Seika Bontan Ame – Japanese Pomelo & Mikan Soft Candy Pack of 14

Bontan Ame is a beloved traditional candy from Kagoshima, Japan, first created in 1925 by Seika Foods. It doesn't quite fit any single category — somewhere between a soft candy, a caramel, and a chewy mochi treat — and there's really nothing else quite like it.

Each piece is wrapped in a thin, edible "oblate" paper made from potato and sweet potato starch, which simply dissolves on your tongue. Inside is a soft, mochi-like chew carrying a bright, tangy-sweet citrus flavor from bontan (Japanese pomelo) grown in Akune, Kagoshima, blended with sour pomelo and unshu mikan (Japanese mandarin) juice from Kyushu.

That signature chewy texture comes from carefully selected glutinous rice (mainly the "Hiyokumochi" variety from Saga and Kumamoto), which is milled in-house, soaked in cold water overnight, and slow-cooked for about two and a half hours.

A nostalgic favorite passed down through generations across Kyushu — and a hidden bestseller at JR Kiosk stores throughout Japan — Bontan Ame is especially popular with students as an everyday treat, prized for its gummy-like chew and satisfying bite.

Fun fact: the candy was invented when the founder noticed factory workers cutting up traditional mizuame-based candy with scissors and playing with the pieces — he turned the idea into a flavored, colored candy sold in caramel-style wrapping.

Materials:

• Starch syrup (mizuame)
• Sugar
• Maltose (malt sugar)
• Glutinous rice ("Hiyokumochi" variety, Saga & Kumamoto)
• Bontan (Japanese pomelo) extract, Akune, Kagoshima
• Sour pomelo juice, Ichikikushikino area
• Unshu mikan (Japanese mandarin) juice, Kyushu
• Edible wafer wrapping (oblate), made from potato and sweet potato starch
• All ingredients are plant-based