Asakusa Age-Manju (Fried Manju)

There are a ton of snack and confectionery stands at Asakusa Temple, and while I've tried many of them - from Mitarashi Dangos to Daifukus - two of the snack items in particular stand out for me, and I keep coming back for more. Last week I talked about the melon pan, but this week is something extra special and extra tasty.


Age (ah-ge) Manju is a lightly battered and fried variation of manju. Manju is a light flour bun usually filled with azuki / red bean filling. When it's fried like this, the outside is crispy hot and the inside basically melts in your mouth. It's delightfully sweet, and there are a few variations from what I could see.

At 80-100 Yen a piece (a little over a dollar depending on exchange rates), how could you not try them ALL out? The midori (green) ones, the shiro (white) ones, the kuro (black) ones, the momoiro (pink) ones!

I don't know of any better fried sweets that can rival these on this side of the Pacific ... ok, maybe the fried twinkie ...