Yokan and Manju: Bean Paste Sweets with Centuries of Craft

Discover yokan and manju, two classic Japanese bean paste sweets: their history, types, regional specialties, and tips for enjoying them with tea.

Published October 17, 2026 at 8:20 PM JST | By Tokyo Paul

Quick answer: Yokan is a firm or soft bean jelly made from sweet bean paste, agar and sugar, while manju is a small steamed or baked bun with a wheat-flour skin and bean paste filling. Both came from China and became classic Japanese tea sweets.

Two Sweets That Taste Like Japanese Tradition

Walk into any Japanese department store food hall, station kiosk or old-style confectionery and you will find beautifully wrapped sweets built around sweet bean paste. Two of the best known are yokan, a smooth and glossy block of sweetened bean jelly, and manju, a small steamed or baked bun with a bean paste center. They are humble in appearance but rich in history, and both are closely tied to tea, seasons and the art of gift giving. For travelers curious about food culture, they are an easy and affordable way to taste centuries of craft.

This guide explains where yokan and manju came from, how the main types differ, and which regional varieties are worth looking for. It also offers practical tips on choosing, carrying and eating them. Because both sweets keep reasonably well and travel nicely, they also make some of the most popular edible souvenirs in the country. Let's start with how these treats arrived in Japan.

From Chinese Dishes to Japanese Sweets

Both sweets have roots in China. During the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333), Buddhist monks who had studied in Song dynasty China brought back tea culture and the custom of enjoying small snacks with tea. Among those snacks were early forms of yokan and manju. They did not look or taste like modern versions. The word yokan is believed to come from a Chinese term for a mutton soup, and because Zen monks avoided meat, cooks substituted azuki beans or flour to create a vegetarian version.

Over the following centuries the dishes shifted from savory to sweet. Yokan moved from temples to the tables of aristocrats and warrior families, where it was served as a refined treat, and by the Edo period it was known mainly as a confection. The invention of agar, called kanten, in the 1600s was a turning point, because it let makers create a firmer, smoother texture that keeps well. Neri yokan, the kneaded type most people eat today, is believed to have emerged in the late eighteenth century and became popular in Edo, now Tokyo.

Manju followed a similar path. Two traditions are often told about its introduction. One credits the Zen priest Enni, who returned from China in 1241 and is said to have taught a Hakata teahouse owner how to make the buns. The other points to a Chinese man named Lin Jingyin, who arrived in the fourteenth century, and whose descendants ran a manju shop that later moved to Kyoto and Edo. Whichever story you prefer, both agree that bean paste took the place of the meat fillings once used in Chinese buns.

How Yokan Is Made and Served

Yokan is made from sweet bean paste, agar and sugar, though some versions use white bean paste instead of red. Makers cook the ingredients, pour the mixture into molds, and let it set into a firm block that is then sliced. The result is dense, smooth and not overly sweet when paired with tea, with a texture somewhere between a soft candy and a firm jelly.

There are three main styles. Neri yokan is the kneaded kind, firm and glossy with a long shelf life, and it is the most common version in shops. Mushi yokan is steamed and has a softer, slightly more crumbly bite, and it is considered the older form. Mizu yokan contains more water, so it is soft, wobbly and refreshing, and it is usually chilled and enjoyed in summer. In Fukui Prefecture, interestingly, mizu yokan is traditionally eaten in winter instead.

Yokan also adapts beautifully to the seasons and to local ingredients. Chestnut is a popular addition, and you may also see versions with sweet potato, persimmon, figs or a touch of salt. Some confectioners shape or color their yokan to suggest cherry blossoms in spring or wisteria in April. One famous Kyoto confectioner, Toraya, is documented as serving the imperial court from the late sixteenth century, which gives a sense of how long the craft has been polished.

Manju: Buns with a Sweet Heart

Manju is a small, dense bun with a wheat-flour skin, which sets it apart from mochi, which is made from rice. Most are round and about the size of a golf ball or slightly smaller, and the most common filling is azuki bean paste. That paste may be tsubuan, with whole bean pieces left in, or koshian, which is strained until perfectly smooth. Other fillings include white bean paste, sweet potato, chestnut and custard.

