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Celebrating the 400th anniversary of Senju-juku's founding: Edo's traditional sweets tour

  • September 30, 2025

 

Senju-juku will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2025. In this bustling post town, you can reminisce about the snacks enjoyed by the common people of the Edo period and savor some of the traditional Japanese sweets that have been enjoyed since ancient times.

[Shops introduced in this article]

Kitaya Umejima Branch

Kitaya, with its main store in Senju Tatsutacho, is a Japanese confectionery shop that has been rooted in the local community since its founding in 1955, with many stores mainly in Adachi Ward. What's great is that there are stores near train stations and commercial facilities that are easy to stop by.

There are many famous sweets associated with Senju, and among them, dorayaki, which is the origin of the shop, is not to be missed. The moist and chewy dough is filled with plenty of homemade coarse bean paste. In addition to their famous "Brown Sugar Dorayaki", which is made with carefully selected ingredients and a perfect balance between the skin and bean paste, they also offer a variety of other dorayaki to enjoy.

Additionally, products commemorating the 400th anniversary of Senju-juku's founding are also on sale at each store. These include popular items packed into unique boxes modeled after terakoya (temple school) or daimyo (feudal lord) baskets, as well as miniature yokan (sweet bean jelly) packaged with ukiyo-e prints by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. Why not celebrate the 400th anniversary of Senju-juku's founding with some of the local favorite Japanese sweets?

Brown Sugar Dorayaki (Rokuninshu) 248 yen
The fluffy brown sugar dough and homemade light bean paste create a perfect balance. This signature product was created by six artisans.
[Terakoya Box 1,348 yen, Daimyo Basket Box 939 yen]
The Terakoya Box (far right) and Daimyo Kago Box (far left) are filled with the Kita family's standard items. You can also fill them with your favorite products (free box). There are also small boxes (50 yen for the box) that are convenient for souvenirs.
[Set of 3 Yokan (bean jelly) commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Shukudo: 810 yen]
The ukiyo-e packaging featuring famous Senju landmarks makes it a perfect small gift. You can enjoy three flavors: sweet potato, honren, and matcha.

[Exterior / Interior]

  • The spacious store is filled with seasonal products, including high-quality fresh sweets. The adjacent Kitaya Salon "Engawa" also hosts piano concerts once a month.
  • The shop is located on the old Nikko Kaido road. The Umejima store is the only one with an eat-in space (self-service).

【Shop information】

■Kidaya Umejima store
電話：03-3880-3266
Business hours: 9:00-18:00
Closed: No holiday
Seats: 10 seats
Address: 6-33-6 Umeda, Adachi-ku
Reservation: Enabled
Take-out: Yes
Barrier-free: Yes
Wi-Fi: None
Access: 3 minutes on foot from Umejima Station on the Tobu Skytree Line
HP:http://kitaya.info/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kitaya_umejima/

Takaraya Confectionery Shop

Starting with the chestnut bun "Kurikko" and chestnut dorayaki "Senju Komachi," there are also dango baked to order, seasonal nerikiri, honneri yokan, and various kirimochi. The neat rows of Japanese sweets, brought to the world by the previous generation and the second generation's imaginative creations, are like a father-son competition. The wide variety of products is sure to leave you overwhelmed.

The shop is located on Shukubamachi-dori Shopping Street. Apparently, in the past, large handcarts were used to carry goods such as rice sacks and harvests. The "Tawara Monaka," which is literally modeled after a rice sack, is a representative product of the shop, born from the scenery of that time. It is an exceptional product with a lavish amount of crushed bean paste made with "Toyoshuku," the finest azuki beans grown in Hokkaido. Azuki beans ward off evil spirits, and rice sacks are a symbol of wealth, so they are popular as lucky charms and gifts.

In autumn, they offer a limited-time offer of "imo yokan" (sweet potato jelly), which has a lingering sweet potato flavor and natural sweetness. No matter when you visit, you can enjoy seasonal Japanese sweets.

[Tawara Monaka (5 pieces) 980 yen]
The rice bag is shaped like a rice bale and has the characters "Fukutawara" written on it. The inside of the skin is filled with a rich, satisfying filling, and you can really taste each and every bean.
[Seasonal Nerikiri, 250 yen each]
Nerikiri expresses the changing of the seasons through meticulous handwork. Though small, it is the star of the display case and sure to catch your eye.
Making Japanese sweets is often affected by the weather, so second-generation owner Hiroshi Kujirai says, "I face the ingredients while having a dialogue with them." He and his wife run the business together.

[Exterior / Interior]

  • Shortly after opening, freshly pounded mochi rice cakes were on display in the store. They are known for their good elasticity and firm texture.
  • It is said that there used to be many mochi and Japanese sweet shops in the area, but now there are only a handful left. Founded in 1955, this shop is celebrating its 70th anniversary and has long been loved by locals.


