When it comes to souvenirs from my parents' neighborhood in Narimasu, this traditional Japanese confectionery shop is the best. They currently sell two types of treats: ningyo-yaki (doll-shaped cakes) and two varieties of castella sponge cake. One ningyo-yaki costs 90 yen, and five pieces of vegetable castella cost 65 yen. Both are delicious, and I am always satisfied with my small purchases. Personally, I love the castella sponge cake. I recommend getting the 50-piece set of castella cakes!

The third installment of "Ichipin of Itabashi" is the ningyo-yaki (doll-shaped cake) from Kojou Shouten (Zaitaku Senbei and Shigemori's Ningyo-yaki) located in the Akatsuka/Narimasu area along the Tobu Tojo Line. Kojou Shouten is a branch of Shigemori Eishindo located in front of Suitengu Shrine. The ningyo-yaki from Shigemori Eishindo gained popularity after being featured in the TBS drama "Shinzanmono". The reviewer discovered another shop selling Shigemori's ningyo-yaki in Narimasu, which she had passed by many times on her bicycle in the past without realizing. The shopkeeper, an elderly gentleman, has been making ningyo-yaki in this area for over 40 years. The reviewer found the sweetness of the ningyo-yaki to be gentle and reminiscent of the kind old man who makes them. The reviewer recommends visiting the shop to meet the kind old man and try the ningyo-yaki with a variety of face shapes.

I went for a walk to this popular shop. The shop had a retro appearance and I was served by a kind old lady. I ordered 4 dorayaki and she packed them nicely for me. The dorayaki (80 yen each) were delicious, but personally, I preferred the castella cake that I bought along with them. Next time I go, I'll go to the shop for the castella. The shop is located in a residential area, and I envy the people who have such shops in their neighborhood.

On February 13, 2011, on the way back from Tokyo Daibutsu, I stopped by Zaitaku Senbei and Tokyo specialty Shigemori Ningyo-yaki (from Kojou Shoten). Instead of going to a cafe, I decided to buy some snacks. I got 8 pieces of Ningyo-yaki for 80 yen and I think 10 pieces for 55 yen. The Tokyo specialty Shigemori Ningyo-yaki has a funny face and delicious sweet bean paste inside. The castella cakes were cheap and they come in various shapes, which was fun. The old-fashioned atmosphere of the store was nice too. The main store is in Ningyocho and this store in Narimasu seems to be a branch. I would like to try comparing the taste of the different stores. I really enjoy this kind of heartwarming traditional Japanese sweets.

I found out about this shop from Chun's review and decided to visit it right away! While walking with my husband and our dog, we stumbled upon what seemed to be the shop in a residential area. Hmm, it had a nice atmosphere. My husband and I reminisced about how there used to be many shops like this in the past (laughs). We entered through the curtain and searched for ningyoyaki (doll-shaped cakes), but for a moment we couldn't find them... there they are! They looked delicious! The castella cakes also looked tasty! The kind landlady was also nice - I love these warm shops. I bought some ningyoyaki and headed home. I prepared some green tea and it was time for tasting! As Chun mentioned in their review, the ningyoyaki here might be tastier than the ones in Ningyocho? While munching on them, I thought they were really delicious! They disappeared in no time. The castella part was not too thick, very soft, and the red bean paste was delicious! It was really tasty. To find such delicious ningyoyaki in a place like that... it was truly surprising. (Although, there was a mention of them appearing on Adomachi on the wall before). Thank you Chun for letting me know about this place!

A shop located about a 6-minute walk from Narimasu Station. It is a branch of the Ningyo-yaki store "Shigemori" in Nihonbashi Suiten-gu. I often pass by this shop on my walks and had been thinking of trying it out. Recently, when I was in Suiten-gu for work, I saw the same packaging used for Ningyo-yaki at the main store and decided to buy some from the Narimasu branch. The result was beyond my expectations, it was delicious. The Ningyo-yaki had interesting shapes, possibly representing the Seven Lucky Gods, with plenty of sweet bean paste inside a thin dough. The bean paste was very moist and had a strong sweetness, but not overly sweet. It paired really well with green tea. I bought a set of 10 for 800 yen and my wife and I ended up finishing them all in no time. I actually found this branch's Ningyo-yaki tastier than the ones from the main store. The owner trained at the main store for 10 years and has been making Ningyo-yaki for almost 40 years. I wish I had tried them sooner. Next time, I'll challenge myself to try the Zeitaku Senbei.

I found that shop in such a place!!! I received a gift set of ningyoyaki and Zeitaku senbei that I usually have at work. Taking advantage of the gift, I was happily eating them. I love Ningyocho and often wander around there, so I knew that there is a long-established ningyoyaki shop in Nihonbashi Ningyocho from the Edo period, but I never imagined it would be so close to my home. I looked it up and found out that they have quite a few branch shops. I immediately bought some sweetfish-shaped ningyoyaki and the classic Zeitaku senbei. I enjoyed them with a cup of dark roasted coffee at home. They were delicious as always. They go well with coffee. Thank you for the delicious treats.

Located about 10 minutes from Narimasu Station on the Tobu Tojo Line, along Narimasu-dori, is a branch of Shigemori Eishindo, a renowned confectionery shop with its main store in Nihonbashi Ningyocho. I received a gift of their ningyo-yaki, which is a type of sweet filled cake with red bean paste inside. Personally, I find the outer cake part to be delicious enough on its own and would love to have more of it. I heard they also sell just the castella cake itself, so if I have the chance to visit again, I definitely want to try that.