It was a Sunday, so when I bought the packaged manju, it was still warm. However, because they wrapped the warm manju in a plastic bag, it ended up a bit soggy, which was disappointing. It would be better if they put it in a paper bag when it's warm. I bought the red bean paste filling. It was smooth red bean paste. Personally, I liked the dough, so next time I will buy it without the red bean paste. There is a main store nearby, but they also sell manju without red bean paste as ningyo-yaki. I wonder if it's the same shop? The wrapping paper is different... It's a mystery.

I wrote about a manju without filling, castella cake. I get tired of anko filling, so I enjoyed the fluffy castella cake without it. I bought a small size, but the expiration date was long, so I should have bought a larger size. I finished it in no time.

A long-established ningyo-yaki (sweet red bean cake) shop in Asakusa. They have expanded their menu with various options since the pandemic, but the red bean paste is delicious and generously filled, and the dough is also tasty. I have been buying it every time I visit Asakusa for about 20 years. They also offer chilled versions for hot days.

Before 6 o'clock on weekdays, there were no lines and I was able to purchase smoothly. The freshly made ones are especially delicious, but even when they cool down, they are still very tasty. My family often gets takeout or eats on the spot. It has a sweet flavor and among all the ningyoyaki (doll-shaped cakes), this is my favorite, so I visit often.

I visited this shop in Nakamise Shopping Street with a friend from Kansai. It was crowded even in the evening on a holiday. I tried the Castella without red bean paste for 600 yen. It was sweeter than I expected, suitable even for babies. There were various shapes to choose from, which made eating it fun. There are many other shops to try, so it would be nice to compare different ones. I would like to visit again if I have the chance.

When it comes to ningyoyaki in Asakusa! I went on a holiday and there was quite a long line. The outside is crispy and the inside is fluffy with a nice level of sweetness, making it delicious. They come in a bag, so they are not warm, but you can also enjoy them warm! There are various shapes typical of Asakusa, making it fun to eat.

In front of Suitengu Shrine, I like the heavy and dense ningyo-yaki from Shigemori Eisindo, but I also enjoy the lighter ningyo-yaki from Asakusa Kimuraya Honpo. Sundays at Nakamise are very crowded. It seems that the impact of the coronavirus has been greatly reduced. For now, I will purchase some ningyo-yaki from Kimuraya Honpo for home. They have fun shapes like doves, five-story pagodas, and lanterns, and they are delicious sweets. Ningyo-yaki goes well with Japanese tea, but surprisingly, it also goes well with coffee. It seems to have the blessings of Senso-ji Temple.

When I went to Asakusa, I had decided to get the famous Karashi (spicy) Senbei and Ningyo-yaki from Yagenbori! First, I went to the original Kimuraya shop. I lined up behind a group of school trip students to make my purchase, haha. I think it was a pack of 12. The fluffy soft dough with a gentle sweetness of red bean paste was delicious. The taste was nostalgic. I could recognize the shapes of the doves and the five-story pagoda, but the rest... well, it was still good, haha. It takes away all the moisture in your mouth, but it's so tasty. The thick paper bag with the dove mark design is lovely. Asakusa and old shops often have stylish and wonderful paper bags and wrapping paper. I also like the bags from Funawa.

The dough is also delicious. This is a nostalgic ningyoyaki that I have been eating since I was a child. I remember walking along the approach eating freshly baked ningyoyaki in a bag. It is still delicious as ever. The dough is moist and the sweet bean paste blends well with it. This is my favorite ningyoyaki. Whenever I go to Asakusa, I always buy it. I hope the taste remains unchanged.

This is Asakusa Nakamise. I decided to buy some souvenirs before heading home. I know it's cliche, but I stopped by a ningyo-yaki (doll-shaped cake) shop. They had ningyo-yaki and castella-yaki, with the ningyo-yaki having sweet red bean paste inside, and the castella-yaki having no filling. I was impressed by how they could fit red bean paste inside such a small cake. Despite that, I bought the castella-yaki. When I tried to buy the boxed version, they recommended the bagged version as it had more pieces. I bought the bagged version and headed home right away. The sweetness of the castella was exquisite. It had a gentle sweetness from not only sugar but also honey. It paired really well with coffee.

After a long time, I visited Sensoji Temple in Asakusa in the morning. At 9 am, I compared the ningyoyaki (sweet cakes) from "Ganso Kimuraya Ningyoyaki Honpo" and "Sanhato" which were open for business early in the morning on Nakamise Street. The ningyoyaki from Ganso Kimuraya Ningyoyaki Honpo seemed to be from yesterday with a shelf life of 6 days, while the ones from Sanhato were freshly baked with a shelf life of 2 days. Ganso Kimuraya Ningyoyaki Honpo was packed in a plastic bag. The skin was hard and the sweetness was strong. The mold was realistic. Sanhato was soft and fluffy, with a more subtle sweetness, and each cake was carefully wrapped individually. The shapes were cuter and more stylized compared to Kimuraya. However, personal preference wise, I definitely prefer Sanhato. It's fun to compare and try them out, so I recommend you give it a try too!

