The Japanese are well-known for their impeccable packaging, yet the packaging for this Yutaka Shokai Miyazaki Hyūganatsu Mikan still impressed us by being baked sweets packaged in a box that resembles a small Japanese fruit box.

The attention to detail extends to the colour-matched strapping tape and the ‘this side up’ arrow on the side of the box. Tastefully kitsch, if you will.

Inside, there are six cakes, each resembling the yellow, round and slightly oblong shape of the hyūganatsu. They are displayed as they would be in a fruit gift set in Japan. Hyūganatsu is a citrus fruit originating in Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan with the name coming from hyuga, the ancient name of Miyazaki Prefecture, and natsu meaning summer.

Each cake was about 5 cm in diameter and 4 cm in height, consisting of a baked flour ‘crust’ that surrounded a round of shiroan or white bean paste that’s flavoured with hyūganatsu powder at the centre of which was a dollop of hyūganatsu marmalade.

Out of the packaging, the cake had a very subtle citrus aroma, which was well contained by the baked ‘shell’ that gave it its shape. While it did not have its own flavour, the relative firmness and its smooth texture contrasted well with the interior, as biting through to the shiroan delivered a sweet and slightly sour hyūganatsu flavour that intensified on reaching the brighter hyūganatsu flavour with sweeter honey notes in the marmalade centre. We were drawn to these cakes for their kitsch packaging, but we’re also impressed with our enjoyment of them.

This Yutaka Shokai Miyazaki Hyūganatsu Mikan contained 6 pieces. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Miyazaki, Japan.