I’m not a foodie; at least, not in the strictest sense of the “foodie” that the blogosphere and this-age-of-social-media has defined. I am not picky with food, but I am not overly adventurous (still haven’t tried those pupa thingies sold in the streets in Seoul and Jeju). But I do know how to appreciate, and I am not difficult to persuade new things or, in this sense, new types of food. And if you go to a new place, and they have a specialty, then…. when in Rome, as the saying goes… right?
In this case, when in Kawagoe, eat as the Kawagoe locals would. Or at least have a taste of it.
Unagi at Kawagoe Ichinoya
I have seen this declaration more than a couple of times in a few publications: “When in Kawagoe, eat unagi.”
Clearly, this castle town reminiscent of old Edo is known for the “Kawagoe eel” or unagi.
If you look up places to eat unagi in Kawagoe, you’ll be given quite a list, ranging from small eateries to pricier fine dining places with traditional interiors that scream “gourmet” (and not-so-loudly whispers “pricey” at the same time). But great food comes at a price, and there are some prices that are worth paying for if you get more than what you expect, right?
Out of all the restaurants, our “guide for the day” Jane brought us to Kawagoe Ichinoya which is a short walk away from the Kita-in Temple. (You can read about our visit to the Kita-in Temple complex here.)
From the outside, the place looked modest in size, but the parking lot was already packed (it was around lunchtime when we got there) and there was already a queue inside the waiting area. So we went in, listed our group on the log by the entrance, then waited to be called and seated.
Kawagoe Ichinoya is one of the more famous restaurants in Kawagoe that serves freshwater eel or unagi, and it shows. It’s one of the most established restaurants in the area, having opened its doors way back in the Edo period, in the year 1832.
The queue was already quite long, and the customers range from couples to large groups, from young children to the elderly.
And various nationalities, too. The fact that the staff did not even bat an eyelash at seeing non-Japanese names on the log, or when spoken to in languages other than Japanese, is proof that they are used to getting foreign diners.
We didn’t have long to wait. I think we waited for a little less than half an hour, and we didn’t really mind the wait (because there are some things that are worth waiting for, wouldn’t you say? And we’re talking F-O-O-D here).
Plus you won’t get bored while waiting because their foyer and waiting area is filled with knick knacks and even some snacks and souvenirs for sale.
They called our group, and led us to an inner dining room that was wide, with several tables for group seating. We passed by several private alcoves with tatami seating, which I secretly hoped we’d be led to, haha! Despite being in a dining room with other tables of diners, however, it was surprisingly comfortable, and non-intrusive.
Before letting us step on to the dining area, however, they made us leave our shoes on a shelf made purposely for it.
Oh, and did I mention how the low tables were made from something that looks and feels like marble? Lately, I’ve developed an appreciation for marble table and countertops. Don’t ask me why.
Kawagoe Ichinoya is known to serve their unagi in a box, called unajo. But there are several options for it, and there are sets, too. Depending on the set (or part of unagi or how it is cooked), the price ranges from JPY3,000 to JPY7,000. I think I saw one set at JPY9,000.
It is… pretty pricey, especially when later converted to my local currency, haha!
But dang. WORTH IT. EVERY SINGLE YEN OF IT.
We got some of their unagi meal sets. What I got was the Hitsumabushi set, which cost JPY 3,294.
When they laid out the tray in front of me, I felt overwhelmed at first.
The Hitsumabushi set includes the hitsumabushi, or the bowl of rice topped with unagi chopped in kabayaki style. Kabayaki chopping meant that the eel was gutted and boned, and cut into square fillets, making it easier to eat. This is especially appreciated by those who cannot be bothered dealing with wayward fishbones. Like me.
It also comes with another sizable bowl kimo soup, which is basically clear soup flavored with boiled eel livers. Of course there’s the Japanese pickles, or shinko, and the watermelon as dessert (and to cleanse your palate later, because the unagi aftertaste and smell is quite strong.
So how did I like it?
I loved it. Eel is not really a usual cuisine where I’m from. And I doubt they’d serve it in this manner if it were. I’m just glad that my first taste of unagi was from a place that serves the real thing.
Of course, it means that it’ll be difficult to find somewhere that can top it.
You can check out more about Kawagoe Ichinoya here.
