Enjoy the culture and traditional crafts of Senjujuku, Adachi, Tokyo! One-day walking tour along the Edo Kaido Street

Tokyo
PR

2025/02/04

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The Senju area of Adachi-ku, where Kita Senju Station, a terminal station in northeastern Tokyo, is located. As the first post town from Nihonbashi, the starting point of the Edo Kaido highway, Senju-juku has been a bustling town with many travelers and merchants coming and going since the Edo period (1603-1868). Senju-juku, which was established in 1625, will celebrate its 400th anniversary in 2025. Under the theme of "Edo Sightseeing," a walking tour was held twice at Senjujuku on November 30 and December 7, 2024, to experience the history and culture of the Edo period. The editorial department of *and trip. which was involved in the planning of the tours, presents scenes from the tours and comments from the participants!

Held as part of the "Edo Kaido Project

Did you know that the five highways starting from Nihonbashi and their branch roads, called "Wakioukan," are called "Edo Kaido"? Along the Edo Kaido, which covers the greater Kanto area (Tokyo and 10 prefectures), there is a wealth of attractive content, including historical tourist resources and culture, even today. The Kanto District Transport Bureau within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has taken the initiative in unifying and branding the attractions of the greater Kanto area under the theme of "Edo Kaido," and this tour was planned as part of the "Edo Kaido Project.

Senju-juku, the stage of this tour, is located at a strategic point for transportation between Edo and the northern Kanto region, through which roads such as the Nikko Kaido and Oshu Kaido pass.

The guides will be Mr. Yasuda, the leader of "Yasuda-Da Circus" and Mr. Matsumoto, a former bureaucratic comedian.

The tour was guided by Mr. Yasuda, leader of the popular "Yasuda-Dai Circus" troupe and Mr. Matsumoto, a former bureaucratic geisha, both of whom belong to Shochiku Entertainment. Participants strolled around the city with the two comedians wearing earphone guides and listening to their amusing banter.

Senju is the starting point of the "Oku-no-Hosomichi" road.

After meeting at Senju Ohashi at 9:00 a.m., we first headed for "Senju-juku Okunohosomichi Petit Terrace. Senju is actually the starting point of Matsuo Basho's journey along the "Oku no Hosomichi" (the Narrow Road to the Deep North), and the "Yatate Hatsume no Chi" (the place of the beginning of Yatate). It is said that he composed the first haiku of his journey here in Senju. At the Senju-juku Oku no Hosomichi Petit Terrace, a plump Basho stands holding a brush. It is said that touching Basho's feet will make you healthy...?

Mr. Yasuda, the leader of the circus, and Mr. Matsumoto, a former bureaucratic comedian, surrounded by the statue of Matsuo Basho

There is a pedestrian bridge called "Senjukobashi" under Senju Ohashi Bridge. The entrance is located in a place you would not notice unless you are introduced to it on the tour. Here, too, there is an exhibition on Basho, and one can imagine what the town was like at that time and think back to the scene where Basho composed his haiku.

Visits to facilities where you can feel the historic business [Kida Family, Akutsu Foods, AJO BASE, Yoshida Emaya].

Tour of the factory of "Kida Family," a locally loved Japanese confectionary shop

The November 30 tour, which our editorial staff participated in, included a factory tour of "Kida-ke," a well-loved Adachi sweets shop. Normally, the factory is not open to the public, but for this tour, a special tour program was offered. Wearing special work clothes, the tour participants observed the production of wagashi under the guidance of a wagashi craftsman. The sweet aroma filled the air and made all the participants happy. The artisans were very kind and answered questions.

Enjoy sweets at "Akutsu Shokuhin," an egg wholesaler

Akutsu Shokuhin is an egg wholesaler located about a 10-minute walk from Senju Ohashi Station. The company was founded in 1925 and has been providing fresh and safe eggs for many years. It mainly wholesales eggs to restaurants and hotels, but the general public is also able to purchase its eggs. Akutsu Shokuhin also sells thick-boiled eggs with broth and sweets made from eggs in its stores, specializing in takeout. Especially popular is the smooth, rich pudding! Everyone was purchasing sweets and egg rolls.

