For those with a sweet tooth, this is the place to be! Anko Expo," an event where visitors can taste the various delights of anko, will be held at Marui Imai Sapporo Main Store until Monday, October 7. The world of anko (sweet bean paste) is closely related to Hokkaido, as the prefecture accounts for about 90% of the production of azuki beans, the raw material for anko. Please come and find your favorite red bean paste confectionery at the exhibition.

The "Anko Expo" is a popular event where a wide variety of anko (red bean paste) confections gather in one place. Anko Expo" is a popular event that brings together a wide variety of anko confectionaries, from those that are popular as snacks to those that embody traditional beauty, and those that pursue new possibilities. Here are some of the stores and anko (red bean paste) confectioneries that caught our attention.

Gokenya Roll 378 yen / Gokenya Honpo (Esashi Town)

Up to 3 per person

Gokenya Honpo's special "Gokenya Roll," a fluffy dough filled with a sweet red bean paste made from Hokkaido azuki beans, has a large number of enthusiastic fans.

Bean dough with red bean paste 150g, 648 yen / Tsujiya (Akita Prefecture)

The traditional "Mame-Kinton" is made for customers only once a year at the end of the year. It has been loved by local customers as an indispensable item for New Year's Eve, and is specially prepared for the Anko Expo. Please enjoy the rich flavor of Hokkaido daifuku beans and the smooth texture of the white bean paste.

Pandora (pistachio bean paste, fig bean paste, red bean paste) 432 yen each / BABBI (Italy)

Baked using BABBI (Italy)'s pancake mix, the pancake is filled with BABBI's popular pistachio paste and fig sauce.

Anko stand: 30g x 2, 540 yen / Takumi Anko-do (Aomori)

You can choose two types of anko from the 12 types available only at the event, and put them on the dorayaki crust to enjoy eating them together.

Fondant mizu-yokan - dark tea - 324 yen / Kashiwaya Tsuchiya (Gifu Pref.)

Soft mizu-yokan filled with green tea latte sauce is a dessert type mizu-yokan.

Arashiyama Montblanc 1,296 yen / Kinnohana Saga Arashiyama (Kyoto)

The most popular Mont Blanc of "Kyoto Kinnohana," filled with chestnuts and topped with a generous amount of roasted chestnut red bean paste.

Brown Sugar Sekinodo Apple Pie 324 yen / Fukagawa-ya Mutsu Daisho (Mie Pref.)

Limited to 100 pieces each day

An apple pie filled with brown sugar Sekinodo and dried apple with baked bean paste.

Anko soft serve ice cream 550 yen / Ginza Kuuya Kuiro (Tokyo)

Limited to 200 each day

Anko soft-serve ice cream made from Tokachi azuki beans and Tokachi raw milk is placed in a monaka bowl.

DORACATS 5 pieces, 2,160 yen / Kida Family Rokuninshu (Tokyo)

Limited to 20 boxes per day

The "Kida Family Six Craftsmen" are made by six of the Kida family's most skilled craftsmen. These six craftsmen make Western-style dorayaki with crunchy apples, white bean paste, and cinnamon. The dough and apple paste are a perfect match. The dorayaki comes in a limited package created in collaboration with photographer Masayuki Oki.

Ankomushi Buns: 432 yen / Ankomushi Bun (butter): 476 yen / Ankodo (Sapporo)

Various types of anko (sweet red bean paste) are sandwiched between fluffy mushipan.

Hokkaido Ancolon Collection from 381 yen / Boulangerie Colon (Sapporo)

A total of six types of bread will be available only at the venue, including "Hokkaido An Butter," a popular coron bread made of 100% road-grown wheat with bean paste and various flavored butters, and "Coffee An & Soft Fresh Cream," a limited edition bread with coffee bean paste and fresh cream with a shelf life of 20 minutes.

