Seika Bontan Ame Citrus Soft Candy

Seika Bontan Ame is a soft candy that has been made in Kagoshima since 1925 — one hundred years of continuous production without any meaningful change to the recipe or the format.

That kind of longevity is unusual even by Japanese confectionery standards, and it says something about what the candy does well.

The origin was accidental. The founders of what would become Seika Foods were running a water syrup (mizuame) operation when someone at the factory began cutting the syrup-based chōsen ame into small pieces with scissors.

The founder saw it, recognized something in it, and developed the idea into a flavored, colored candy sold in the same box format as caramel. The result became Bontan Ame.

The flavor comes from two distinct citrus sources: bontan (buntan) — the large, fragrant pomelo cultivated in Akune, Kagoshima — and concentrated unshu mandarin juice from Kyushu.

Together they produce a citrus character that is sweet and gently tart, with a soft aromatic quality that is immediately recognizable and difficult to place if you have never encountered it before.

The texture is mochi ame: soft, chewy, and elastic, made from glutinous rice (mochi-gome) processed entirely in-house — soaked overnight in cold water, then slowly steamed and worked for over two hours.

Each piece is individually wrapped in edible oblate film and can be eaten without unwrapping.

A hundred years on, the box design and the candy inside remain essentially what they have always been.

About this item
Item Name : Bontan Ame
Brand : Seika Foods
Item Form : Candy
Number of Items : 14 Counts (Pack of 1)