The untold story behind Japan's finest sweets

Legend has it that a group of Portuguese monks, en route to Macao, were caught in a storm and ended up on the shores of Nagasaki, Japan.

This fateful meeting would go on to reshape Japan – and its culinary traditions – forever. Among the gifts these monks and their Portuguese successors brought was a precious, widely cherished ingredient: sugar.

In the 16th century, Nagasaki was the only Japanese city open to foreign trade, which made it the epicenter of Japan’s growing sweet tooth.

Many of Japan's iconic wagashi, or traditional sweets, trace their origins back to the island of Kyushu.

One such treat is castella, a Portuguese-inspired pound cake. While the recipe for pound cake originated in Portugal, one unique ingredient makes it distinctly Japanese: mizuame syrup, made from glutinous rice.

To experience the best castella, head to Fukusaya, a famous cake shop with a legacy dating back to 1624 in Nagasaki. In Fukuoka, the main Fukusaya location sits in the bustling Akasaka district, close to where tourists arrive at Hakata Station, the western terminus of the Shinkansen bullet train.

The castella here is served in bite-sized cubes, each wrapped in vibrant packaging and neatly arranged in gift boxes.

While seasonal flavors like sakura (cherry blossom) in spring or chocolate around Christmas make occasional appearances, it’s the traditional castella that remains the top seller, according to an employee in Akasaka.

Castella (kasutera in Japanese) also features in another beloved Japanese treat: dorayaki. In this variation, the castella is thinner and shaped into pancakes, with a sweet red bean paste filling.

When Europe meets Japan, and Japan meets Europe.

Another European delicacy given a Japanese twist is the macaron.

The Japanese version, sometimes spelled makaron, swaps almond flour for peanut flour and incorporates traditional Japanese flavors like green tea or red bean.

“I believe the Japanese have a deep fondness for European pastries, particularly those from France,” says Michele Abbatemarco, the pastry chef at Est restaurant at the Four Seasons Tokyo at Otemachi.

And that admiration flows in both directions.

“Over the past 50 years, Japan’s pastry scene has undergone a remarkable transformation. At the same time, numerous patisseries in Europe and around the globe are drawing inspiration from Japanese confections,” he adds.

A Kyushu-based brand known for its fusion of European and Japanese sweets is Kitajima, with its flagship store located in Saga City.

Look out for Portuguese-inspired marubolo cookies with honey, French-style madeleines enriched with walnuts for extra texture, and Margaret cakes made with almond flour and shaped like large flowers.

A royal heritage

One of Japan's most beloved and instantly recognizable sweets is konpeito. These tiny, pastel-colored sugar gems resemble star-shaped or floral crystals. The name is thought to come from the Portuguese word for a type of sugar candy, 'confeito,' introduced to Japan by sugar traders.

Their small size wasn't just for charm – sugar was once so rare and costly that even a tiny candy was considered a precious treat.

Expensive ingredients are often associated with the powerful elite. In Japan, no family is more influential than the Imperial Family, led by the Emperor and Empress.

It’s a tradition for guests of the Imperial family – including heads of state and foreign royals – to receive elegant sterling silver candy boxes, known as bonbonnieres (French for ‘candy box’), as special gifts at key events such as weddings or the 'feast ceremony' when a new emperor ascends the throne.

These bonbonnieres are custom-crafted by the Tokyo-based silversmith Miyamoto Shoko, adorned with a chrysanthemum, the symbol of Japan’s Imperial family. Inside, the fortunate guests – who have included monarchs from Spain, the Netherlands, and England – will find konpeito.

How the past shapes the future

In modern times, some chefs in Japan are working to revive the traditional ingredients that were used before sugar was imported into the country.

Abbatemarco is among those chefs. Having spent over a decade in Japan, he has successfully sourced some of the rarest honeys that were once used to sweeten foods before sugar became widely available.

At Est, the Four Seasons' Michelin-starred French restaurant, Abbatemarco and his team create petits fours infused with unique flavors like buckwheat honey, soba honey, and wasanbon (a fine white sugar), alongside other hard-to-find local treats.

For him, this approach is both a tribute to Japan's small-scale producers and an opportunity to introduce these distinctive flavors to the hotel's guests.

Today, foreign visitors are more likely to arrive in Japan by plane rather than by sailing ship. Yet, many still arrive with a craving for something sweet.