Long-standing Japanese style confectionery in business for 104 years over 4 generations.<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I love all things sweet. Wagashi (Japanese style sweets) have a texture that is not found in Western style sweets.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Do you often shop at Japanese confectioneries?<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Yes. After turning 40, I started bringing wagashi as gifts when visiting people. When I bring wagashi, I look like a capable woman. If I say something like, \u201cHere is one of my favorites,\u201d my score goes up (laughs).<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Do you buy seasonal wagashi?<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I don\u2019t know which wagashi fit the season, and when I brought whatever I felt like giving without thinking about it, my mother gave me an earful (laughs). Adults know more about these things, and she gave me advice about what type of sweets to give to each type of person. Your shop opened in 1907. How long does that mean you\u2019ve been open this year?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- 104 years. The founder studied Kyoto-style wagashi, so many of our products have a tinge of Kyoto in them. I am the 4th generation director, and I learned about the history of this area from my father.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you have a standby product from the day the shop was founded?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- They aren\u2019t the same, but the 1st generation specialized in \u2018luxury unbaked\u2019 jo-namagashi, the 2nd generation in \u2018half-wet\u2019 han-namagashi, the 3rd generation in otoshibumi, which were the most popular products. It\u2019s about time for us to think of a specialty product for the 4th generation.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_02_01.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nGrowth supported by Japanese restaurants and the world of the geisha.<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Are your customers typical Ginza people?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- We receive visitors from Japanese restaurants and tea ceremony masters. There used to be this famous confectionery in a Japanese restaurant. As the story goes, when we first opened, our hard work was acknowledged by the proprietress of Shinkiraku that is still open in Tsukuji, who told many patrons about us, and our business picked up as a result.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you receive many customers who practice tea ceremony?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Our strictest customers are tea ceremony masters. Sweets for large tea ceremonies must usually be completely original. For each ceremony, we make 10 different types of sweets and let them choose. Do you practice tea ceremony?<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I have the equipment, but I\u2019m no good at it because I can\u2019t sit still (laughs).
Has the shop always been in its current location?<\/dd>\n - Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Yes. At the time it produced water from a well. I heard that they chose this location because lots of water is needed to make anko (sweet bean paste). There were lots of Japanese restaurants in the area, and we sold sweets for tea ceremonies.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What was the area like?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Now it\u2019s called Ginza 7-chome, but at the time of its founding, it was called Kyobashi-ku Kobiki-cho. The area was supposedly full of residents who sawed logs to build Edo Castle for a living. There were lots of waterways and bridges before the Olympics. The moon was associated with bridges, hence the name \u2018Seigetsudo\u2019 (brisk moon), given by the shop\u2019s founder.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s very enchanting. Was there a thriving geisha society?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Yes. There were many government offices here before the Great Kanto Earthquake. There was said to be a thriving Shinbashi geisha society during the glamorous Meiji era. The presence of Japanese restaurants in this area is probably a remnant of that time.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What is the area like now?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- There are a few more apartment buildings in the area now. This shop used to be a 3-story wood building that we used to live in. Now when you cross Showa Dori you can find some streets in Ginza with residents.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_02_02.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_02_03.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_02_04.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\nI want people to sense the season from wagashi and take another look at the great aspects of Japan.<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell me what sweets are best for each season?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- On New Years\u2019 we eat hanabira-mochi (flower petal rice cakes), after that it\u2019s kusa-mochi (grass rice cakes), sakura-mochi (cherry blossom rice cakes), kashiwamochi (rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves), and then mizu-yokan (sweet redbean paste jelly). Sweet makers also sense the season through this transition.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I know that the standard item for Shichi-go-san (the seven-five-three festival) is chitose ame (\u201cthousand year candy\u201d) and for Higan is ohagi (sweet rice balls), but who decided this?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Legend has it that chitose ame was chosen by the Edo era daimyo who prayed for the health of their children and that they would lead long and steady lives. Ohagi were supposedly chosen because the red of the adzuki beans is said to fend off evil. I believe this is the origin.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I actually like ohagi the best of all sweets. Especially the big ones! (Laughs) On Higan, my aunt always makes ohagi to bring me. When I see that, I know it\u2019s fall.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- After the earthquake this year, I really felt that I want everyone to know the meaning behind Japanese customs.
Higan is a holiday for recognizing our ancestors and giving them thanks. Family members get together, make an offering of ohagi, and share a time together where they remember their ancestors. It would be nice if this custom was revived.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_02_05.jpg\")
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nContinuing to create wagashi that suit Ginza and the current times.<\/h4>\n\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What do you feel are the good points about Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Ginza is full of alleys, and I want everyone to know about this.
