A traditional Japanese sweet that has been trending recently is ‘kohakuto’, which can be literally translated as ‘amber sugar’. It gained attention due to the candy’s resemblance to precious stones and jewels which gives it an almost fantastical appearance.

It’s made from Agar Agar (‘kanten’ in Japanese) and is chewy inside with a slightly crunchy outer layer.

Although many shops fiercely guard their recipes, this Valentine’s Day period a kohakuto specialist shop called ‘Maho no Kohakuto’ have released a DIY kit, allowing customers to make their own crystal candy creations.

The kit makes the process look like something from a science experiment.

But the result looks like pure fantasy.

Each box costs 3500 yen and contains a recipe, one tube, sugar, kanten, colouring, baking paper and gloves. There’s also some tutorial videos that give extra tips to make the best kohakuto possible.

They would make a great Valentine’s Day present, but plenty of time is needed to make them. The manufacturers warn that it can take up to a week for the sweets to completely dry.

So for any budding kohakuto crafters, the kit can be picked up from branches of Maho no Kohakuto (main store in Chiba) or ordered online from Minne.