Asakusa (department store)doll-shaped pancake filled with bean jamsouvenir from Asakusa
Kimuraya Honten is a ningyoyaki store located right in front of Sensoji Temple. Founded in Keio 4, it is a long-established shop with distinctive doll-shaped dolls: a dove, a lantern, a five-story pagoda, and a thunder god. What kind of history has the store, which continues to be loved in Asakusa, had and will continue to have in the future?With Kenichi Saito, cultural entrepreneur,We interviewed Mr. Jun Kimura of Kimuraya Honten.
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Mr. Saito: Okay then,Can you tell us about the history of your innovation to date?
Mr. Kimura:Craftsmen are stubborn people, and the first thing they do is not change anything. In the old days, we used to mix the seeds with a big shovel, which was a lot of hard work, so I once went to the Kappabashi tool town to persuade them to install a mixer.
Mr. Saito:What was your initial reaction?
People would say, “How can you get just the right amount of stickiness by leaving it to a machine like that? (Laughs.) That was the first step. (Laughs.) I think that made things much easier. Also, we had been offering the same number of packages for a long time, but we started to make small packages of four so that customers on school trips could buy them even with their limited pocket money. By elaborating on the design of the box, I think we are attracting a different type of customer. It is one of the ways we are exploring ways to sell our products.
Saito-san: Developing products for young people is also a kind of innovation. In what ways are you discussing various new initiatives?
We often refer to products we have seen on our travels and have conversations such as, “Can we work on this at our company, too? I have the authority to make decisions, but I listen to the opinions of craftsmen, sales staff, and family members as I proceed.
Unique combination of common ingredients to create a unique taste
Have the materials changed over the years?
Since we have to serve the same thing all the time, we use common ingredients such as eggs, flour, and sugar. Although these ingredients are always available at wholesalers, we do our best to create originality through the use of unique ingredients.
Saito-san: It is true that even if you only have the right ingredients, you can’t make it taste good.
Even if a good product is made using difficult materials, it is meaningless if it does not last. The idea has always been to make things from ordinary materials that are readily available.
Did your predecessors give you any advice?
In fact, anko has changed little by little. In the early Showa period, many people were doing manual labor, so they preferred something firm and sweet, but now the sugar content has been gradually reduced to suit modern tastes. The dough has not changed.
When I was a child, my grandmother bought me doll yaki as a souvenir from Asakusa, and even as a child I remember that it was quite sweet. Can you please introduce us to some of your other products besides ningyo-yaki?
We offer not only Ningyo-yaki but also several kinds of kawara sembei (tile crackers). Since they are baked in front of Sensoji Temple, they are shaped in the shape of a swastika. We also have several kinds of branding brands and deliver them as offerings to temples in Asakusa.
Does the wrapping paper for the doll yaki change a little?
Mr. Kimura: I think the wrapping paper and the shape of the box have always remained the same.
Saito-san: Is there anything you will be conscious of in the future as you create these products?
Mr. Kimura: I have been thinking about trying to offer a different type of ningyo-yaki in a town similar to Asakusa, but I haven’t been able to put it into action yet.
Forest:How about the impact of inbound?
In our case, 70-80% are Japanese and about 10-20% are from China and other Asian countries. Asian people are very accepting of ningyo-yaki, but for Westerners and Europeans, it seems to be a bit unusual. Nowadays, they can find information about us on the Internet, so they seem to understand us somewhat.
I am hoping that inbound traffic will return and things will pick up again in the future.
We are taking on various challenges, including packaging, and since this is the closest store to Sensoji Temple, we hope you will stop by Kimura Honten when you are sightseeing in Asakusa.
I also stand in the store from time to time, so if you see me, please point at me and laugh.
Using ingredients that can be found anywhere, but creating original flavors through unique formulas.Kimuraya Honten. This is what has led to the restaurant’s brand image.
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