Iga Ueno Castle Town where the Basho-colored wind blows Sweets Road Eating Coupon Report 👣

Iga Ueno is famous as the ninja village and the birthplace of MatsuoBasho. The reason why it is called "Mie's Little Kyoto" comes from the fact that during the Edo period, Todo TakatoraTodo laid out the castle town in a grid pattern.

Famous local products include Iga beef, Iga rice, and Iga kumihimo, but as the region is blessed with water, soil, and climate, and has an abundance of local ingredients, it produces rice, miso, sake, and other high-quality ingredients that are too numerous to mention. There are many Japanese sweets shops that make use of these ingredients, and they are dotted around the town's quaint streets.

​The ``Sweet Street Tasting Coupon'' allows you to visit Japanese sweets shops at a great value. There are 5 coupons on each sheet, and you can exchange them for 1 designated sweets per store! There are introductions to participating stores, explanations of sweets, and a map, so it's very convenient. There are many other shops in addition to the participating shops, but as a first step to experiencing Iga Ueno Japanese sweets, we will deliver a report using this eating tour coupon!

◆Taking food coupon: 1 sheet 700 yen 5 coupons- With pon◆

Article production / Mie Travel Ambassador EM&T

▼Table of contents

• ◆List of stores introducing Sweets Road◆
• Kin'eido ~Cream Daifuku~
• Koumeya ~Igaji~
• Confectionery Chef Onishi ~Oniyashiki Monaka~
• Toseian Fujisaki ~ Haiku Tosei ~
• Kogetsudo ~Special Kintsuba~
• Kurasaka Fugetsudo ~Iga miso flavor peaceful~
• Long-established mochi shop Iseya ~ Shichibe Dango/Kusokoro ~
• Ozawa Seika ~ Katayaki /Mente crackers~
• Morimoto Bashodo ~Original Anko Style Katayaki ~
• Kikyoya Orii ~Tsurigetsu~
• 🍵～After the interview～🍡
• Click here for a map of the shops we covered this time

◆List of stores introducing Sweets Road◆

Kin'eido ~Cream Daifuku~

When you get off the Nakase IC on the Meihan National Highway and head towards IgaCity, you will soon see Kin'eido. A shop based on white, similar to a Western confectionery shop, is built on a large site.

 Inside the store, there are everything from Iga's famous Katayaki and Chochi Yokan to roll cakes and pie sweets, so it's hard to get lost...

This is the store's recommended ``Cream Daifuku'' that can be exchanged with coupons.

You can choose your favorite from seasonal daifuku (strawberry in winter/spring, pineapple in summer, chestnut in autumn), matcha ole, cafe ole, and strawberry ole. I chose chestnut cream daifuku. The softness of the rice cake, the quality of the fresh cream, and just the right amount of sweetness. It's a solid recommendation. In the end, I took all the types home (lol)

Akimi Machino, representative of Kin'eido. He is the chairman of the Ueno branch of the Mie Prefecture Confectionery Industry Association. They talked about their passion for making sweets. Currently, he is also in charge of teaching Japanese sweets making at Mie Prefectural Akebono Gakuen.

There is also a cafe space inside the store, where you can order tea and coffee. We also recommend tapioca made with ingredients derived from Japanese sweets.

Koumeya ~Igaji~

In front of Ueno Tenjingu Shrine, Kobai-ya has an impressive red plum blossom exterior. This is a historic store that was founded in 1712.

The interior of the store is a modern Japanese space with black as the main color, and beautiful colorful sweets are waiting for you.

Igaji is a sweet that can be exchanged with coupons. It's a manju filled with strained red bean paste, butter, and fresh cream, and wrapped in pie crust. It goes well with tea and coffee✨

And Kobaiya's signature product ``various cherry blossoms.''

It is made from traditional hand-baked seed flour called Kanbai powder, which is a specialty of Iga, as well as yam and sugar.

Basho Old Man's ``Cherry blossoms remind me of many things''

It seems that it was created after the phrase. As it looks, it tastes elegant and gentle.

This is "Hyōshokumaru" which was prepared for tasting. This is a portable preserved food used by ninjas who were active during the Sengoku period. There are two types, black sesame and cinnamon, with a rich flavor. The texture is like a cookie that melts in your mouth and is easy to eat.

“Karinto Manju” was also available for tasting. Not only is the bean paste delicious, but the crispy surface really brings out the flavor. (Get 2 samples as souvenirs🎁)

Mr. Kitayama, the store manager, and Mr. Ichida, who is in charge of SNS, cooperated with the interview. The staff at the store were very cheerful and made the interview delicious and fun.