【Shop information】

■ Takaraya Confectionery
電話：03-3888-3915
Business hours: 10:00-17:30
Closed: Thursdays and two Wednesdays a month
Seats: None
Address: 4-19-13 Senju, Adachi Ward
Reservation: Enabled
Take-out: Yes
Barrier-free: Yes
Wi-Fi: None
Access: 5 min. walk from Kita-Senju Station West Exit of JR Joban Line and others

Waka Fuji

They are proud of their fresh morning sweets such as mame daifuku, ohagi, and manju. Commonly known as "Asa-nama," they pride themselves on serving "freshly made in the morning on the same day," and the display case is lined with around 15 varieties, from standard to seasonal specials. Of these, the mame daifuku is a favorite among local sweet tooths. It's a trinity of soft, chewy mochi, the gentle saltiness of red peas, and the mild sweetness of bean paste. It's a dish you'll want to eat not just the same day, but as soon as you buy it.

Nakano, a Japanese confectioner, runs the shop by himself. His family also runs a Japanese confectionery shop, so it was a natural progression for him to enter this world. Having been exposed to Japanese sweets as a familiar snack since childhood, the things Nakano makes have in common a gentle, unadorned sweetness. The prices are also appealing and won't put a strain on your wallet, so you'll find yourself reaching for one or two when you're craving something a little sweeter.

[Bean Daifuku 110 yen, Kanoko 120 yen]
First, try the popular Mame Daifuku. If you like sweet bean paste, we recommend Kanoko, which is smooth bean paste covered with honey-soaked red beans.
[Domyoji 110 yen]
Domyoji, which is available all year round, is also a popular item. During cherry blossom season, the shop also offers the Kanto-style sakura mochi, which is made of thin dough wrapped around red bean paste.
[Dorayaki (smooth bean paste, whole bean paste) 110 yen each, chestnut dorayaki 150 yen, plum dorayaki 150 yen]
There are four kinds of dorayaki. The most recommended is the plum dorayaki, which contains white bean paste and a whole candied green plum.

[Exterior / Interior]]

  • In addition to the familiar faces, there will be two types of sakura mochi in spring, mizu yokan in summer, kurimushi yokan in autumn, and fubuyuki manju in winter.
  • Upon the retirement of the owner of Wakato, Nakano inherited the store and its name in 1995. November 2025 will mark 30 years since the establishment.

【Shop information】

■ Waka Wisteria
電話：03-3888-1170
Business hours: 9:00-18:30
Closed: 2nd and 4th Sundays
Seats: None
Address: 22-12 Senju Asahicho, Adachi Ward
Reservation: Enabled
Take-out: Yes
Barrier-free support: None
Wi-Fi: None
Access: About 6 minutes on foot from the east exit of Kita-Senju Station on the JR Joban Line

Kadoya 's spear mackerel (Kadoya' s gone basket)

Established in 1948, the shop is constantly filled with customers of all ages and genders, seeking the same unchanging flavor. It's easy to see why they say they're always sold out. True to the name of the shop, their specialty is spear-shaped dango. They're three brothers with flat faces, not perfectly round, and only two varieties are available: "andango" and "yakidango."

The dango dough is made from joshinko (high-quality rice flour) made from milled non-glutinous rice. It is kneaded in hot water, steamed in a bamboo steamer, cooled, and then pounded... it takes an astonishing amount of time to create the chewy texture. The andan dango is filled with plenty of smooth bean paste. The grilled dango is fragrantly browned over charcoal and then dipped in a thick, sweet and spicy mitarashi sauce. There's no need to wonder whether to have the bean paste or the grilled dango. If you're here, the right thing to do is try both! But if you're wondering which one to try first, that might be a bit of a challenge.

[Andango and Yakidango: 120 yen each]
The size makes it easy to eat, so it's the ultimate luxury to eat it on the spot. Sit on a bench and enjoy a freshly made meal.
They don't prepare food in advance, but rather anticipate the weather and customer traffic of the day and prepare it in a timely manner. The efficient teamwork of the third-generation Yoshioka family is also impressive.
There is no end to the number of people buying them as gifts. Red rice is also available, although it was already sold out on this day.

[Exterior / Interior]

  • The store was renovated in 2012. The glass cases and window frames, which have a different texture than the original, are from the previous store.
  • The name "Kadoya" comes from the fact that it is located on a corner lot. In addition, it is named after the "Yarikake no Matsu" (Spear Pine) at Seiryoji Temple, where a retainer of Mito's Komon is said to have rested his spear.

【Shop information】

■ Kadoya's spear mackerel
電話：03-3888-0682
Business hours: 9:00-18:00 (Ends when sold out)
Closed: Wednesdays and irregular Tuesdays
Seating: Benches available
Address: 5-5-10 Senju, Adachi-ku
Reservations: Accepted (please make reservations by the day before if there are many people in the group)
Take-out: Yes
Barrier-free: Yes
Wi-Fi: None
Access: 10-min. walk from JR Joban Line and others Kita-Senju Station West Exit 

(This information is current as of September 24, 2025)

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