Naniwaya Sōhonten

Author: Richard Perkins
Photos/Videos Taken: 2021/04/01
Address: 1-8-14 Azabujuban, Minato-ku,
Tokyo,【106-0045】

In Japan, they have what is referred to as 和菓子 (wagashi). Wagashi are Japanese-style confections. One of those confections is what's known as 鯛焼き (taiyaki). Taiyaki is a confection in the shape of a 鯛 (tai), or sea bream, a celebratory fish in Japan said to bring about good luck. The pastry of this confection is like that of a waffle as it’s made from flour. The inside is filled with 餡子 (anko), which is a sweet bean paste made from 小豆 (azuki) beans. Along with anko, you will also find many shops selling taiyaki with custard inside, but taiyaki are usually (and more commonly) prepared using anko.

Taiyaki was first said to be made at the 浪花家総本店 (naniwaya-sōhonten). This store was founded by Seijiro Kanbei in 1909. He decided to go with a sea bream shape because it’s a celebratory fish that brings good luck. It’s also a high-quality fish many people don’t eat very often.

Naniwaya Sōhonten is a shop that specializes in taiyaki in Azabu-juban in the Minato ward of Tokyo but also serves 焼きそば (yakisoba), a Japanese-style chow mien, and カキ氷 (kakigōri), or shaved ice. The taiyaki sold here is said to be one of the three best taiyaki in Tokyo. The other two are 柳屋 (yanagiya) in the Chūō ward of Tokyo, and たいやきわかば (taiyaki-wakaba) in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo.

Unfortunately, no photos or videos are allowed inside the shop itself.