A sweet of plump simmered red peas and agar topped with kuromitsu syrup. Umemura in Kannon-ura claims it as its original creation and is introduced as the birthplace of mamekan. Volume 1 of the original Solitary Gourmet manga includes a chapter titled "Mamekan in Asakusa, Taito Ward, Tokyo." I chose cream anmitsu this time, but red peas and agar were in my bowl too.
Sources: aumo.jp tv-tokyo.co.jp maruzenjunkudo.co.jp
This moment in the journey
Mamekan behind the Kannon
Let's go north, through a lane of little bars and across Kototoi Street. Beyond it lies a quiet neighborhood called Kannon-ura, "behind the Kannon." It once flourished as a geisha district, and buildings that keep the feel of those days are still scattered about. You can feel the calm, old-fashioned air of Edo's shitamachi.
Under a red awning is Umemura, a sweets shop in business since 1968 and the birthplace of mamekan. Its noren curtain reads "fine sweets, shiruko." The flavorful beans and the smooth agar are wonderful, and people keep coming from far away for this long-loved taste. The shop is also known for appearing in the manga The Solitary Gourmet.
This time I treated myself to cream anmitsu: agar cubes, red peas, sweet bean paste, a cherry, mandarin segments, colorful sugar-dusted cubes and a scoop of ice cream. A fun taste, perfect for the afterglow of a day at the amusement park. Once you try it, you'll want to come back again.
Watch this scene on YouTube8:32
More notes from this journey
Taito, Tokyo
Kaminarimon and Nakamise at Senso-ji
Kaminarimon is the main gate of Senso-ji; its formal name, Furaijin-mon, comes from the statues of the wind god and the thunder god enshrined on either side.
From: An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house
Taito, Tokyo
Asakusa Rokku and the Toyokan theater
The area west of Senso-ji, covering Asakusa 1- and 2-chome, also called Koen Rokku.
From: An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house
Taito, Tokyo
Asakusa Chikagai underground arcade
Opened in 1955, the oldest underground shopping street still in existence in Japan.
From: An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house
Taito, Tokyo
Noodles from Asakusa Kaikaro
A noodle maker founded in 1950, in the Inaricho area of Taito Ward.
From: An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house
Taito, Tokyo
Asakusa Hanayashiki
Opened in 1853, at the end of the Edo period, as a garden of peonies and chrysanthemums, it still operates as Japan's oldest amusement park.
From: An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house
Taito, Tokyo
Kannon-ura
A quiet neighborhood behind Senso-ji, north across Kototoi Street.
From: An Asakusa food diary that begins at an old coffee house
More notes from Kanto
Kamogawa, Chiba
Namero on rice
Namero is a Chiba specialty handed down along the coast of the Boso Peninsula.
From: Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa
Kamogawa, Chiba
Sauce yakisoba
A staple of summer festival stalls.
From: Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa
Kamogawa, Chiba
Grilled seafood skewers
The taste of the festival stall, on a small charcoal grill on the veranda.
From: Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa
Kamakura, Kanagawa
A little Kamakura drinking set
At the farmers' market near Kamakura Station, growers from around Kamakura sell "Kamakura vegetables," many varieties in small quantities, grown with as little…
From: A hundred-year-old house in the town of the Enoden
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kenchin-jiru
A soup of root vegetables and tofu, sautéed in oil before simmering.
From: A Kamakura-vegetable breakfast and a walk on Enoshima
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kamakura morning set with grilled dried fish
Kenchin-jiru made with Kamakura vegetables, with dried fish from the market shop grilled alongside.
From: A Kamakura-vegetable breakfast and a walk on Enoshima