Japan: biblically-inspired cakes start growing trend

Traditional Japanese-style steamed manju cakes marked with biblical words are attracting growing numbers of customers throughout Japan and abroad.

Fumiko Kataoka, a Christian, produces the delicacies, which she calls "Hallelujah Manju", at the Tokyo-based confectionery shop named Eikoudou that she runs with her husband, Yoshio, his family members and other staff. Eikou means glory in Japanese.

"Despite the fact that our sales have been going down due to the recent depression, orders from Christians are growing," Kataoka told Ecumenical News International in an interview.