The other day, a friend gave me some kuzumochi from here and it was incredibly delicious, so I found my way to this shop through the Ushinoro label. They only sell on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so I took a little drive in my car. I had always been buying kuzumochi from a different shop, but after trying this one, I was so impressed by how delicious it was that I decided to start buying from here. The kuzumochi shake uses soy milk, which apparently goes well with kinako and black honey. It was so delicious that I ended up going three weeks in a row. On the day of the fireworks festival, I brought some souvenirs to my friend's house and everyone was delighted. I will definitely go back to buy more.

Located at the "Higashi Komatsugawa Factory Association" on the north side of Funabori Station is the manufacturing site of Edo Hisago Mochi. After seeing it featured on a TV show called "Food Magazine Editor-in-Chief Program" and learning that they have direct sales once a week, I decided to visit on my day off. As I tried to take a shortcut from the station through the shopping center, I realized there were no traffic lights on the west side of Funabori Bridge on Funabori Street, which would require a significant detour to the north side of Shin-Ohashi Street. I appreciated the sign warning about trucks entering the factory area and carefully made my way to the pink factory. I exchanged places with another customer and ordered an "8-cut" for 250 yen from the black syrup artisan who appeared on TV making the mochi. I paid in cash, confirmed whether I needed a cooler bag, and took the mochi home in a free plastic bag instead of the cooler bag I brought. After lightly chilling it before eating, I found that the Edo-style Hisago Mochi, a fermented wheat starch food, had a familiar taste from places like Sugamo and Kameido. I also finished the remaining black syrup and soybean flour. The TV show previewed a Hisago Mochi drink, which caught my interest.

"Yamashin Shokusan" is well-known for their "Edo Hisago Mochi" and their pink factory in Funabori. While their products are usually only sold at a special sales outlet within the factory, this time they are selling "Black Honey Director's Special Black Honey" at Funabori Station. The Black Honey Director, who works at Yamashin Shokusan, received the Technical Achievement Award at the Edogawa Industrial Awards last year. This award is given to one out of 200,000 technical workers in Edogawa City each year, and it was the first time someone from the food manufacturing industry received this award. The Black Honey Director's carefully crafted black honey is being sold at a special price for Edogawa City residents. The black honey, which comes in a bear-shaped bottle, is being sold for ¥500 for 300g. Of course, I also bought the famous Tokyo confection "Edo Hisago Mochi." This mochi is quite different from the "Kuzumochi" in Kansai. It is made by fermenting wheat starch for nearly two years, then soaking it in water for a week and repeating the process to create a unique aroma and slight acidity that is characteristic of Tokyo's Kuzumochi. Some people may not like it, but the black honey is a hit with everyone! It will soon be available for purchase on platforms like Rakuten, so I hope the local food manufacturing industry continues to thrive. I will definitely support them!"

When you often drive down towards Funabori Bridge during the day on weekdays, you may come across a flag with "Edo Kyuju Mochi" written on it! I always wondered what it was until I found out today. Along the way to Ramen restaurant Takumi, I spotted a flag with an arrow pointing towards it. There was also a flag for "Kuzukuzu Shake." After finishing my ramen, I decided to follow the arrow on the flag, which led me to a pink building with a sign saying "Yamashin Shokuhin Co., Ltd." Inside, there were products displayed behind a thick yellow semi-transparent vinyl curtain. It turns out they have factory direct sales every Tuesday. The area inside had a production line in the back and a small office space in the front where they sell Kyuju Mochi and other products. The staff, wearing masks, hats, boots, and gloves, kindly asked me to wait a moment. A person from the office came out and explained everything in detail. They usually sell their products at department stores, supermarkets, and events, and the Funabori factory is only open for direct sales on Tuesdays. They also sell at Funabori Station on Fridays. By the way, what is Kuzukuzu Shake? It's a drink inspired by tapioca drinks but made with Kyuju Mochi. I ordered a medium size with ice cream on top. While waiting, I learned the difference between Kuzukuzu and Kyuju Mochi. Finally, the Kuzukuzu Shake was ready. The staff told me there's a park behind the factory, so I went there to enjoy it. The cherry blossoms were half blooming, and the Kuzukuzu Shake was delicious! It's a soy milk-based shake with finely chopped Kyuju Mochi instead of tapioca, topped with kinako and black syrup flavor, and served with kinako-flavored ice cream and more kinako and black syrup on top. It's a pure Japanese-style shake that's not too sweet and very enjoyable. I asked if they have it permanently somewhere, but it seems they update their event information on the Yamashin Shokuhin website. I might visit on my day off next Tuesday. If you see their flag in Funabori, be sure to stop by. It's perfect for this season.

Factory direct store open only on Tuesdays serving Kuzu powder and black honey crushed Kuzu shake.

I unexpectedly found a hidden gem! I thought it would be some kind of B-class gourmet in the downtown area, so I didn't have high expectations when I stopped by. But the food turned out to be much more delicious than I expected. The place is located on the New Funabori Bridge Street where you can watch boat races while crossing the bridge. As you enter from Koto Ward to Edogawa Ward after crossing the New Funabori Bridge, you will start to see banners advertising kuzumochi and kuzumochi shakes. A bit off the main street, there is a shop that sells these items. It's actually a direct sales outlet for a kuzumochi manufacturing factory. They write it as "Kyujumochi" here instead of "kuzumochi". They also sell regular kuzumochi, but this time I was intrigued by the mysterious kuzumochi shake, so I ordered it. Although there are chairs inside, there doesn't seem to be an eat-in space, so I decided to enjoy it at one of the tables outside. Now, about the taste... The shake is made with soy milk and finely shredded kuzumochi. It also contains kinako (roasted soybean flour) and black syrup, but the sweetness is mild and very easy to drink. The finely shredded kuzumochi gives it a tapioca-like texture, making it enjoyable not only in taste but also in texture. If this was sold in a popular sweets shop in Asakusa or other busy areas, it would definitely become a hit. Right now, it may just be considered a B-class gourmet in the downtown area, but with a little push, it could become something amazing. However, it's probably too late in the year to expect that to happen, so it might have to wait until next summer or later.

When you hear "Kuzumochi," you might imagine something with a jelly-like texture similar to agar, but this is actually called "Kusumochi" and is a different food. It has been eaten in Tokyo and the Kanto region since the Edo period, and is made by fermenting wheat flour. In the Kanto region, this is considered the standard. I bought it at a event during a train transfer, and there were heart-shaped ones available, possibly because Mother's Day was approaching. We had it as dessert after dinner, and Kusumochi is typically eaten with kinako (soybean flour) and kuromitsu (black sugar syrup). The taste is similar to the smell of unbaked bread, with a texture reminiscent of raw wheat gluten. It wasn't incredibly delicious, but it was an interesting experience that allowed me to immerse myself in the Edo atmosphere and think about the worlds of authors like Ryotaro Shiba, Miyuki Miyabe, and Megumi Hatake.