15 Feb 2013

What is Japanese onsen manju cake [Yunohana manju]

Shop of Ikaho
Shop of Ikaho / simanex

The package of Seihoutei


Brown thin layers are steamed filled dumplings of Seihoutei of the feature.


Red beans paste which stopped sweetness is very delicious.
You should also surely become a fan of onsen-manju.


It is well known that Ikaho Hot Spring is the birthplace of Japanese onsen manju cake.
That the color of common Japanese onsen manju cake is brown, the brown of the hot water of Ikaho Onsen is the origin.
Probably, there are also many people who do not know this origin.

・What is Japanese onsen manju cake
Onsen manju is the Japanese sweets which wrapped and steamed ingredients, such as red bean paste of an azuki bean, by the brown cloth which kneaded and made flour etc. 

It is also called an alias "Yunohana manju".

The beginning of Japanese onsen manju cake goes back even to 1910.
When Mr. Katsuzo Handa of the Ikaho Shougetsudo which was training in Fugetsudo of Tokyo comes home, it begins from a local old man to have been requested saying "I want you to make some new noted products."
 Brown hot water carried out the color image, and it made these steamed filled dumplings using brown sugar.  

 Many stores of long-established manju store, such as not only Shougetsudo but the Tanakaya, Seihoutei, etc., are performed in this onsen resort.
It is so delicious that every onsen-manju are difficult to rank.

I would like to report gradually about the feature and taste of each onsen-manju. 

6 Feb 2013

What is Mizusawa udon noodles

水沢うどん mizusawaudon 山一屋
@Yamaichiya

Mizusawa Japanese noodles[udon] are one of the three major Japanese noodles representing Japan.
The place where the Mizusawa Japanese noodles are eaten is near Ikaho.


mizusawakannon rokkakudo2
@Mizusawa Temple

The features of these noodles are very strong texture and the merit over a throat.
There are some persons who express resembling the texture of the fresh slices of a cuttlefish.Mizusawa noodles are made only of flour, salt, and water, and it is the feature to use no other additives. 


恒例の伊香保・水沢うどん便り
@Tamaruya

In the "Mizusawa noodles kaido[highway]" which will exist by the time it reaches from the Shibukawa/Ikaho interchange the street in Ikaho, 13 stores of Mizusawa noodles stand in a row.

Osawaya, Tamaruya, Shimizuya, Matsushimaya, etc. are collecting popularity especially.

手の椅子 岡本太郎作
@Osawaya,Taro Okamoto's object / Hand shapes chair

Moreover, although it is not Mizusawa noodles, honey noodles of "Yamaichiya" with the very similar texture are also one of the popular stores.
I would like to introduce Yamaichiya with a report later.

Access to Ikaho/Mizusawa MAP
Bus
There is a bus to Ikaho Onsen via Mizusawa from Takasaki Station at the West Exit. Please be aware that the bus is running only twice or three times a day.

Car
Approximately 30 minutes (12km) from Shibukawa/Ikaho IC

Mizusawa Shuttle Bus
There is a shuttle bus from Ikaho to Mizusawa. The fare is 100 yen for one-way. (Elementary school students: 50 yen, Pre-school children: free) For more information, visit here.