■Anko Parfait 701 yen / QINA & Co. x Mt. Moiwa Dango (Tokyo x Sapporo)

QINA & Co., a kinako and anko (red bean paste) sweets brand, and the popular dango store "Moiwayama Dango" will create a parfait that allows you to enjoy "Japanese" taste.

■AN Shu-kurimu Trio: 3 pieces, 1,501 yen / Anko no Kachi (Osaka)

There are three types of anko (red bean paste): tsubuan (sweet red bean paste), koshian (sweet red bean paste), and peeled red bean paste, each with a different sugar content.

Dora Ball Rum Raisin 540 yen / Hana-Kanzashi (Osaka)

Limited to 20 each day

Raisins soaked in rum are filled with white bean paste. This is a popular item that is often requested.

■Tama Monaka: 4 pieces, 1,296 yen / Kameya (Saitama Prefecture)

This is the second version of the kawaii product following the Tama Dora that gained popularity last year.

Cube Yokan Yokan au chocolat 4 pieces / 1,620 yen / Takumi Ankodo (Aomori)

Yokan is made into a cube of one inch (about 3cm) instead of the usual neck shape. The variation of flavors is not limited to the "Japanese" image, but has also been developed.

An Butter France 886 yen / GINZA KUYA KUIRO (Tokyo)

Limited to 150 each day

Soft French pastry of about 30cm in length, filled with sweet bean paste and butter from end to end.

An Butter Toast 301 yen / Shirokuma Bakery (Sapporo)

An Butter Toast, a popular eat-in menu item at Shirokuma Bakery Cafe on Nango Dori, will make a limited appearance at the Anko Expo. Enjoy the combination of butter and anko (red bean paste).

Mini Fruit Daifuku set, 3-5 pieces, 1,001 yen / Kakuozan Fruit Daifuku Benzaiten (Aichi)

Limited to 20 sets each day

This is a limited edition product that allows you to try a little of each of the various Daifuku varieties.

■Sekinodo Wasanbon 6 pieces, 648 yen / Fukagawa-ya Mutsu Daisho (Mie Prefecture)

A rice cake confectionary made with koshi-an (sweet red bean paste) wrapped in gyuhi and sprinkled with wasanbon (a type of sweetened sugar made from the Japanese lemon).

Mame-Daifuku with salted bean jam, 3 pieces, 648 yen / Kameya (Saitama Pref.)

Mame-Daifuku" is a sweet bean cake made from Hokkaido azuki beans carefully kneaded and wrapped in a soft and fluffy white "Wataboshi" dough produced in Niigata.

Junmai-dango (3 dumplings): Mitarashi, azuki, hishio, 778 yen each / Japanese chestnut, 998 yen / Kashima Confectionery Marusan Roho (Ibaraki Pref.)

The dough is made by steaming rice and pounding it into rice cakes instead of using fresh flour.

Sankaibochi (small): red bean paste, white bean paste, sesame paste, 1,242 yen each / Tsujiya (Akita Prefecture)

Akita's traditional red bean paste rice cake with the texture of a rice cake in your mouth and the flavor of red bean paste spreads the more you bite into it.

Yamadaya Manju: 10 pieces, 1,566 yen / Yamadaya Manju (Ehime Prefecture)

These bite-sized manjus are made with azuki beans from Tokachi, carefully kneaded into a sweet red bean paste. The smooth, melt-in-your-mouth koshi-an is characterized by its moderate sweetness and pleasant aftertaste.

Gokatsuya Round Can Yokan 378 yen / Gokatsuya Honpo (Esashi Town)

The oldest existing "Ito-shiki yokan" (string-type yokan) and the red banner of Gokenya. It goes well with tea, whiskey or scotch.

Pi-natsu monaka: 151 yen / Nagomi no Yoneya (Chiba Prefecture)

The sweetened sweet bean paste of Pinatsu is kneaded into the shape of a peanut, and then filled into a cute peanut-shaped monaka.

Heiji monaka: 141 yen / Heiji Sempei Honten (Mie Prefecture)

This monaka is made in the shape of Heiji's forgotten hat, which appears in a story that has been handed down in Tsu City since ancient times.

