This audio is generated by AI, so pronunciation and expressions may not be fully accurate. The narration is only in English.
At 31, Aoki Ryunosuke is the fourth generation to run Aoyama Beniya, a wagashi shop founded in 1923 by his great grandfather in Aoyama. Working alongside his father, the third generation head, he handcrafts traditional confections that can be enjoyed both as take home treats and at the shop's adjoining dessert parlor.
Wagashi have a long history, with origins said to date back to Japan's prehistoric era, spanning roughly 13,000–300 BCE.
Aoki notes that by the Heian period (794–1185), hanabiramochi—still enjoyed today as a New Year's treat—was already being eaten.
Just a five minute walk from Gaienmae Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.
Many customers stop by after visiting Aoyama Cemetery.
Low reflection glass highlights the delicate colors and forms of wagashi at their best.
The mini dorayaki, created in response to a customer's request.
Aoyama Beniya's mame daifuku, created by the second generation.
Ginnan mochi, with smooth bean paste wrapped in domyoji mochi—a coarse rice flour mochi—and topped with lightly salted ginkgo nuts.
Inoko mochi, a seasonal treat available only in autumn.
Akiiro pairs a steamed confection made with miso drippings and bean jelly with chestnuts.
Kuri mushi yokan, a steamed bean jelly with chestnuts closely associated with the autumn season.
Kuri chakin, lightly torched on the surface to bring out its aroma.
Traditional wooden wagashi molds passed down at Aoyama Beniya, displayed along the walls.
Items such as monaka (wafer sandwiches filled with sweet bean paste) and sekihan (glutinous rice cooked with azuki beans) are also available.
Hanabiramochi are made by wrapping white miso-flavored bean paste and burdock root in a thin layer of mochi (rice cake). Aoyama Beniya also makes them, but the shop is best known for its mame daifuku—soft mochi filled with sweet bean paste and whole beans—and its mini dorayaki, small pancake sandwiches with sweet bean paste.
Aoki says, "Shortly after World War II, my grandfather, the second generation, took the mame daifuku the shop had long been making and refined it with his own ideas—from selecting the rice and adjusting how the mochi was pounded to cooking the bean paste and fine-tuning the salt. That is how it became a specialty unique to our shop. My father, the third generation, created the mini dorayaki. It actually began with a request from a regular customer who wanted something smaller than a standard dorayaki to give out at a wedding reception. It turned out to be far from simple. Even at a smaller size, the batter had to stay firm without becoming stiff—soft, yet structured, and we eventually added just a hint of soy sauce as a secret ingredient. Thanks to the warm response from our customers, both have become signature items for the shop today."
Aoki had loved wagashi since he was young, but it was his interest in life abroad that led him to start thinking about taking over the shop.
Aoki had a particular fondness for Southeast Asia from his student days, backpacking through Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. Those journeys inspired him to share Japanese food culture abroad. When a senior student advised that he first needed to master wagashi himself, he resolved to become a fully trained confectioner.
He began his apprenticeship at a renowned wagashi shop in Koishikawa, Bunkyo City, a neighborhood in central Tokyo.
Aoki recalls, "Training was tough, of course, and along the way, some colleagues and seniors quit. In my first year, all I did was clean the shop, make deliveries, and attend to customers—I didn't make wagashi at all. From my second year, I was finally allowed into the kitchen, and by my fourth year, I was at last making the same confections alongside my master, watching his hands as he worked. Every day was a lesson, but looking back, I truly enjoyed it. My master's words—'Learn to love wagashi, and keep loving it'—remain my guiding principle."
Now in his role as the shop's fourth generation, Aoki says that every day still feels like part of his training—and that preserving tradition while embracing change in step with the times is equally important.
"From the very beginning, we've made the gyuhi—a soft, elastic dough made by kneading glutinous rice flour with sugar and starch syrup—the same way, and our method for making the bean paste hasn't changed either," Aoki says. "What has changed is the world around us—there are far more sweet treats today than there used to be. That's why I make subtle adjustments to the balance of salt and sweetness." "For a wagashi shop, bean paste is everything. I hear that smaller wagashi makers now buy their bean paste instead of making it themselves," he adds, "but I put care into every step, starting with the selection of the azuki beans."
With that focus, the fourth generation has introduced a new creation: warabimochi. The warabiko used is a rare starch extracted from bracken roots, yielding only about 3–4 percent. It is kneaded over high heat and then beaten to bring out its distinctive resilience. The finished warabimochi is wrapped around smooth bean paste and dusted generously with deeply roasted, aromatic soybean flour.
Aoki explains that wagashi are often enjoyed alongside tea, and for that reason, should never overpower it—either in sweetness or in color, he wants their appearance to evoke the seasons at a glance, and he takes particular care to strike that balance.
Aoki also feels a strong attachment to Aoyama, the neighborhood where the shop was founded. In recent years, the area has drawn international fashion brands and foreign IT companies, bringing a steady flow of overseas visitors. He sees it as an ideal setting to showcase the magic of wagashi as a traditional Japanese cultural form.
Aoki reflects, "Koishikawa, where I trained, was a charming area with a botanical garden and plenty of opportunities to connect with nature. Aoyama also has lots of greenery and parks, and even though it's in the heart of the city, you can still sense the changing seasons. I think being able to enjoy seasonal wagashi in that kind of environment helps visitors from overseas relax and feel at ease."
In recent years, the proportion of international customers has steadily increased, with many returning each time they come to Japan. From the very beginning, Aoki's goal has been to share the appeal of Japanese culture—and wagashi in particular—beyond Japan. This year, he has already participated in wagashi making events in Mumbai, India, in May and November, both of which were warmly received. Looking ahead, he is also setting his sights on Southeast Asia and, eventually, Europe. For the young fourth-generation owner, the journey is just beginning.