The first of its kind in Japan! Garlic specialty store "AJO BASE

There are many more interesting spots in Senju. We walked north toward Kita Senju Station. One residential street off the old Nikko Kaido Road is our next destination, AJO BASE, the first garlic specialty store in Japan. Time to take a break and learn more about garlic. ahoya garlic-do, founded in 1975 in Sugamo, operates the lab and cafe AJO BASE, which will open in Kitasenju in 2022. Unusual products such as odorless black garlic coffee and "Ahopan," a garlic bread made with whole garlic cloves, are just a few examples!
This time, we had the opportunity to sample the "garlic soup. They also provided us with "garlic pickles" marinated in extracts of bonito flakes and ume plum paste, and when we tasted them with trepidation, we found that they were delicious and had no garlic smell! The participants were surprised by the taste and the store was crowded with people buying souvenirs.

Yoshida Emaya, a shop that has kept up the tradition since the Edo period (1603-1868)

The last stop before lunch was Yoshida Emaya, a 10-minute walk from the AJO BASE into the Kita Senju Shukubacho Dori shopping street. We arrived at an old house with an "Emaya" sign. This is Yoshida Emaya, which has been making ema (votive picture horses) since the Edo period.
The current owner, Ms. Choko Yoshida, is the 8th generation, and in 1982, she became a registered intangible folk cultural property holder in Adachi Ward, and in 1985, the Yoshida family's ema materials became a registered tangible cultural property.

The store is usually closed and devoted to production, but for this tour, the store was opened specially for us! Mr. Yoshida, who makes his living making ema, told us about his work. Ema were also sold to those who wished to purchase them, and some participants expressed their admiration for the continuation of this unchanged business even in modern times.

Experience making Japanese sweets at "Roji Terakoya Rojikoya

The final part of the town walk took us to the east side of Kitasenju Station. We arrived at a modern Japanese-style facility that was converted from a 90-year-old private house. It is a teahouse where you can learn about Japanese culture, called "Roji Terakoya Rojikoya. In this warm and relaxing space, we will take a leisurely lunch break with a boxed lunch arranged for the tour.
The bento's side dishes are mainly made from Adachi Ward's local Edo vegetables "Adachi-na" and fermented foods, a unique Japanese "power food". The lunch was colorful, hearty, and very satisfying!

Afterwards, we welcomed a Japanese confectionery craftsman from "Kida Family," which we had visited in the morning, as a teacher and had a hands-on experience of making Japanese confectionery.

This time, the participants experienced making Japanese sweets decorated with maple leaves. The teacher gave a lecture at the beginning, and everyone was very interested in his/her handiwork. The smooth movement of the "spatula" was very beautiful. In no time at all, they had created a lovely maple leaf-shaped cake in soft colors.

Then it was time to put them into practice! It was quite difficult to make it! Even though it looked easy in the lecture, it did not turn out so well when I tried it with my own hands. Even so, everyone seemed to enjoy taking the teacher's advice and creating their own unique creations.

Making Kamigashi (Japanese confectionery)

Comments from participants

I had never walked around the Senju Ohashi area, so it was very interesting to discover something new.

I had never walked around the (Senju) Ohashi Bridge area before, so it was very interesting to discover something new!

The weather was fine and we enjoyed the tour. Thank you very much.

Conclusion

How was it? Many people think of izakaya (Japanese style pubs) when they think of Kita Senju. The year 2025 marks the 400th anniversary of the opening of the Senju Shukubamachi, a historic area that continues to thrive even today. Why not visit the world of Senju, which is full of attractions? You may discover something new while feeling the history♪

*The contents and services in this article are subject to change.

*All images are for reference only.

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