green bean to bar Chocolate Bar - Tokyo - Full Moon Salt -

A treat that draws out a delicate sweetness, with a pleasant hint of saltiness that keeps you coming back for more.

This dark chocolate, crafted from Ugandan cacao beans, is infused with "Full Moon Salt" (*Mangetsu no Shiho*)—a natural salt produced from seawater collected off the coast of Izu Oshima, Tokyo, specifically during the full moon.
In-store, this product is available exclusively at our Tokyo locations (the Nakameguro flagship store and the Nihonbashi store).

《Awards》
International Chocolate Awards Asia 2026 – Silver Award
International Chocolate Awards World Final 2024 – Silver Award
The Chocolate Alliance Awards 2021 – Gold Award

ORIGIN

TANZANIA

SPECIFICATIONS

Product dimensions: 14.8 cm × 7 cm
Origin: Uganda
Ingredients: Cacao beans, organic sugar, salt

STORY

"Full Moon Salt" (Mangetsu no Shiho) by OHSHIMA OCEAN SALT
The salt incorporated into these bars is "Full Moon Salt"—a product from Izu Oshima island known for its sweet, mellow flavor. The producer, OHSHIMA OCEAN SALT, has been dedicated to the craft of salt-making since 1976. Driven by the conviction that natural salt—an essential element for the human body—should be restored to our tables, they have continued their work with unwavering commitment, even during an era when refined, laboratory-grade sodium chloride had become the standard.

Glistening Crystals in a Hand-Built Giant Dome
Deep-sea water, rich in minerals and pumped from a depth of over 200 meters, is sprayed inside a massive, hand-built dome—a structure created by the founder, Akihiro Sakamoto. Here, the water is concentrated over the course of about a month, powered entirely by natural energy from the sun and the wind. Once the seawater has reached a higher concentration, it is transferred to a secondary tank, where it is further reduced—over the span of two days and nights—to less than two-fifths of its original volume. When this concentrated brine is then boiled in a crystallization vessel, crystals begin to form, gradually emerging from the surface of the liquid. Describing the sight of these glistening, sparkling crystals, the second-generation proprietor, Hiromi, remarks, "It feels just like a reward for all the time and effort invested over the past month." The resulting crystals are then processed through a centrifuge to separate them from the *nigari* (bittern), yielding pure, natural salt.

The Special Power of the Full Moon
When asked about the production method for "Full Moon Shiho" (salt), the answer is surprisingly simple: "It’s exactly the same process." On the day of a full moon, crabs and shrimp molt, and corals release their eggs all at once—there is clearly some special force at work, yet much of it remains a mystery, still unexplained. Even so, using seawater collected on the day of a full moon leads to visible differences during the production process, such as the size of the salt crystals and the way impurities (scum) emerge. The flavor, too, possesses a subtle yet distinct softness—a mellow quality that spreads throughout the mouth and gently permeates the body.