The Chinese Fortune Cookies that can be had all over the World , except in China and Japan , at Chinese Restaurants , are really Japanese Fortune Cookies . You can read more details in this Japan Times article . Or you can watch this Adam Ruins Everything short clip on the matter .
I was able to find two shops selling the Japanese Fortune Cookies ( Omikuji Senbei or Tsujiura Senbei ) around Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine . Matsuya is close to Fushimi Inari Station on the Keihan Main Line . Matsuya has a web site and it is possible to order the cookies through the site , though it is all in Japanese . Matsuya is open from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM , except on Wednesdays , when it’s closed . The other shop I've found is Souhonke Inariya , mentioned in the Japan Times article . Souhonke Inariya is located adjacent to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine . It is open from 8:30 AM until 5:30 PM , except on Thursdays , when it is closed .
The Fortunes inside the Cookies are written in Japanese , though at Souhonke Inariya it is possible to place orders for Cookies with the Fortunes written in either English or Chinese .
The main ingredients in the making of the Japanese Fortune Cookies are : Flour , Sugar , Miso Paste and White Sesame Seeds . Matsuya has a version of its cookie in which Ginger is added , giving a spicy flavor to the cookies .
There are some differences between these Fortune Cookies as you can see by the pictures . The most noticeable being that , on Matsuya’s Plain Fortune Cookies , the fortunes are on the outside of the cookies . That is because , inside Matsuya’s Plain Fortune Cookies there are 2 Roasted Soy Beans . Though I haven’t asked for the reason behind it , it comes to my mind the tradition of eating such Roasted Soy Beans on Setsubun , as a way of warding off bad fortunes and evil spirits .
The cookies can be bought in packages of 5 or 10 cookies . At Matsuya, the package of 5 cookies costs 500 Yen , while the package of 10 cookies costs 950 Yen . Meanwhile , at Souhonke Inariya , the package of 5 cookies costs 480 Yen , and the package of 10 cookies costs 950 Yen .
※This Blog post was updated on August 8th , 2024 .