Kasama-no-Okurimono (Gift from Kasama). Only 50 boxes are available. (Photo by Ibaraki Prefecture)
| IBARAKI, Oct. 3 – Ibaraki Prefecture, the biggest chestnut producer in Japan, began offering a hot new boxed gift product, a homemade Mont Blanc kit. The kit includes chestnut paste, a Mont Blanc squeezer (called Odamaki in Japan), a recipe, and more for everyone to enjoy making the classic dessert at home. The prefecture aims to encourage people to enjoy fresh, homemade Mont Blanc and promote the region, taking advantage of the Japanese chestnut boom.
The name of the boxed gift is Kasama-no-Okurimono, a gift from Kasama, a region known for producing high-quality chestnuts. You should also note that they use a Chinese character for chestnuts in writing ’kuri (chestnuts in Japanese)’ in ‘O-kuri-mono (a gift in Japanese). Ibaraki’s antenna shop, IBARAKI sense, began selling it in the middle of September. The box contains six items: 500 grams of Kasama-grown chestnut puree, a bag of baked chestnut flakes, one Odamaki Mont Blanc squeezer, one Kasama ware plate, one wooden spoon, and a recipe. Only 50 boxes are available for 15,000 yen each. A Kasama-based chestnut specialty shop, Iwama-no-Kuriya Odaki Shoten, makes the chestnut puree, and an old-standing shop in Asakusa, Tokyo, Majimaya Confectionery Tool and Gear Shop provides Odamaki squeezers. High-quality Kasama ware is combined to make the gift even more special. |