I wonder how many dorayaki shops there are in Nakamise Shopping Street. I know of three: Kimuraya Honten, Kimuraya Ningyoyaki Honpo, and Kameya located in the middle of the street. Unable to get into the shop I wanted to visit, I decided to buy dorayaki as a snack while walking. I usually only buy from Kameya, but when I passed it by accident on my way from Koen-dori Street to Nakamise, I had to choose either of the Kimuraya shops. This time, I decided to buy from Kimuraya Ningyoyaki Honpo. I got 8 pieces for 600 yen, and they handed me a paper bag with a dove mark on it. The dorayaki was still warm, but it was wrapped in plastic, which made me worry that the skin might get soggy from the steam. I opened the plastic and tried one immediately. It was slightly warm but not freshly baked. The skin was soft and a bit thick, unlike Kameya's dorayaki. The amount of filling was decent, but less than Kameya's. Comparing it to Kameya, Kimuraya's dorayaki was like a middle ground between store-bought dorayaki and Kameya's. It felt more like a typical dorayaki, with a focus on the fluffy texture of the dough. Those who appreciate the softness of the dough would find this dorayaki delicious. It has a more snack-like quality and would go well with coffee. With such a difference, I'm curious about Kimuraya Honten too. I might buy from both and compare them.

Chi Walk (Yanaka/Asakusa) Project H - A World of Self-Satisfaction (Only Those Who Understand Will Understand) (^_^) Along the Nakamise Street, the shop closest to Senso-ji Temple is here. They also bake ningyo-yaki (doll-shaped cakes) at the storefront. It's the ningyo-yaki that a certain idol ate in a photobook. They have a convenient 4-piece set here, so I went with that. I actually prefer them without the sweet bean paste. The baking mold can make 4 at a time. They gave me a freshly baked one and even recommended using disinfectant alcohol. The hot bean paste inside is delicious when it's fresh (ToT). The skin is definitely better when it's freshly baked. I took 2 home to eat after they cooled down. The skin gets a bit dry, but the balance of flavors is better when they're cool. It's a taste that brings back memories and I crave it occasionally.

I passed by the shop and saw that they were carefully baking their goods, so I decided to buy one. I was pleasantly surprised because the fluffy dough was firm and delicious, and the sweet bean paste was not too sweet. The shape and size were cute, and I will definitely be a repeat customer.

I bought some filled pastries. They are fluffy and delicious when freshly made, and when lightly toasted in a toaster at home, they become crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with warm sweet bean paste! There are two options for enjoying them, and they are both delicious. The small bird-shaped and "Asakusa" lettering on the pastries are very cute! The filling is smooth red bean paste.

Thin skin with plenty of sweet bean paste. Despite being thin, the color of the bean paste does not show through, allowing you to fully taste the flavor of the skin, which is the greatness of a traditional long-established store. When you take a bite, the packed bean paste makes you smile. I like smooth bean paste, but this bean paste has a good balance of sweetness without being too sweet. I heard that if you go in the morning, you can get them freshly baked, so I would like to try that next time. Evaluation points: * Quality of ingredients 9 points * High cooking skills and flavor completion 9 points * Originality 9 points * Cost performance 6 points * Consistency in consistently good cooking overall 9 points Total 42 points Other evaluation points: * Comfort of the restaurant - points * Drinks - points * Each evaluated on a scale of 10 points. A restaurant with a rating of 4 or higher on Tabelog or a score of 40 or higher on the Michelin standard is recommended. This is a pseudo-Michelin standard judgment. The judgment is based on the emphasis on the sensibility of deliciousness rather than cost performance.

When I returned home from Asakusa completely drunk, I brought back these souvenirs. They ended up being a light lunch the next day. The shell was fluffy, and the red bean paste inside was old-fashioned and cheap. It's a taste that sticks to tradition, for better or for worse. But for 1000 yen, it's definitely tourist spot pricing.

This place is right in front of Sensoji Temple. I tried ningyoyaki for the first time, and it was delicious! The taste was subtly warm, and the red bean paste inside was... I've had ningyoyaki before, but this one was really good. It had a traditional taste with a mild sweetness. It has been around for many years, and the taste was great. Oh, where are the pigeons? I wonder if they have a 4-piece set with red bean filling... Thank you for the meal.

On the first day of my Tokyo trip, we visited DisneySea with a companion who was familiar with Disney, making the day efficient, meaningful, and truly enjoyable. Now, on the second day, it's time for a "Tokyo downtown drinking" experience, with me as the guide. We left the Grand Nikko Tokyo Bay, stored our suitcases in lockers at Tokyo Station, and headed to Asakusa. My Suica card, charged in Sapporo, was very useful for train travel (as instructed by my companion). We arrived at Asakusa Station at 9:45 and visited Senso-ji Temple, took a commemorative photo with a rickshaw driver at Kaminarimon Gate, and explored Nakamise Shopping Street. We started our gourmet day with sweets. We tried the An-filled Ningyo-yaki (4 pieces in a Kannon design box) for 500 yen. The Ningyo-yaki, baked in a traditional Asakusa design mold, was delicious. We had fun taking photos while eating, bought incense to burn, and made offerings at the temple. It's been a great start to our second day of the trip. Let's continue to enjoy according to the plan.

- Time: Around 1:00 PM on Sundays - Order: 4 pieces of Dorayaki (filled with red bean paste) for 500 yen - Access: 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station - Note: The long-established Dorayaki shop on Nakamise Street only sells them in packs of 10, so I ordered 4 pieces with red bean paste, which was within my expectations.