In addition to adzuki beans and black-eyed peas, sugar is commonly used to sweeten sekihan rice, the custom of which is practiced in some areas including Yamanashi Prefecture, the northern Tohoku region such as the Tsugaru area of Aomori Prefecture and the northern area of Iwate Prefecture, and in Hokkaido, where many people from the above areas now live.
また、山梨県や青森県の津軽地方、岩手県県北などの北東北の一部とその出身者の多い北海道では、小豆やささげを使うが砂糖を入れて甘い味付けにするのが一般的である。