I have to admit I know very little about Japanese candy other than Japanese candy blows ours away. The packaging, the cuteness, the sculpting, the art, the volume... everything. If I could devote a month of study to Japanese candy, I believe I would. And given the difficulty I had researching the basics of Japanese candy, I wish I could.

These "candies" were inspired by THESE, called "Kyoto Candy." Apparently the artsy candies are popular in Kyoto? The site claims this to be a form of the traditional candy, dagashi, but I could find little information to suggest this style belongs to the category. You can find more information on dagashi HERE. Guess I need to visit the Dagashi museum in Osaka. (If anyone has any more insight, please feel free to send it to me or correct me.) In the interim, check out the wealth of candies available at Asian Food Grocer. And find tons of pictures of Japanese candy on flickr HERE. My guess is this style of candy, clearly an artform, is made in cylinders and sliced, similar to sushi art. But that's just a guess.

*Find the fondant in the baking aisle of the craft store or make your own. For the edible markers, while I usually use Americolor Gourmet Writers, I recommend the fine-tip FooDoodlers for these. The tips are small enough for such mini drawings. But you can use whatever you have.