Snow Strawberries

The Ajimi Team is a sucker for snow strawberries (yuki ichigo - ゆきいちご - 雪苺娘), the delicate decadent mochi confection. Like a pink-cast snowball, it's a wrap of thin mochi over a light cake, whipped cream and a sweet/tart strawberry. The gooey chewy moochi makes a perfect compliment to the spongy cake, the unctuous cream, and the berry fruit goodness of this perfect treat.

The movie Careful comes to mind when looking for yuki ichigo. Guy Maddin's contemporary bergfilm takes place in an alpine village where the threat of avalanches is so great that the residents must speak softly at all times. Quietly repressed desires fuel passions in this pastel tinted winter wonderland. One can imagine soft pink yuki ichigo - they not only look like breasts, but they feel like them too - as objects of illicit desire.

But there's no problem with speaking quietly at our favorite yuki ichigo stand under the tracks at the entrance to the Yurakucho JR station.  But it's for a different reason. The place is run by hearing impaired workers, who quickly and quietly dispatch orders from this perfect little hole-in-the-wall.  Also available are momo (peach), pudding, and anko plus strawberry filled daifuku.  A perfect place to indulge those desires.


NV