The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2024
Kameya Yoshinaga makes literature edible — story-timed wagashi sells out in 3 weeks
A Kyoto wagashi shop and a publisher crafted sweets to be eaten at specific passages of classic novels, turning reading into a multi-sensory taste experience.
Kameya Yoshinaga (亀屋良長)
What it had to solve
Wagashi, the centuries-old Japanese art of confectionery, had lost its cultural connection and its appeal among younger generations. Kameya Yoshinaga, a long-established Kyoto wagashi maker, wanted to make the craft relevant again — without cheapening the tradition.
How it works
Wagashi is the traditional art of Japanese confectionery, refined over centuries to reflect the essence of the natural world. But by the 2020s, modern confections had lost their cultural connection and young Japanese consumers saw the craft as distant from their lives. Kameya Yoshinaga, a Kyoto wagashi maker founded in 1803, wanted to make the tradition feel alive again.
VML & Ogilvy Japan's answer was to change how wagashi is consumed rather than what it looks like. Working with a publisher of classic Japanese novels, they created Bungashi — 'Edible Literature': bespoke sweets designed and handcrafted to be eaten at specific passages of a story, with the pages of the book signalling when to take each bite. Taste, texture and timing became part of the reading experience.
Packaged together, the book and the sweets formed a single ritual: the reader enters the story and the wagashi arrives exactly when the narrative calls for it. The project became a social media sensation among Gen Z, the initial run sold out within three weeks, and it earned wide press attention valued at nearly US$600,000. It went on to win a Bronze Lion in Design at Cannes Lions 2024 and multiple London International Awards.
Why it lands
- It solved relevance by changing the ritual, not the craft: the 200-year-old sweet stayed authentic while its consumption became new.
- Taste is the most underused sense in publishing, so the idea created an experience no e-book or audiobook could copy.
- Pairing a specific sweet with a specific passage gave each moment in the novel a physical, shareable counterpart, which is why it spread on social media.
- The partnership gave the wagashi maker a contemporary reason to exist while the publisher gained a tangible, giftable edition of a classic.
What it did
The initial run sold out within three weeks; the project became a hot topic among Gen Z on social media, drew coverage from more than 20 media outlets worth an estimated US$600,000, and won a Bronze Lion in Design at Cannes 2024 plus multiple London International Awards.
What you can take
To revive a heritage craft, change the context, not the product: a sweet tied to a specific passage made the ritual buyable — one book, one set of sweets, one complete experience.
Since then
Bungashi's first run sold out in three weeks and the project became a reference point for cultural collaborations in Japan. It collected a Bronze Lion in Design at Cannes Lions 2024, two silver and one bronze at the London International Awards, and a Gold at the Cairns Crocodiles, showing that a heritage craft could win modern attention without abandoning its tradition.
Sources
- VML and Ogilvy: Kameya Yoshinaga's Edible Literature
- VML & Ogilvy Japan wins a bronze at Cannes 2024
- Edible Literature – Kameya Yoshinaga | Our Work
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