Dango and Sweet Potato
Walking on the main street of Kurazukuri (I wrote about that here as well), you wouldn’t miss the stalls selling these round things in skewers, giving off all sorts of flavorful aroma as they are being grilled.
They are dango, or dumplings made from mochiko, or Japanese rice flour, then grilled. Apparently, they are not to be mistaken with mochi, which is made from rice. Dango are made from rice flour.
Of course, as expected, dango comes in various flavors, so even sweet-toothed people can also enjoy them. We got the “standard” one, though, simply topped with soy sauce.
Without the topping of soy sauce (I’m not sure what the others are), the grilled mochiko on skewers don’t really taste like anything in particular. But if you like that sticky texture characteristic of mochi, then this would be familiar.
Let’s talk about sweet potatoes, or as the Japanese would generally call imo or satsuma imo (or suwito poteeto). It appears that Kawagoe sells a lot of food made from sweet potatoes. So we just had to try some, because man, this place sure loves sweet potatoes.
And since it was hot, and I was up for some cold, refreshing food, I went for this sweet potato fruit mix. Kinda like halo-halo back home, without the shredded/shaved ice.
Usually, I eat sweet potato in its basic form, steamed or sliced and deep-fried. That’s it. It was only until recently that I started enjoying sweet potato in my cakes, thanks to this small cafe in town that makes it.
I gotta say I loved how sweet potato was incorporated into this fruit mix. It was sooooo darn heavy, though. And it was just less than an hour since our unagi lunch, haha. Oops, my bad.
My friend ordered the sherbet, though. I think this was the strawberry flavor. The ice cream that topped it definitely was much welcome, haha!
Kawagoe Starbucks
If we weren’t already full by this time, we probably would have ordered something and spent some time inside Kawagoe Starbucks.XDD
But even so, that did not stop us from going inside to check it out.
There is a general concept of how a Starbucks would look like, its exterior and interior. What makes Kawagoe Starbucks special is how it’s built to match the architecture and general vibe of the old castle town of Kawagoe. So it’s like getting a feel of traditional Japan, merged with Starbucks “culture”.
This Starbucks store was relatively new, having opened for business only March of 2018. It is not difficult to find, because it’s on Kanetsuki Street, the same street as the Toki no Kane or the Bell Tower.
As you can see from the exterior and facade pictured above, it does not look out of place in the general look of the town. Apparently it was made of cypress wood. In traditional Japanese restaurants, signs are printed on pieces of cloth, and the store followed suit, with its mermaid logo on the white curtain in front of the store.
And inside….? Apparently, it also evokes old Edo, with its Edo-style motif.
Personally, I love the high ceilings and the brown palette of the interior. Woodsy somehow evokes “cozy” and “homey”, perfect for some coffee time. (And yes, I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but don’t take that against me, k?)
Aside from the tables and wood “stools”, there are also long benches for seats. Again, these bench seats are unique to Edo since they use the Kawagoe “tozan”, a textile unique to this town since the Edo period.
Unfortunately, all the benches were occupied so we weren’t able to test it out.
And yes, there’s an indoor garden on the side.
But you know what makes it better?
The outdoor garden, with what some sites call “terrace seats”, for those who want to enjoy their cuppa while looking at something stress-relieving.
It’s not an elaborate “garden”, as one would expect. Rather, it is what you’d think a Japanese garden would look like. Very minimalistic, very clean, very… zen, for lack of a better word.
It’s fenced in, though, so you can’t walk around in it. You just have to view it from a distance.
And more snacks and treats!!!
There are a lot of street foods along the streets, literally. If you want to see more sweets, treats and the like, then the place to go would be the Penny Candy Lane, or the KashiyaYokocho. There, you can pretty much get all the sweets you want, and even bring home some with you.
For us, we settled for the sweet potato fries, which comes in various flavors, like black sesame, salt, sweet and salty, etc… I think the one I got was black sesame.
Sweet potato chips and crisps, sweet potato muffins, cakes, mini-cakes, cookies, castella… you name it, they got it. Want some candies of various shapes, sizes, and colors? You’ll find them here. And if you want some refreshments, there are stores that sell sundaes, sherbets and various tempting beverages.
If this were our last stop before going home, I think I would’ve spent a lot of money on treats to bring home. But since it wasn’t, and we still had a couple of weeks left moving here and there, we just had to settle for enjoying the treats with our eyes. In a way, I think it was a “salvacion” for our money, haha!
Leave a Reply