Souvenirs, called ‘omiyage’, are a big deal in Japan. Huge. If you go on a single trip, even just back to your hometown for a few days, and don’t bring back some boxes of sweets for your co-workers? You’re basically a monster.

Perhaps I’m exaggerating slightly, but it really is the done thing, and each area of Japan has their own specialties and famous omiyage which can be easily picked up to make sure you stay on your colleagues’ good sides.

For Tokyo, the most famous souvenir sweet is ‘Tokyo Banana’. These are banana-flavoured, cream-filled cakes that are shaped like bananas. Why bananas? What is the link between bananas and Tokyo? There isn’t one.

Anyway, thanks to the booming popularity of these confections there’s been plenty of awesome limited edition flavours and variations, including some exciting crossovers with Kit Kat.

Despite the current events putting a bit of a downer on the spring proceedings, Tokyo Banana hope they can cheer up cherry blossom enthusiasts with a limited time only sakura version of their famed sweets.

A cute cherry blossom flower design is baked into the sponge cake and the usual banana custard cream filling has been enhanced with a sakura flavour, to create these seasonal treats.

Since the main purpose of Tokyo Banana is to be a souvenir, the packaging is always aesthetically pleasing and high quality. But the sakura version’s box is particularly attractive, with a classic floral pink theme.

There’s several sized boxes available and they can be found in selected shops (list here) or ordered online while stocks last. Lest you experience the crippling shame and judgment that can only be felt by those who return from a Tokyo trip… empty handed.