執起一顆琥珀糖，猶豫良久，才願意放進嘴裡。這種果子，是眼睛而做的，半透明的外衣，內裡透著五彩十色，外衣是河流、是海洋，內裡描劃是或是小小的宇宙，或是茂密的山林，或者單純是季節的色彩。對了，它總是跟季節扯上關係，而且定是夏季。都怪它那清澈冰涼的外表，看著心裡便涼快，因此被認定是夏季的糖果。
琥珀糖的歷史可以追溯至江戶時代（17至的19世紀），以寒天混入砂糖的琥珀糖，聽來樸素，但在那個砂糖仍為罕見的高貴食料的年代裡，卻是非常高級的糖果。說來有趣，當時這種糖果名字為金玉糖，名時跟它的身分十分匹配。至於琥珀糖，則是一種以雞蛋造成的料理，究竟為何後來名字被挪用，則不得而知了。
於現代，琥珀糖可說是最基本的和菓子，製作過程非常簡單且大同小異，將寒於煮溶然後混入砂糖，待凝固後切成小塊，風乾後表面的砂糖會結晶，造成外脆內軟的口感。不少和菓子店都會製作琥珀糖，而為了創造獨一無二的風格，除了在寒天內混入果皮等材料以增加味道層次外，還在形狀及切面數目上下工夫。
位於滋賀縣的Nanasan是一個新創的和菓子品牌，他們製作的琥珀糖MIO，採用的是日本栽種的波森莓造成，七角形的外形使外衣更脆，加強了口感。想著也覺甜美。不過MIO如果美麗的外表，你會捨得咬下去嗎？
Looking at the Kohakuto (literally translated as “amber sugar”), I hesitated for quite a while before putting it into my mouth. This kind of candies are made as a feast for the eyes — wrapped inside the translucent outer layer is a spectrum of beautiful colors. The outer layer appears as a river or an ocean enclosing a miniature universe, a lush forest, or as simple as a seasonal color. It is fair to say Kohakuto is always related to a season, or more precisely, summer. Thanks to its refreshing appearance, the candy is often treated as a summer treat.
The history of Kohakuto can be traced back to the Edo period (17th to 19th century). The ingredients may sound very basic as the candy is made with a mixture of agar and sugar. However, back in the days when sugar was a prestigious ingredient, the candy was widely seen as a luxury item by the general public. Kohakuto was once called Kingyokuto, which means gold- and jade-like candy. It is a name that matches well with its value during the time. The name Kohakuto once belonged to a dish made with egg, but it is not traceable as to why afterward it became the name of this colorful candy.
Moving on to nowadays, Kohakuto is one of the most basic types of wagashi. The making process is simple — first, melt the agar and add in sugar; wait until the mixture gets dried up to be cut into small pieces. The sugar will get crystalized and give the candy a crunchy coating while retaining the soft texture inside. Kohakuto is a product easily found in most wagashi shops, to make their products distinguishable, many shops would also add fruit peels and other ingredients to give more layers to the flavor. Some of them would also cut the pieces into different shapes or add more sides to the candy.
Nanasan from Shiga Prefecture is an innovative wagashi brand. Their Kohakuto named MIO is made with boysenberry grown in Japan. The candy is extra crunchy thanks to its heptagon shape. The sweetness is absolutely tempting, but looking at its beautiful appearance, would you hesitate to bite into the perfect looking candy?
