Dragon Quest Walk’s Kyoto strolls inspire collaboration with local confectioner that’s been in business for more than 300 years.
Like a lot of long-running role-playing video game series, Dragon Quest brings in a new cast of heroes and villains for pretty much every installment. From the very beginning, though, Slimes have been a constant in the Dragon Quest creature cast.
Over the past four decades, Slimes have appeared in dozens of Dragon Quest games, and have evolved into an even greater number of subspecies. Starting with the original trio of the standard Slime, Red Slime, and Metal Slime, we’ve also seen such unique variations as the jellyfish-like Healslime and regal King Slime, but we’ve just encountered what might be the most surprising Slime of all: the geisha Slime.
Much like how the Slime has become the face of Dragon Quest, geisha, and apprentice-level geisha called maiko, are seen as representatives of Kyoto, which is where the Maiko Slime hails from. Another symbol of Kyoto is nama yatsuhashi, a traditional Japanese confectionary made of a folded triangle of soft, chewy mochi with a dollop of anko (sweet red bean jam) inside.
▼ Nama yatsuhashi
Nama yatsuhashi are one of the top souvenirs for travelers to Kyoto, and they’re also an in-game item that players can win in mobile geolocation game Dragon Quest Walk by completing missions within the city. Naturally, though, the in-game sweets aren’t just any nama yatsuhashi, they’re Slime nama yatsuhashi.
Dragon Quest Walk periodically partners with local companies to bring its in-game foodstuffs into the real world, and for the Slime nama yatsuhashi they’re working with Shogoin Yatsuhashi, a Kyoto-based confectioner that’s been in business since 1689 and remains one of the most popular nama yatsuhashi brands more than 300 years later. The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi went on sale in mid-May and immediately sold out, but thankfully new supplies are now in stock and you can get them either at Shogoin’s shops in Kyoto or through their online store, like we did.
The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi come as a double-pack with 10 pieces total. With Japan in general prizing hospitality and Kyoto in particular seeing it as a virtue, Shogoin places the Maiko Slime inside an extra layer of protective bubble wrap, ensuring that it arrives with its beauty unmarred.
The contents are an even split of five nama yatsuhashi dusted with cinnamon (the most traditional flavor) and five wrapped in matcha-infused mochi (the most popular alternative version). The way they’re arranged, it really does look like a bunch of slimes are nestled together inside the packs.
However, this is a good time to mention that the “nama” part of nama yatsuhashi means “raw,” referring to the soft texture of the mochi. It’s actually too soft for searing or branding, and so those adorable Slime facial features…
…are actually on the wrapper, not the sweets themselves.
▼ Though on the plus side, this does mean that you can turn whatever you want into a Slime but putting it inside the wrapper after you take the nama yatsuhashi out.
And how do they taste? Fantastic. You don’t stay in business for more than three centuries without a satisfying product, and Shogoin’s sweet but not sugary recipe, combined with an invitingly pillowy texture, makes their nama yatsuhashi one of the best examples of why it’s become Kyoto’s representative dessert. Slightly bigger than bite-sized, they pair especially well with green tea, and aren’t bad with coffee either.
▼ And, of course, any beverage is a suitable choice is you pour it into a Slime glass, like we did.
The Slime Nama Yatsuhashi is priced at 1,080 yen (US$7.50), will be available until July 15, and can be ordered online here.
Dragon Quest Walk illustration: Square Enix
Photos ©SoraNews24
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