Koumeya is SNS We provide a lot of information about seasonal sweets etc. We also have an online shop, so you can always order the sweets you're interested in. Yo. 😊😊😊

Confectionery Chef Onishi ~Oniyashiki Monaka~

This shop was founded in the Meiji era and is located on the main street of the Ueno Tenjin Festival.

The Ueno Tenjin Festival is one of the three major festivals in Kansai, and has a history of over 400 years. ``Oniyashiki Monaka'' (Monaka or Chochi Yokan from October to March), which you can get with a coupon, is based on the ``Hyorotsuki Oni'' that appears in the demon procession that appears at this festival. I happened to stop by this shop on the day before the festival, so the owner told me a lot about the festival. It seems that people have been enjoying the festival for decades, and we were shown photos of the festival in the past.

The Monaka I got with a coupon has a crispy skin and just the right amount of sweetness with grainy red bean paste, so I think I could easily eat two of them (lol).

Would you like to visit a stately shop with a sense of history, carefully made Japanese sweets, and the signature cat?

Toseian Fujisaki ~ Haiku Tosei ~

``Momo-sei'' was used by Basho as a haiku name, and it is said to symbolize his desire to improve himself every day by comparing himself to an unripe blue peach. It's so wonderful to be making Japanese sweets every day with this in mind✨

I received a coupon for ``Momo Ao'' which is also the name of the shop. The small steamed buns contain unripe peaches pickled in honey, and you can even eat the seeds😲 ❕The refreshing and juicy flesh goes perfectly with the steamed buns containing condensed milk. .

Apparently, this sweet was created after a customer asked if thinned peaches could be used for something. It's amazing how things that were once thrown away can be turned into such delicious sweets.

Yoshitake Fujisaki is the third generation owner. “We value the taste of the ingredients.”

Kogetsudo ~Special Kintsuba~

The sweets are made by the fifth generation owner who has been running a Japanese sweets shop since the Meiji era. The retro atmosphere of this historic store is also lovely.

The recommended dishes here are ``Chochi Yokan'' and ``Special Kintsuba.'' This time I received Kintsuba. It's not too sweet, so you can really enjoy the taste and aroma of the red beans. The premium quality of the product, which takes three days to complete and is limited to 100 pieces per day, is also great.

There are many other popular sweets as well. ``Mikasando'' is a Mikasa pastry sandwiched with sweet bean paste and cream cheese, and ``Seasonal Shizuku'' is a layer of agar and jelly made with seasonal fruits on top of a yokan cake. These famous sweets are the result of inherited traditions and ingenuity tailored to the times.

Ken Okamoto, 5th generation owner, says, ``Kogetsudou's sweets are based on ``Chōchi Yokan'' and have added some twists. I want to connect the thoughts of the times and create something new. ”

Kurasaka Fugetsudo ~Iga miso flavor peaceful~

``Kurasaka Fugetsudo'' has been running since 1919 on Kurumazaka along Iga Highway. It is run by a close couple.

What I received here was the ``Wayaka'', a miso-flavored manju. The flavor of iga miso and strained bean paste match very well.

There were other sweets made with sake, such as ``Otona no Cream Daifuku'' and ``Iga Kura Shuka Sakamikasa,'' so I had the ``Sakamikasa.''

Ripoff. I was surprised for a moment. After feeling the slight aroma of alcohol, I found roughly chopped bitter chocolate inside the white bean paste! This serves as an accent and tightens the overall flavor, making it very delicious.

The bean paste is made with sake lees from Wakaebisu Sake Brewery in Iga Prefecture.

All of Fugetsudo's sweets are made by the owner, Hiromitsu Kurasaka, so they may run out of stock at times. Information is posted on SNS, so be sure to check! is not it.

Fugetsudo's SNS is posted by Mr. Kurasaka's wife. You can watch videos of the manufacturing process of Japanese sweets, which you don't usually see, and photos of freshly made sweets lined up beautifully. Just looking at them will make you happy. (I definitely want to eat it lol)

Mr. Kurasaka: ``We carefully make each sweet by hand, incorporating Iga's ingredients, scenery, and culture into our sweets.''

Long-established mochi shop Iseya ~ Shichibe Dango/Kusokoro ~

This is a rice cake shop whose landmark is the large zelkova tree at Ueno Tenjingu Shrine. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Iga rice is very delicious, so you can enjoy rice cakes and red rice.We handle many products that are made from raw materials, such as rice.

The pamphlet I received was very nice, so I decided to look into it...

It was designed by calligrapher Bokuzan Sakaki (d. 2010). The famous ``Frontier that combines calligraphy and art'' is from Iga, and is said to have been friends with Iseya's predecessor.

