun.co.jp<\/a><\/p>\n

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Aoyage Sohonke<\/h3>\n

Though they have been making wagashi<\/em> since 1789, Aoyage Sohonke started producing uir\u014d<\/em> in 1931, and were the first to sell hitokuchi<\/em> (bite-sized) uir\u014d<\/em>. They shot to national fame in the 1960s when they obtained the exclusive rights as uir\u014d\u00a0<\/em>purveyors on the Tokaido Shinkansen.<\/p>\n

Where<\/strong>: 2 Chome-18-50 Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya (map<\/a>)
\nWebsite<\/strong>: aoyagiuirou.co.jp<\/a><\/p>\n

Osu Uir\u014d<\/h3>\n

Established in 1949 in Nagoya’s shopping district of Osu, Osu Uir\u014d are also famous for their nair\u014d<\/em>, which is uir\u014d<\/em> mixed with a smooth, sweet red bean paste called koshi-an<\/em>. If you want to try\u00a0 out their hitokuchi uir\u014d<\/em>, a set of five costs just 540 JPY<\/p>\n

Where<\/strong>: 2 Chome-18-50 Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya (map<\/a>)
\nWebsite<\/strong>: osuuiro.co.jp<\/a><\/p>\n

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Image: By t-mizo<\/a> via flickr.com<\/a> (CC BY 2.0<\/a>) Modified
\nImage: By yukari abe<\/a> via flickr.com<\/a> (CC BY 2.0<\/a>) Modified<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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