For people with a sweet tooth, Japan is a wonderland of various types of sweets, from traditional Japanese wagashi to Western confectioneries. But not only are Japanese sweets delicious to eat, they are also a feast for the eyes. You can even check some of them out online made by talented confectioners, one of whom I will introduce now.
Giisuke (@gi_kun_cake) is a confectioner who makes and photographs their creations, then shares them on social media. Giisuke makes a variety of confections including cookies, macarons, tarts, cakes, pies, and more, all of which are beautifully made, or sometimes even cute and wacky. What brought Giisuke to our attention was this interesting collection of Onigiri-shaped Sweets, down to the convenience store wrapping.
#作品を載せて自分の作品を知ってもらおう (post your work and let people know about it)
I made sweets that look like rice balls,
and also played at product development by making convenience store packaging🍙(Translation)
#作品を載せて自分の作品を知ってもらおう
— ぎーすけ (@gi_kun_cake) December 20, 2022
おにぎりみたいなスイーツ作って、
コンビニみたいなパッケージ作って商品開発ごっこしてます🍙 pic.twitter.com/hQg9xjpoAe
The Tweet was a huge hit on Japanese Twitter garnering over 100 thousand views and over 200 retweets. They were also featured in various online media articles and even livedoor News.
Onigiri-shaped Sweets Series
Let’s have a closer look at Giisuke’s popular Onigiri-shaped Sweets Series that consists of 4 types of sweets.
Onigiri Tart
Twitter Link
おにぎりタルトにたくさん♡いいね!ありがとうございます!!
— ぎーすけ (@gi_kun_cake) November 29, 2022
おにぎりタルトの成長記録🍙 pic.twitter.com/qDu5YcctLl
Onigiri Chou Cream
OMU chou。
— ぎーすけ (@gi_kun_cake) September 12, 2022
おにぎりみたいなシュークリーム🍙
おむすび×シュー=おむしゅび👶🏻誕生しました!!
宜しくお願いしましゅー#お菓子作り #コッタ pic.twitter.com/RRCou9HLZU
Onigiri Macarons
おにぎりバターサンドクッキー
— ぎーすけ (@gi_kun_cake) September 10, 2022
おにぎりマカロン🐼を経て
今日また新たなおにぎりスイーツが完成しそう‥な予定🍙 pic.twitter.com/XG3v99H4HF
Onigiri Butter Sandwich Cookies
Twitter Link
Giisuke has other creations that have also gained widespread popularity. Ehomaki Cat Rolls and Takoyaki Canele are creations that have been covered by the news and even introduced on Japanese television! Let’s have a look at them!
Writer's Pick
Ehomaki Cat Rollcake
Ehomaki (恵方巻) is a traditional Japanese food eaten to celebrate Setsubun. Originally a futomaki, a long thick uncut sushi roll, Giisuke made an Ehomaki Rollcake with cat motifs. The Ehomaki Cat Rolls were introduced on the TBS morning programme “THE TIME” having ranked in on the buzzword “ehomaki”.
Takoyaki Canele
Japan's social media exploded (figuratively) when Giisuke posted about making Takoyaki Caneles. People were confused by the image, “are they canele?” “are they takoyaki?” And more importantly, what do they taste like? They taste like takoyaki of course, because Giisuke used canele molds to make takoyaki, an idea no one had ever thought of before.
Twitter Link
カヌレ型で今日のおかずを焼く。
— ぎーすけ (@gi_kun_cake) January 18, 2023
天かす忘れた、、、! pic.twitter.com/p31U7LbFWT
A Tin of Cookies Each Month
So what is Giisuke up to these days? Giisuke has made a goal to make at least one tin of cookies each month.
>今年は毎月ひとつ作るのを目標に、、、
今月のクッキー缶ですMy goal is to make one every month this year…
This month’s cookie tin.
今年は毎月ひとつ作るのを目標に、、、
— ぎーすけ (@gi_kun_cake) January 12, 2023
今月のクッキー缶です
作ってみて分かったのは缶は小さいけど思った以上にたくさん入るやん!です。
2枚目のクッキー全部詰め込みました🫶🏿 pic.twitter.com/9JqmP2KSfY
And, we look forward to following Giisuke’s creations. Speaking of cookies, Giisuke made Osechi Tin Cookies to celebrate the New Year this past 2 years - Tiger and Rabbit Year. They're so beautiful to look at.
スイーツおせち爆誕!
— ぎーすけ (@gi_kun_cake) December 2, 2022
おにぎりタルト、重箱に詰めてみたら良い感じになりました🍙
うさぎチョコと一足先に新年迎えてます🐇 pic.twitter.com/PXc7rQIzSK
Follow Giisuke’s social media to see other interesting confectionaries. Who knows? Another one may end up a hit trend in Japan again.
Photos provided courtesy of Giisuke ぎーすけ (Twitter, Instagram, TikTok).