This is a long-established amazake shop founded in 1846, located right next to the Kanda Shrine Torii gate.
This is Amanoya. I have something I want to eat, so I am going in.
Amazake is a traditional Japanese sweet drink made from rice koji (a type of edible fungus) and rice,
and was drunk as a nutritional supplement especially in summer during the Edo period.
Today, it is popular all year round due to health consciousness.
As soon as you enter the store, you'll find packaged amazake,
natto (fermented soybeans), and miso made with Amanoya's koji.
Koji is an indispensable ingredient for making miso, soy sauce, and sake,
and the koji room in the basement, where the temperature and humidity are kept constant,
produces very good, fluffy koji.
Hi, welcome. Hello.
The store is well decorated with antique clocks, lamps, and tableware,
giving it a retro atmosphere.
May I sit here?
You can take any of the available seats.
I see.
Wow. The garden is lovely.
The inside garden.
The old store burned down during World War II,
so this was rebuilt after the war.
You can choose hot or cold amazake.
The combination of the amazake and kuzumochi looks good too.
What I wanted to try this time was the shaved ice, which is only available during the summer.
Since I came here, I'll order the ice amazake, amazake shaved ice!
This old photo was taken in 1884 (Meiji 17).
It is nice to have amazake in such an old-fashioned atmosphere.
With this atmosphere, I don't mind waiting.
Here comes the big shaved ice!
Amanoya's amazake is made from rice and koji without any sugar or additives.
It contains no alcohol, so it is safe for children.
It has the natural sweetness of amazake alone,
and it is not overly sweet like shaved ice with lots of syrup.
The store staff said that the bowl is filled with amazake generously
so mix it with the ice on top and enjoy it.
Even if you don't like amazake, it is worth a try.
The amazake shaved ice was very delicious with a gentle, natural sweetness.
My body felt refreshed after eating the cold dessert.
If you are visiting nearby, please stop by.
I am here at Shonosuke, a Japanese confectionery store in Kanda-Sudacho.
I would like to have a little break for something sweet.
It is a long-established confectionery shop that has been in business for over 70 years.
They told me that the building is almost 100 years old.
The person who judges sumo matches is called Gyoji,
and "Kimura Shonosuke" is the highest rank of gyoji.
After the retirement of the 22nd Shonosuke,
"Shonosuke-Monaka" in the shape of an uchiwa fan was sold
and it became very popular.
The uchiwa-shaped Monaka is in the shape of a gyoji's Gunbai,
which is raised by the gyoji when a sumo match is decided.
Welcome.
Excuse me, but please allow me to take a video.
This is Shonosuke-Monaka.
One for this.
And Fu-Manju.
One piece, OK?
Yes, one piece.
And sesame... This is Sesame Daifuku.
Give me one sesame daifuku.
Hai.
Kintsuba also looks delicious.
Give me one Kintsuba too.
That's all.
I was so curious about the different types of confectionery that I ended up buying four of them.
This is Awaji Park.
It's a beautiful park with lots of greenery in the office district.
There are benches and tables, and there is docomo bike share.
Let's use it next time.
I'm going to take a rest here.
They all look delicious.
Uchiwa-shaped Shonosuke-Monaka, the shop's signature confectionery.
Sesame Daifuku.
Kintsuba.
This is Fu-Manju.
Shonosuke-Monaka has a crispy wrapper filled with sweet red bean paste generously.
It is fun to enjoy Japanese sweets alone with an umbrella in the rain.
The high-quality red bean paste is deliciously kneaded.
It is a perfect match with the surrounding wrapper!
The Sesame Daifuku is wrapped with soft mochi dough that contains aromatic white sesame.
The aroma of the sesame is so nice, and the sweet bean paste and the mochi are both extremely delicious.
I am so happy to have found this delicious sesame daifuku.
Fu-Manju was wrapped in a bamboo leaf.
The sweet bean paste is very soft.
The wrapper made of Nama-Fu (steamed gluten) is soft and stretchy.
I've never had such a moist and silky Koshi-An (bean paste without bean skins) before.
Smooth and delicious!
Kintsuba is usually square in shape,
but this one looks elegant and delicious.
I was impressed by the different firmness and sweetness of the sweet bean paste in each of the four,
and I could tell that each one was carefully crafted.
I tasted all four, and they were all delicious.
I think this is amazing.
The staff at the store is very nice, and I highly recommend this confectionery shop.