ENGLISH website of Honjo-kaeruhonpo
Welcome to "Honjo-kaeruhonpo". An old-time "Mom & pop" candy shop in downtown Tokyo...
A DAGASHI-YA is a store that specializes in traditional Japanese candy "DAGASHI" that has been valued throughout history for the affordability and pure joy that comes from popping back mouthfuls of colorful sweets. Teeming with bustling adolescence, the shelves of novel toys, cards and trinkets round out a selection children fall giddy for...
The store is east behind the legendary Ryogoku kokugikan sumo arena. (A half-minute walk from the A2 exit of the Ryogoku station of the Oedo line) Enjoy fare of various tastes from the menu or get prepared for Monja-yaki (Okonomi-yaki). A traditional eating experience that shouldn’t be missed! We have coffee, unique sodas, cocktails, and the best tasting draft beer in the area!! Take advantage of the Set meal "TEISHOKU" offered on weekdays. And don’t forget to end your meal with a few sweet treats from our quaint selection of DAGASHI.
We always have many candies of the Japanese "ANIME (cartoon) character"!! Check the image below.
Monja-yaki
What in the world is "Monja-yaki"??? In a few words, Monja-yki is the cousin of Okonomi-yaki, the savory pancake that is eaten in infinite variations all over Japan. Monja-yaki, like Okonomi-yaki, is a cook-it-yourself dish that is prepared on a tabletop griddle. Variations abound but usually Monja-yaki is made by forming a ring of sliced vegetables and whatever ingredients you've ordered on a smoking hot griddle and then pouring a thin batter into the well before seasoning and mixing together the whole delicious mess!! This thin batter is what separetes Monja-yaki from the ubiquitous Okonomi-yaki. When Monja got it's start during World War II, frugal cooks would thin out their Okonomi-yaki batter and draw Japanese characters, or "Moji" on the grill. This thrifty wartime "Moji-yaki" became the Monja-yaki we know and love today. The history of Monja-yaki is steeped in controversy, however, with Asakusa in Tokyo and historian Gunma prefecture both claiming fatherhood to this humble beloved pancake! Any food histrian Tokyo-ite will point to Asakusa in Taito-ku as Monja's brthplace but the opinion in Gunma is that Monja was invented there by an ingenious Meiji Era noodle maker making use of his leftover dough at the end of his workday. This debate did not affect the children growing up in post-war Japan, however, who would flock to their local Monja-yaki and Dagashi shop after school. There for a few Yen they could sustain themselves with a hot, delicious snack of Monja-yaki, often topped with a piece of dried squid that was sold as "Dagashi", the traditional snacks and sweets that evoke nostalgian all Japanese. In recent days as Japan becomes more and more modernized and international, the sight of the old-fashioned Monja-Dagashi shop is sadly becoming rare. No longer a meal just for children, Monja has become a treat for adults winding down from the stresses of the day, armed with a few drinks and a tiny steel spatula. The good news is you can still take part of this bit of Japan's culinary history in neighborhoods that embrace this traditional culture.
Lunch Combo
These are the usual lunch combo "TEISHOKU" that the present age Japanese eat every day.
Location: 1-8-6 Kamezawa, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0014 Japan
Phone: 03-5608-3788
Open: Mon. 5:00PM-12:00AM Tue.-Sat. 12:00PM-3:00PM 5:00PM-12:00AM Sun. 12:00PM-11:00PM
(Sometimes closed on Mon. Just call us!!)
Access: From Toei subway Oedo line Ryogoku station A2 EXIT 20 seconds on foot.
From JR east railway Sobu line Ryogoku station 7 minutes on foot.
From metoropolitan expressway #6 Komagata exit 7 minutes drive.
