I’ve never even heard of Nisshodo Candy Store until I started doing mochi research for this trip. Out of the hundreds of times I’ve been to Hawaii, I never once thought to look for mochi. It’s always been shaved ice or malasadas, but it totally makes sense that mochi would be popular in Hawaii too since it’s heavily Japanese influenced. I’m not a big sweets person by any means but I’m a fan of mochi and any type of Japanese confections (wagashi). I think it’s so pretty and so colorful that it just makes me happy when I see it. So, since we had a car this trip, I thought why not go exploring for some mochi!
- Related Article: Where to Eat: Liliha Bakery
What Is Mochi?
For people that might not be familiar with mochi, it’s a type of rice flour that has been mixed and pounded down to a super soft dough consistency. It’s typically sweetened and enhanced with familiar fruit flavors. Most people might be introduced to mochi by eating mochi ice cream but traditional mochi is just as delicious and if not better!
Nisshodo Candy Store Location
The location of Nisshodo Candy Store might be a little hard to find. If you use Google Maps, it should take you to the right place. It’s pretty much in an industrial warehouse-looking type of building. I assume it’s where they make all their mochi and they just sell it from the same facility.
Hours of Operation
At the time of this posting, they are open from Monday-Saturday from 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Please always check their website or give them a call before you go. When I went, they were closed the week before maybe for the holidays or COVID. I’m not sure but I thought I was very lucky to be there when they finally did open again.
What Is Nisshodo Candy Store Known For?
Nisshodo Candy Store is most known for its mochi, but they also have other Japanese confections like manju, chichi dango, and kinako dango. I actually found them on Yelp and they were the highest-rated place for mochi so you know I had to go and try them out.
What Mochi Did We Order?
We wanted to try as much as we could so we tried to order a wide variety. From the top left going clockwise, we got Green Tea, Lilikoi (Passion Fruit), Lychee, Coconut, Melon, and Pink Azuki (Red Bean). My favorite was surprisingly coconut. Maybe because it kind of reminded of me an Almond Joy Bar. If you want a more traditional mochi, I would recommend the Pink Azuki.
What Does The Filling Look Like?
Each mochi we ate had a sweet bean filling inside. I personally loved it when the mochi is filled with something on the inside since it gives it more flavor and texture. I tried to take nice pictures of the filling but it’s hard to bite into something and have it look picturesque you know?! Either way, it proves to you that I ate each and every one of them at least.
Overall Review of Nisshodo Candy Store
Nisshodo Candy Store had some of the softest mochis I’ve ever eaten. I love that it has a variety of flavors and fillings so you have many options. I also like that you can pick and choose one mochi or make your own variety pack. If you have a car and are a mochi enthusiast, I highly recommend you try them out. Especially, if you are coming from or heading to the airport, it can be a quick stop along the way.
Other Pictures