The skin can be made in several ways, which is why a shop may offer a dozen types. Mushi manju is steamed and is the most common. Sake manju is leavened with a sake starter, giving a gently fragrant skin. Jooyo manju uses grated yam in the dough for a soft, springy texture, and yaki manju is baked rather than steamed. In summer you might meet kuzu manju or mizu manju, translucent versions made with starch and served chilled, which look like little jewels on a plate.

There is also a savory cousin. The meat buns sold at convenience stores, called nikuman, are technically a type of manju too, a reminder of the dish's Chinese origins. They are quite different from the sweet kind, so check the label if you want dessert rather than lunch.

Regional Specialties Worth Looking For

Because manju are easy to carry and look charming in a box, local versions have grown up around shrines, temples, hot springs and tourist spots across the country. The best known may be momiji manju, a maple-leaf-shaped cake from Hiroshima and Miyajima island, which comes in fillings from classic bean paste to custard and cheese. Fukushima's Koriyama is known for usukawa manju, with a thin, dark brown skin that wraps a generous filling.

Elsewhere, Okayama offers ote manju, Gyoda in Saitama is known for a yam-based version, and the Nagoya and Aichi area has oni manju with chunks of sweet potato. In Hokkaido, banana-flavored manju from Ikeda is a playful local twist. Yokan has its own regional stars too: during the Meiji period, railways and tourism helped spark a wave of local specialties such as chestnut yokan sold near famous temples in Nara and Narita.

When you buy regional sweets, look at the box and the wrapping. Many shops print the date by which the sweets should be eaten, which can be as short as a couple of days for fresh manju and much longer for neri yokan. If you plan to carry them on a long journey or give them as gifts, ask staff which items travel best. They will usually recommend yokan or baked manju for longer trips.

The classic pairing for both sweets is green tea, whether a frothy bowl of matcha or a simple cup of sencha. The slight bitterness of the tea balances the sweetness of the bean paste, and the combination is part of why these sweets became linked to the tea ceremony. If tea is not your style, black coffee works nicely too.

Many shops let you eat in at a small tea counter or cafe corner, where a plate of seasonal sweets arrives with tea. This is a good way to try something freshly made. Cut yokan into bite-size pieces with the pick or fork provided, and eat manju in a few bites. Department store basement food halls, called depachika, are another excellent place to compare shops side by side.

Quick Takeaways

Yokan and manju both grew out of the exchange between Japan and China during the Kamakura period, then transformed into distinctly Japanese sweets over several centuries. Yokan is a firm or soft bean jelly in neri, mushi and mizu styles, while manju is a filled bun with endless skin and filling combinations. Seasonal and regional versions make each trip a fresh tasting adventure.

Next time you see a neat row of small packages in a confectionery window, step inside, ask about the day's specialties, and choose something to enjoy with tea. These sweets reward curiosity, and they carry a quiet sense of craft that has been polished for hundreds of years.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main types of yokan?

The three main styles are neri yokan, which is firm and kneaded, mushi yokan, which is steamed, and mizu yokan, which contains more water and is soft and chilled. Neri yokan is the most common type sold in shops today.

How is manju different from mochi?

Manju has a wheat-flour skin, often steamed or baked, around a filling such as sweet bean paste. Mochi is made from rice, which gives it a stretchier texture. Some manju are also leavened with sake starter or grated yam.

What regional manju should travelers look for?

Popular regional examples include momiji manju, a maple-leaf shaped cake from Hiroshima and Miyajima, usukawa manju from Koriyama in Fukushima, and ote manju from Okayama. Many shops print an eat-by date, so ask which sweets travel best.

Keep Exploring

More guides from Tokyo Paul: Momo: Japan's Fragrant Summer Peaches, Sukiyaki: Japan's Sweet Soy Hot Pot Shared at the Table and Tsukemen: The Dipping Ramen Japan Fell in Love With.