karintō (fried dough), sugar candies in various shapes and even
senbei (rice crackers).
Observing this flurry of life, it’s hard to believe
dagashiya (candy stores) like Inagaki are in decline: According to government data, the number of dagashiya has declined from 228,123 in 1972 to just 74,304 in 2016. Though comparatively unknown outside of Japan, dagashi are bright, plentiful and inexpensive, and today you can find dagashi in any 100-yen store or
konbini (convenience store). That may be part of the problem.
“Dagashi are sweets that somehow were considered nonstandard from an elite or adult perspective, like a horse that one is not meant to ride,” explains Eric Rath, professor of history at the University of Kansas, alluding to the fact that the “