10 pieces, 1,301 yen / Koike Kashiho (Fukushima Prefecture)

The homemade sweet bean paste is wrapped in millet and glutinous rice and steamed.

Shibetsu Yokan Arare Cube 594 yen / Shibetsu Yokan Honpo (Nakashibetsu Town)

Shibetsu Yokan is cut into small cubes and dried on the surface. The crispy texture is followed by the flavor of yokan.

KIYOME MOCHI (rice cake): 5 pieces, 901 yen / KIYOME MOCHI Sohonke (Aichi Prefecture)

KIYOME MOCHI is a traditional confectionary made of soft Haniue rice cake wrapped in carefully cooked sweet bean paste.

Kiku monaka (chrysanthemum cake): 3 pieces, 972 yen / Aoyagi Shouke (Tokyo)

The skin of the "monaka" is shaped like a chrysanthemum flower, the crest of the sixteen chrysanthemums, and is filled with azuki red bean paste.

Kumamoto ikinari dango: 221 yen / Kuma Jun (Kumamoto Prefecture)

Kumamoto's local confectionery made by steaming sweet potatoes topped with red bean paste and wrapped in a dumpling skin.

Warabimochi 346 yen / Chestnut Kinton 346 yen / Tsukinosha (Mie Pref.)

Warabimochi is made from real warabi flour, kneaded in the store's kitchen, and filled with smooth bean paste. Tsukinosha's kurikinton is made with new chestnuts from Kumamoto, Rihira chestnuts, and is rich in flavor. Both are proudly made in the store by our craftsmen.

Coelacanth Tamago 521 yen / Maison Coelacanth (Miyagi Prefecture)

Tokachi azuki beans are wrapped in pie crust and baked savory. The flavors of butter, Guerande salt, and black sesame enhance the sweetness of the bean paste in this cute egg-shaped pie.

THE PIE - Fresh red bean paste pie - 381 yen / QINA & Co. x Mt. Moiwa Dango (Tokyo x Sapporo)

A brand that has gained popularity since its opening in Nihonbashi, Tokyo in 2020, makes its first appearance in Sapporo. It is a cross between our signature Koshi Anko (sweet bean paste) and fresh cream, and is the most popular item in THE PIE series.

■Hujie Butter Cheese Sandwich 5 kinds assortment, 1 box, 2,700 yen / RUNNY CHEESE (Fukui Prefecture)

This popular product uses Fukui's famous "Haniage mochi" rice cake, flavored red bean paste, and high-quality butter cream.

■Cup Pancake 864 yen / Cafe Kanon (Sapporo)

Cup pancakes popular at the Kikusui main store are arranged as a limited edition product for the Anko Expo.

Fresh doughnuts 540 yen / Western confectionery studio Marianna (Sapporo)

The very popular fresh doughnut, which is sold only once a month at the store in Higashi Ward, is available in anko (red bean paste) version only for the Anko Expo.

■An Butter Dorayaki: 324 yen / Patisserie Laneige (Sapporo)

Limited to 100 each day

The cake shop's dorayaki baked by its predecessor. Enjoy the marriage of butter cream made with Hokkaido butter and Tokachi azuki sweet bean paste.

Onuma Dango, a well-known souvenir from Onuma in southern Hokkaido, also makes an appearance!

The "Anko Expo" will be held from October 2 (Wed.) to 7 (Mon.) from 10:30 to 19:30 (closing at 18:00 on the last day) at the Odori Building 9th floor of Marui Imai Sapporo Main Store. At the venue, Onuma dango will be sold from Thursday, October 3 to Saturday, October 5, and Akafuku on Sunday, October 6 and Monday, October 7. There will also be an array of anko (bean paste) confections made in collaboration with cafes and restaurants, as well as a collection of yokan (sweet bean jelly).

You will have a hard time deciding which one to buy, so please try to find your favorite one from the lineup.

Check it out as well!