✨“Castle Ippin” ✨ That’s cool.

There are many types of mochi sweets, and there are also many variations of Iga's specialty, ``Oshimon''. They seem to be focusing on developing new products while preserving tradition.

The sweets you can get with the coupon are `` 2 Shichibei Dango'' or `` 3 Kusakoro.'' I tried "Kusakoro". It is a small rice cake made with young mugwort, filled with red bean paste and sprinkled with soybean flour. The aroma of mugwort and soybean flour brings out the flavor of the bean paste.

I was also interested in the odango and salted bean mochi, so I ended up taking them home (lol)

In both cases, the rice had a good flavor, and the dango sauce and red bean paste had a good taste that brought out the flavor.

Takashi Maruyama, 6th generation president and representative director

Ozawa Seika ~ Katayaki /Mente crackers~

Ozawa Seika is located a 5-minute walk from Basho's birthplace and a little outside of the castle town. You can even take a factory tour here.

RepresentativeMotoo Ozawa explained the manufacturing process.

Katayaki, an Iga specialty, was originally a ninja's portable food, and was made hard because it could be stored. Bake for about 40 minutes, pressing the dough onto the hot griddle. Freshly baked Katayaki is soft and will harden as it cools. Being able to taste “soft Katayaki” is a privilege for those who stop by here 😊

The way to eat it is to break it up and eat it because you can't chew it with your teeth. Some products even come with a mallet to use when breaking them, making them perfect as souvenirs ✨ It's sweeter than I expected, and has a somewhat nostalgic flavor. I guess the simple taste is addictive. Here it comes in a 6kg can! You can also buy it.

Another option you can choose with a coupon is ``men senbei,'' which is a soft senbei rice cracker with an egg inside. I feel like I can't hate the ninja's face (lol)

◆Ozawa Confectionery Factory Tour ◆

Monday to Friday, about 30 minutes, free of charge (includes 1 piece of soft oysters)

Participation is limited to 1 to 15 people.Reservation required.

You can see the entire process in the morning😊 Contact 0595-23-1352

Morimoto Bashodo ~Original Anko Style Katayaki ~

This ``Original An-filled Katayaki'' is said to have been created on May​ ​15, 1980 through trial and error by the third-generation owner, Shozo Morimoto, the grandfather of current owner Takuma Kato.

The whole thing is moist and soft because of the "red bean paste" inside. Even ninjas were surprised at how delicious it was.

Our recommended sweet is "Basho's Belly Button." It is said to have been named after the haiku ``Old village and umbilical cord ni tears''.

The dough is sprinkled with cinnamon and has white bean paste inside. Inspired by a haiku written by Basho when he returned home, this manju is made to imitate the thatched roof houses of the time, with sesame seeds placed in the middle to symbolize the umbilical cord. 

Kikyoya Orii ~Tsurigetsu~

Kikyoya Orii is a Japanese confectionery shop with a history of over 400 years, having been a merchant of the Todo clan since the Edo period.

The building seems to have been renovated several years ago, but you can feel the weight of its history as it is decorated with tools, signboards, tiles, etc. that tell the story of its history.

There are many Japanese and Western sweets lined up in the store, but first I received a ``Tsurigetsu'' that can be exchanged with a coupon. The name comes from Basho. It comes from Koan "Tsurigetsuken". The grilled skin is fragrant and crispy, and goes perfectly with the grainy red bean paste inside.

Another Japanese sweet that I would like to introduce is "Okayu Daifuku". Attracted by the name, I asked the staff at the shop and found out that the reason for making this daifuku was due to an accident caused by a relative of the 18th generation owner of the shop due to a rice cake, and it took 10 years to make. , Daifuku is soft and easy to eat. Since non-glutinous rice is used instead of sticky rice, it is said to be easier to swallow and less likely to clog, and has been featured in the media. It is said to be very popular in facilities for the elderly.

🍵～After the interview～🍡

The reason I decided to do this interview was because when I stopped by Iga Ueno, the sweets I bought at a Japanese sweets shop that I happened to visit were really delicious. I definitely want to share this with Mie Tourism! So I thought I'd introduce it to you. We had the cooperation of 10 shops, and both sweets were very delicious, and we were surprised by the high level of Japanese sweets in Iga Ueno. I felt that the climate, water, and quality of the ingredients made it a luxury item that could only be found in a castle town.

I ate quite a lot of sweets at 10 restaurants, but my stomach wasn't full (lol)

This may be the best proof of the quality 😊 Thank you to everyone who helped us.

◆Confectionery Industry Association Ueno Branch Other member stores◆

Click here for a map of the shops we covered this time