With the spring travel season upon us, many people are likely visiting Kyoto. So, Fashion Headline researched recommended products from buyers at JR Kyoto Isetan, located at the entrance to Kyoto Station. Kyoto is home to many long-established shops, and we'll introduce the top three most popular souvenirs, broken down by item. The first installment is the "Japanese and Western Confectionery" section.

■ Japanese Sweets: A Kyoto Elegance

1st Place: "Mangetsu/Ajari Mochi" (100 yen each), a Kyoto specialty now popular nationwide.
This semi-fresh confection is made by wrapping Tamba Dainagon bean paste in a mochi dough made from a variety of ingredients kneaded using traditional techniques and baking it, resulting in an exquisitely delicious harmony of a moist crust and light bean paste. It's a staple Kyoto souvenir that remains the undisputed number one at JR Kyoto Isetan.

2nd place: Sentaro/Botamochi (240 yen per piece), a long-established Japanese confectionery shop that specializes in using domestic ingredients
The dough is made with Duki rice cake rice. Granulated sugar from Hokkaido beet sugar and natural salt from Amakusa, Kumamoto, are added to the dough, and the botamochi is wrapped in a bean paste made from Tanba Dainagon red beans, resulting in a simple sweetness and a heavy, chewy texture. Furthermore, when it comes to Sentaro's botamochi, the chopped shiso leaves (green perilla) kneaded into the dough as a secret ingredient are an essential part. The refreshing and unique aroma of the shiso leaves softens the sweetness of the bean paste, creating a light taste.

3rd Place: Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Japan's first waffle confectionery, "Kogetsu/Senjyu Senbei" (120 yen per piece)
A light Japanese-style sugar cream sandwiched between crisp, wavy, cookie-like rice crackers, this is a new type of confection never before seen in Japanese sweets. The dough is baked using a unique blend of flour, and the ingredients and baking time change depending on the season. We also recommend "Hime Senjyu Senbei," a new product that is one size smaller than Senjyu Senbei.

■ Kyoto Sweets with a Shining Touch: Western Confectionery Edition

1st Place: "Malebranche/Chanoka" (10 pieces for 1,200 yen), a baked confectionery made by a popular cake shop in Kitayama, Kyoto
Chanoka was created through a collaboration between tea-making master Kojima Kakuji, tea appraiser Morita Haruhide, and pastry chef Ezaki Yasuhiko. A new classic dessert, featuring thick, specially made white chocolate sandwiched between langue de chat cookies made with thick tea (matcha) from Shirakawa, Uji, Kyoto. While it can be purchased online, it's only available in person in Kyoto. It's sure to be a welcome Kyoto souvenir.

2nd Place: "Henri Charpentier/Financier" (5 pieces for 650 yen), a sweet representative of a popular Ashiya brand.
A financier made with a blend of fragrant Marcona and Fritz almonds and original fermented butter from Hokkaido. Its rich aroma and soft, moist texture are so striking that some say "Henri Charpentier is synonymous with financiers." Due to its high quality, it's an excellent choice for wedding gifts and thank-you presents.

3rd place: "Tawawa/Kyoto Fufufu Rusks" (10 rusks for 1,300 yen), proposed by a shop born and raised in Kyoto.
This innovative sweet was developed with the desire to "make a Kyoto-style rusk using wheat gluten that would be loved by people of all ages." Using traditional methods, each piece of wheat gluten is hand-baked and then coated with butter and granulated sugar. The sweet aroma of butter and sugar wafts through the air, and the light, crispy texture that only baked wheat gluten can provide is exquisite. There are six flavors: butter, bamboo charcoal, mugwort, sesame, matcha, and black shichimi. The black shichimi flavor is exclusive to this store.