---
title: Mamekan
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/mamekan/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/asakusa-1/
---

# Mamekan

A little of each town’s story　/　Taito, Tokyo

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.

## 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.

![Agar and red peas on the spoon](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/asakusa-1/s130-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://aumo.jp/articles/18983
- Sources: https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/adomachi/backnumber/20120825/74922.html
- Sources: https://www.maruzenjunkudo.co.jp/products/9784594624897

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/asakusa-1/