Hands-on experience with the Kyoto sweet 'Otabe'! Did turning baked goods into 'raw' ones make them mainstream?

I found this article posted on 'Jalan News'.

[23 Kyoto Souvenirs That Will Please Anyone! Local 'Popularity Ranking' & Editorial Department Recommendations <2025>]

Whoa!
I was surprised that I didn't know about the #1 'Ajarimochi', but setting that aside...

What I want to highlight is that 'Kyo Baum', which I wrote an article about last week, is in 2nd place, and furthermore, 'Otabe' (raw yatsuhashi) by Biju Co., Ltd., and 'Yuko' (also raw yatsuhashi) by Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo are also ranked!

As expected, raw yatsuhashi is the representative Kyoto sweet and Kyoto souvenir!

Last year, I visited the 'Kyo Baum' sweets museum, which was ranked 2nd, and also went to the 'Otabe Honkan' of Biju Co., Ltd., which manufactures the 3rd-ranked 'Otabe', where I enjoyed a factory tour and an Otabe-making experience!

⭐Did turning baked goods into 'raw' ones make them mainstream?

There are many companies other than Biju that manufacture and sell raw yatsuhashi.

✅1689 (Genroku 2): 'Honke Nishio Yatsuhashi' founded
✅1689 (Genroku 2): 'Shogoin Yatsuhashi Sohonten' founded
✅1805 (Bunka 2): 'Izutsu Yatsuhashi Honpo' founded

It's amazing to have long-established shops with 200 or 300 years of history!

Yatsuhashi was originally a baked confection.
It was Biju that created 'Otabe', a raw yatsuhashi that you eat 'raw' without baking it.

I wonder if many people now think 'Yatsuhashi = Raw Yatsuhashi'?
You can see its popularity just by looking at the sales floor space for Kyoto souvenirs.

The other day, when I was talking to my English teacher, they said, 'Oh! That triangular one!', and as expected, they only knew about the 'raw yatsuhashi'.

Even though it's not a Biju product, the reason people call raw yatsuhashi 'Otabe' is probably because 'Otabe' was the first one.

Looking at the history of Biju, it originally started as a pure coffee shop.

The old company name was 'Otabe Co., Ltd.'.
The current company name, 'Biju Co., Ltd.', is said to come from the name of the coffee shop 'Biju' from when it was first founded.

⭐The dedication and history of 'Otabe'

'Otabe Honkan' is located in Nishikujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto, right next to 'atelier Kyo Baum'.

'Hmm? A tractor?'
Does that mean they have their own farm?

The dough for raw yatsuhashi is made from rice (Koshihikari).
The red bean paste for 'Otabe' uses adzuki beans from contracted farmers in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, and is cooked and made at their own factory in Wakasa.

The water used to make the dough is transported from Wakasa to Kyoto every day!?
What incredible dedication!

Is cinnamon from Vietnam the best-smelling in the world!?
Oh, I see! That's interesting!

While soft nama-yatsuhashi are the standard today, they were originally hard, baked yatsuhashi.

It is said that they originate from 'Yatsuhashi Kengyo,' the founder of the Yatsuhashi school of koto music.
It was written that after Yatsuhashi Kengyo, who developed koto and shamisen music, passed away, baked confections shaped like a koto were made and sold to honor his legacy.

I belonged to the koto music club in college and played the koto and shamisen.
The first piece we practiced was 'Rokudan no Shirabe,' a masterpiece by Yatsuhashi Kengyo.

The mascot girl for Otabe is 'Otabe-chan'.

⭐ Factory tour at 'Otabe Honkan'!

First, let's go on a factory tour.
You can tour this for free.

There's a sweet aroma even outside the glass windows♪

Wow!
Bean paste is dropped one by one onto a long sheet.
The 'Otabe' are cut and folded into triangles, all lined up.

Here, they were being checked by human eyes.

I love cinnamon! I also love matcha!
Since I want to eat both, buying a pack that contains both is the best.

As I was watching with heart-shaped eyes💗, I thought, 'Huh?'

It looked like some bean paste was clumping and falling onto the dough, or some were coming out without being cut into triangles?

Actually, it seems there was a machine malfunction that day.
And the staff were taking the misshapen ones and tossing them into a box!

'Wait, are you throwing them away? If so, please give them to me!'
I wanted to say that, but!

I learned that even though there is nothing wrong with the contents, items rejected during the molding stage are reused, such as by being put into crunch chocolate.

After being checked by human eyes, they are checked by machine.
They are individually wrapped, vacuum-sealed, and boxed.

There are so many varieties of 'Otabe' alone in the shop on the first floor.

But, having just toured the factory, I bought some 'Matcha Crunch' made with that rejected dough to take home!

There are also Western-style confections like souffle sandwiches.
It's also nice that you can buy them in simple packaging if you don't need a gift box.

⭐ Otabe-making experience!

You can experience making Otabe on the second floor of Otabe Honkan.
Now, off to the Otabe experience dojo!

On this day, there were only us four and one other group.
On the tray was a scraper for cutting the dough.
And matcha and cinnamon to mix into the dough.

The red bean paste fillings available were three types: smooth bean paste, chunky bean paste, and chocolate.

It comes with a souvenir of one bottle (500ml) of "Wakasa Uwari no Mizu," which is used to make the dough for Otabe's nama-yatsuhashi.

Now, it's finally time to make it~♪

First, the staff brings us the freshly steamed, piping hot dough.
You have to cut it up and mix in the sugar as quickly as possible!

Knead it so the sugar is mixed in evenly!
It's a race against time while it's still hot!
Stretch it!
Cut it!
Make a dent!

Add the cinnamon or matcha, then repeat the process of stretching and folding.
It's mixed beautifully and the dough is complete!

Dust it with kinako (roasted soybean flour) so the dough doesn't stick to the tray.
Roll it out with a mini rolling pin.

They say you can eat the scraps from cutting it into squares.
I said, "Are you sure? 💗"
While snacking on a piece, I realized there was quite a bit of bean paste left over, so I decided to reuse it.

Fill and wrap the plain, cinnamon, and matcha dough with your favorite fillings.
I used chocolate paste for the plain, smooth bean paste for the cinnamon, and chunky bean paste for the matcha.

All done~!
I also tried making a striped "Otabe" using the leftover dough scraps.
That was fun~!

You can take the finished "Otabe" home in the provided container.
I forgot to take a picture, so this one is from the Otabe Honkan website.

I also received a certificate of completion for the Otabe Experience Dojo♪

Freshly made "Otabe".
We immediately gobbled them up in the break area~!

By the way, the signs and noren curtains for the restrooms in this break area are cute!

"Otabe Honkan"
35-2 Nishikujo Takabatake-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto

"Otabe Handmade Experience"

As mentioned earlier, when I see "nama-yatsuhashi," I can't help but call it "Otabe" regardless of the trademark, because "Otabe" was the first "nama-yatsuhashi" and the first entry in the market.

When I see an adhesive bandage, I can't help but call it a 'Band-Aid'.
'Band-Aid' is actually a brand name by Johnson & Johnson, but we call other companies' bandages that too, likely because 'Band-Aid' was the first one we were introduced to.

The people and companies that create something new first are amazing!

I enjoyed the 'Kyo-Baum' sweets museum, the 'Otabe Honkan' factory tour, and the Otabe-making experience♪

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