2017.07.06
TokyoWalker

BEST 3 Spots for Eating Tour and Souvenir Hunting in Asakusa’s Nakamise-dori Street

Tokyo
Food

The neighborhood of Sensoji, the oldest temple in Tokyo, has always been the most crowded place in the city, dotted with many well-established gourmet spots and various shops. Below are three of the best shops around Nakamise-dori street that are perfect if you want to go on an eating tour and search for souvenirs. Make sure to check out these spots when you visit the temple.

Index

<1> Mannendo Denpoin Shop: The shop that specializes in sugar craft and the birthplace of cheap sweets
<2> Kokonoe: A store that cooks agemanju (fried manju) in front of customers
<3> Kimuraya Main Shop: The most traditional shop in Nakamise that sells ningyo-yaki (baked dolls)

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<1> Mannendo Denpoin Shop: The shop that specializes in sugar craft and the birthplace of cheap sweets

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Kinkato (Japanese sugar craft) is a traditional confectionery that began in the Edo period. Mannendo Denpoin Shop’s artisans are the only ones in Tokyo that have inherited the techniques in creating confectionery with just sugar and water. This shop sells konpeito (small sugar candy ball with prongs) (345 JPY each, left in the photo), beautiful red and white maneki-neko (beckoning cat) (1,080 JPY, right in the photo) made by hand by artisans, and many other tasty treats. Here, many kinkato variants come shaped like cats or sea bream, and they are quite popular as gifts and souvenirs, too.

Mannendo Denpoin Shop

2-3-5 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

<2> Kokonoe: A store that cooks agemanju (fried manju) in front of customers

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Kokonoe is the third shop from Sensoji. At this shop, manju (steamed yeast bun with filling) with the right level of sweetness is fried to a crisp right in front of your eyes, and they won’t mind if you buy just one piece. You can choose from a variety of manju at this store, including the Matcha Agemanju (170 JPY per piece, left in the photo) and Monja Agemanju (170 JPY per piece, right in the photo).

Kokonoe

2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

<3> Kimuraya Main Shop: The most traditional shop in Nakamise that sells ningyo-yaki (baked dolls)

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Kimuraya Main Shop, the first shop selling ningyo-yaki (literally “baked dolls,” a sponge cake filled with bean paste and then formed into various shapes) in Nakamise that was opened in 1868, is a small store found at the corner of Nakamise-dori road that is closest to the Kannon (deity of mercy) statue at Sensoji. Many of its Ganso Ningyo-yaki (prices start at 300 JPY) delicacies that are shaped as five-storied pagoda, the god of thunder, lanterns, and pigeons were originally concocted by the founder based on the famous spots in Asakusa. Enjoy the traditional taste and shapes of the baked cakes here.

Kimuraya Main Shop

2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo

[This article was originally published in Walkerplus on 06.15.2017]

*Please note that the information in this article is from the time of writing or publication and may differ from the latest information.