Have you heard of "Tarutaru Dorayaki"? It is a popular specialty of Rokubi, a long-established confectionery store in Otaru, and is an Otaru-made Dorayaki filled with the history of Otaru. It is a perfect souvenir when you go out to Otaru. Let us introduce you to the charm and taste of Tarudorayaki, as well as its hidden history.

What is Rokubi's "Tarudora"?

Tarudoras come in two types: one with chestnuts and rice cake (left, 350 yen) and the other with rice cake (right, 315 yen) (image courtesy of Rokubi)

Taru Dorayaki is a palm-sized dorayaki with a thick, colloidal texture that makes a big impact. The moist baked crust is made of Hokkaido flour and honey, and sandwiched between homemade red bean paste cooked over an open flame. There are two types of dorayaki: one with rice cake inside the bean paste, and the other with rice cake and chestnut sweetened chestnuts. The image is like a rice cake sandwiched between two pieces of rice cake and dorayaki skin.

Why "Taru Dorayaki" is so delicious

The skin and mochi are both delicious, but the red bean paste is absolutely exquisite!

The best thing about Tarudora is not only its impressive appearance, but also the homemade bean paste that makes it so delicious.

Rokubi's red bean paste is made by slowly cooking high-quality Hokkaido red beans and carefully kneading them together with Hokkaido sugar. The water in Otaru used to make the bean paste is said to be pure and pleasant to the palate because there are no factories upstream from the river.

Rokubi's red bean paste, made with high quality ingredients and a time-consuming process that has been preserved over the years, has a smooth texture and mild sweetness that is superb! It is perfect for a 3:00 p.m. snack or a small souvenir.

Otaru was the town of rice cakes!

Otaru today is crowded with tourists, but in the past, it was a town of logistics and economy, not tourism!

Gourmet foods in Otaru include sushi, fried noodles with starchy sauce and fried halfbeans, and in recent years, western-style sweets have also become very popular. But Otaru was originally a town of mochi (rice cakes) and wagashi (Japanese confectionery). Here we will also introduce a bit of Otaru's history.

After the railroad was opened in the early Meiji Era, Otaru became a coal shipping port for inland Hokkaido, and various goods were transported to various parts of Hokkaido via Otaru Port on the Kitamae Ship (trading vessel). Otaru then became the logistics and economic center of Hokkaido for a long time, and goods from within Hokkaido as well as from outside Hokkaido began to arrive in Otaru via the port.

The former site of the Temiya Line, a sightseeing spot in the city of Otaru, is the site of a railroad that opened in the Meiji era (1868-1912)

In the days when there were no heavy machines or trucks, port work relied on human power, so there were many dock workers in Otaru. These people preferred a certain kind of meal that was convenient to carry, easy to eat, and filling.

One meal was rice cakes.
Otaru is a logistics hub, so red beans and other ingredients are gathered from within Hokkaido, and rice and sugar, which could not be grown in those days, are gathered from outside Hokkaido. It is said that many stores making mochi and daifuku (rice cakes) sprang up in Otaru in order to take advantage of the ingredients gathered from inside and outside of the province and to provide meals favored by dock workers.
*There are various theories as to why there are so many rice cake stores and Japanese confectionery stores in Otaru.

As a result, there are still a few rice cake stores and Japanese confectionery stores that have been in business for a long time in Otaru City. One of them is Rokubi.

Rokubi is a long-established confectionery store in Otaru

The old Rokubi store. It was called Rokumi when it was founded (image courtesy of Rokubi).

Rokubi was founded in 1931 as a rice cake shop, selling Daifuku (rice cake) and dango (dumplings), and in the 1960s it began full-fledged production of dorayaki and other Japanese confectionaries. Today, Rokubi produces and sells both Japanese and Western-style confections, and has long been a favorite of the local community.

Tarudorara is a local sweet that was born from the history of Otaru and the traditions of Rokubi, although it has only been sold in recent years. That is why the homemade red bean paste is made with rice cake instead of gyuhi. Incidentally, the sweetened chestnuts are also homemade.

You must buy it when you visit Otaru!

Tarudoras lined up at Rokubi's store. It is very popular, so you should go early!

Tarudoras are sold in small quantities at Rokubi's store located in a residential area about 10 minutes walk from JR Otaru Station, as well as at "TARUCHE", a store inside JR Otaru Station. If you go to Otaru, you should definitely try Taru Dora!

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