The other day we were strolling through Nakasu-Kawabata in downtown Fukuoka when we found Kawabata Zenzai, a small restaurant which serves anko (餡子), or red bean paste. Anko is a paste made from red adzuki beans. They are boiled, mashed and sweetened with sugar or honey and you will mainly find them in Japanese confectionery. We’ve heard often that many people think it’s strange to eat beans as a sweet dish, but if you haven’t tried it yet, you should definitely do so. Whether you're a fan of red bean paste already or you're up for trying it, go on and pay Kawabata Zenzai a visit! Anko can be classified into different types according to its consistency. The main variations are: Tsubuan (粒餡): the whole beans are cooked and sweetened Tsubushian (潰し餡): the beans are cooked, sweetened and mashed Koshian (漉し餡): the beans are cooked, sweetened, mashed, and the bean skins are strained out Sarahian (晒し餡): dried koshian, which can be reconstituted with water At Kawabata Zenzai you actually don’t have to worry about choice, as there is only one dish: zenzai (ぜんざい), a soup made from tsubushian. Your order comes with two mochi (rice cakes) in the soup, some pickled radish, and tea. The shop has a few tables, so you can eat in and enjoy the view of a branch of the Naka River. In addition to that we also tried Kakigori or shaved ice. When summertime comes around Japanese people crave Kakigori, a refreshing traditional desert. It's basically just a colored snowy mountain. A pile of thinly shaved ice on which you pour fruit or sesame green tea. Kakigori can also be accompanied by other toppings: condensed milk, red beans, whip cream, or with some mochis, the infamous little sticky rice cakes. The desert has been around for ages but used to be exclusive to Japanese aristocracy. The shaved iced treat was considered a sign of wealth. http://feelfukuoka.com/en/food/kakigoori 【Feel Fukuoka Japan】 ・HP⇒ http://feelfukuoka.com/ ・Facebook⇒ https://www.facebook.com/welcomefeelfukuoka/ ・Instagram⇒ https://www.instagram.com/feel_fukuoka_japan/ ・Twitter⇒ https://twitter.com/feelfukuoka