Happiness That Melts On the Tip of Your Tongue. Must-eat Desserts in Hokkaido

Founded in 1998, LeTao is one of the most famous pastry shops in Otaru. Its signature double-layer cheese cake is made by overlapping Italian Mascarpone cheese and the local cream cheese using a unique freezing method. No wonder it ranks first in online dessert shopping on Japan's Rakuten website all year round. In addition, the pyramid shaped black tea chocolate is also a popular choice in LeTao. LeTao original mixes cocoa and Darjeeling Black Tea, in awonderful combination that counterbalances the rich chocolate, thus achieving a delicate melt-in-the-mouth feeling with every bite. When you take a bite, the elegant black tea fragrance immediately fills your entire mouth. The effect is a wonderful flavor that doesn't overwhelm the chocolate. After trying it, it'll be an experience you will never forget! If you want to take a LeTao cake back home as a gift, it is suggested that you bring your own cooler bag, because the cake needs to be kept frozen to be preserved. Before eating it, you should put it in the refrigerator to defrost and finish eating it within 2 days.

Hokkaido is famous for its dairy products. The ice cream here is a must-try! A large ice-cream sign can be seen near Kitaichi Garashu Kan in Otaru which sells seven flavors of rainbow ice-cream throughout all four seasons. The 7 flavors are grape, matcha, strawberry, melon, milk, lavender, and chocolate. They may also have different flavors during each season.

Founded in 1933, Rokkatei is one of the most famous old Japanese style pastry shops in Hokkaido. The most famous item it sells is strawberry chocolates. It looks like a plain chocolate ball, but inside is a whole ripe strawberry made by freeze-drying at low temperature. The taste is super crisp. After you put it in your mouth, the strawberry gradually becomes soft. It's even more delicious when eaten with non-rich chocolate. Rokkatei's head office is in Obihiro, 10 minutes from JR Obihiro Station. There are also many branches and counters in Hokkaido, such as Daimaru Department Store in Sapporo, Sakaimachi, or the airport. The coordinates mark Otaru Station, which is also the most accessible store for tourists. Refer to the official website for other detailed branch information.

Located in Otaru, "Kitakarou" is one of the most famous sweet shops in Hokkaido. Its signature dessert is "Amorosa mamma" Baumkuchen that is said to be made by goblins. “Amorosamamma” is made in a traditional European way. A layer of thin custard paste is brushed on a cylindrical baking fork and then baked in a specific oven, making the cake taste exquisite and soft. No wonder it has the reputation for being "Japan's number one soft taste". The puffmust be refrigerated, and if it isn't, after several hours of flights, the crisp skin of the puff may deteriorate. It is recommended to enjoy it directly at the restaurant.

Founded in 1998, Pastry Snaffle's is known as "the number one pastry shop in Hakodate" with its main products being semi-cooked cheese, steamed cakes and other desserts. Its signature small round cheese cake is the most delicious light cheese cake in Japan. It is the first thing that tourists should buy when visiting Hakodate. The cheesecake is made of top-grade ingredients and baked to taste like half cooked eggs. Unlike regular cheesecake with a biscuit base, it is made purely of original cheese and sponge cake from Hokkaido. The textures are integrated, and the two can't be distinguished when they enter your mouth. The only thing you can feel is the rich cheese overflowing your mouth!

Kinotoya is one of Sapporo's most famous pastry shops, and sells a wide range of cakes, puddings and ice cream, and has many branches. Among them, semi-cooked cheese tarts are the most popular products of Kinotoya, and probably the most delicious cheese tarts in Japan. The cheese tarts' fillings are made up of three kinds of cheese, including Hokkaido's Hakodate light cheese, Betsukai heavy cheese, and French salted cream cheese. The crust is made of butter cookies. In order to make it crispier, the chef uses a "double firing method" to first burn the crispy cookie bottom, then adds the cheese stuffing and bakes it. The production process is very meticulous, which will surely make the product impress your taste buds!

Founded in 1925, Snow Brand is a famous milk brand in Japan. In the "Snow Brand Parlor" near JR Sapporo Station, the ice cream sundae made of Snow Brand milk is not only tasty, but is also incredibly smooth. Even in the snowy winter, it still has a thriving business and is probably the most popular dessert in Sapporo. The most popular ice cream in the store is the Ice Cream Royal Special, which there is only a limited supply of in Hokkaido. It is said to be the ice cream that was made for Hirohito (a former Emperor of Japan) when he visited Hokkaido. There is also a giant sundae named "I AM NO.1", which is put inside an entire 8-inch cake and then mixed with various flavors of ice cream and fruit. It's an amazing dessert, and great fun to eat with your friends! The first floor of Snow Brand is a local specialty store in Hokkaido that sells cream, cheese, and other snow printed products, as well as White Lovers biscuits, raw chocolate, and other famous Hokkaido items which make great gifts.

Ryugetsu, founded in 1947, has a history of nearly 60 years. It is one of the three major pastry brands in Hokkaido. It is especially famous for its star product "three-way six-inch" Baumkuchen, and is also known as the ancestor of Japanese Baumkuchen. A three-way six-inch long cake, which looks like the birch trees found everywhere in Hokkaido, is very exquisite and beautiful. It is specially made from local red beans, flour and the tasty milk of Tokachigawa. It tastes moist and dense, with a fine texture. It not only subverts many people's impressions of the Baumkuchen, but has also won a gold medal in an international food competition.

Hokkaido milk, though not a traditional dessert, is the source of Hokkaido's sweetness. Hokkaido's latitude is very suitable for the raising of dairy cows. More than 50% of Japan's milk comes from the pastures here. Even the New Chitose Airport, the gateway of Hokkaido, has a milk bar, which is absolutely lovely. You can easily find tasty and high-quality Hokkaido milk here, whether you look in a supermarket or a roadside convenience store. Among them, Hill Ranch, Hakodate Milk, and Tokachigawa Milk are all famous brands.