These back alleys are full of small shops, making them a real pleasure to stroll down. You can get a totally different Ginza experience by taking the time on occasion to visit these back alleys, rather than only visiting the famous shops on Odori.<\/dd>\n - Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Are there any traditions made possible because it\u2019s Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Ginza is very modern, but it has a grounded nucleus. Since the time of our shop\u2019s founding, we\u2019ve been firmly told to make sweets that match the current times. I\u2019m sure that it was our location in Ginza that made it possible to break past the boundary of sticking to a single product and make the best sweets for each era.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s the same with music. You have to study to get a firm grasp of the basics and then go on to find your own style. It\u2019s kind of similar.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Definitely. In addition to that, my father also told us to make graceful sweets. For example, the meaning behind otoshibumi, which was conceived of by my father, was that, in the Heian period, an otoshibumi was a letter written by a woman who was in love with a man of different social standing that she wanted to but could not give him.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s a lot of work. It\u2019s hard to name things without studying a little history first.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Exactly. Understandability is more in demand in current times, but it\u2019s also important to give the sweet a twist with a name that lets people imagine what it\u2019s like. Making sweets that matches an era is also a responsibility of living in that era.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I look forward to seeing what kind of sweet the 4th generation will create as its specialty product.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s the next challenge. We\u2019ll give it our best shot.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_02_06.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\u203b\u3053\u306e\u6587\u7ae0\u306f\u30c0\u30df\u30fc\u3067\u3059\u3053\u306e\u6587\u7ae0\u306f\u30c0\u30df\u30fc\u3067\u3059<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nWho will be the next guest?<\/h4>\n\n- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Can you please tell us who the next guest will be?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Your next guest will be Hisashi Ishihara, the 2nd generation proprietor of Yasuko, a prominent oden shop in Ginza. He\u2019s been living in Ginza since he was a baby, and I\u2019m sure he can tell you stories of Ginza that you cannot imagine.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n
![](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Connect_02_07.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\nChisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Started playing the violin at age 6. After playing abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, and gives concerts all over the country. Although her current focus is on performing music, she also appears on TV and radio programs. Thanks to her much-loved personality, she is appearing in more and more venues.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I love all things sweet. Wagashi (Japanese style sweets) have a texture that is not found in Western style sweets.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Do you often shop at Japanese confectioneries?<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Yes. After turning 40, I started bringing wagashi as gifts when visiting people. When I bring wagashi, I look like a capable woman. If I say something like, \u201cHere is one of my favorites,\u201d my score goes up (laughs).<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Do you buy seasonal wagashi?<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I don\u2019t know which wagashi fit the season, and when I brought whatever I felt like giving without thinking about it, my mother gave me an earful (laughs). Adults know more about these things, and she gave me advice about what type of sweets to give to each type of person. Your shop opened in 1907. How long does that mean you\u2019ve been open this year?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- 104 years. The founder studied Kyoto-style wagashi, so many of our products have a tinge of Kyoto in them. I am the 4th generation director, and I learned about the history of this area from my father.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you have a standby product from the day the shop was founded?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- They aren\u2019t the same, but the 1st generation specialized in \u2018luxury unbaked\u2019 jo-namagashi, the 2nd generation in \u2018half-wet\u2019 han-namagashi, the 3rd generation in otoshibumi, which were the most popular products. It\u2019s about time for us to think of a specialty product for the 4th generation.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Growth supported by Japanese restaurants and the world of the geisha.<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Are your customers typical Ginza people?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- We receive visitors from Japanese restaurants and tea ceremony masters. There used to be this famous confectionery in a Japanese restaurant. As the story goes, when we first opened, our hard work was acknowledged by the proprietress of Shinkiraku that is still open in Tsukuji, who told many patrons about us, and our business picked up as a result.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Do you receive many customers who practice tea ceremony?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Our strictest customers are tea ceremony masters. Sweets for large tea ceremonies must usually be completely original. For each ceremony, we make 10 different types of sweets and let them choose. Do you practice tea ceremony?<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I have the equipment, but I\u2019m no good at it because I can\u2019t sit still (laughs).
Has the shop always been in its current location?<\/dd>\n - Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Yes. At the time it produced water from a well. I heard that they chose this location because lots of water is needed to make anko (sweet bean paste). There were lots of Japanese restaurants in the area, and we sold sweets for tea ceremonies.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What was the area like?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Now it\u2019s called Ginza 7-chome, but at the time of its founding, it was called Kyobashi-ku Kobiki-cho. The area was supposedly full of residents who sawed logs to build Edo Castle for a living. There were lots of waterways and bridges before the Olympics. The moon was associated with bridges, hence the name \u2018Seigetsudo\u2019 (brisk moon), given by the shop\u2019s founder.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s very enchanting. Was there a thriving geisha society?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Yes. There were many government offices here before the Great Kanto Earthquake. There was said to be a thriving Shinbashi geisha society during the glamorous Meiji era. The presence of Japanese restaurants in this area is probably a remnant of that time.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What is the area like now?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- There are a few more apartment buildings in the area now. This shop used to be a 3-story wood building that we used to live in. Now when you cross Showa Dori you can find some streets in Ginza with residents.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\nI want people to sense the season from wagashi and take another look at the great aspects of Japan.<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Could you tell me what sweets are best for each season?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- On New Years\u2019 we eat hanabira-mochi (flower petal rice cakes), after that it\u2019s kusa-mochi (grass rice cakes), sakura-mochi (cherry blossom rice cakes), kashiwamochi (rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves), and then mizu-yokan (sweet redbean paste jelly). Sweet makers also sense the season through this transition.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I know that the standard item for Shichi-go-san (the seven-five-three festival) is chitose ame (\u201cthousand year candy\u201d) and for Higan is ohagi (sweet rice balls), but who decided this?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Legend has it that chitose ame was chosen by the Edo era daimyo who prayed for the health of their children and that they would lead long and steady lives. Ohagi were supposedly chosen because the red of the adzuki beans is said to fend off evil. I believe this is the origin.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I actually like ohagi the best of all sweets. Especially the big ones! (Laughs) On Higan, my aunt always makes ohagi to bring me. When I see that, I know it\u2019s fall.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- After the earthquake this year, I really felt that I want everyone to know the meaning behind Japanese customs.
Higan is a holiday for recognizing our ancestors and giving them thanks. Family members get together, make an offering of ohagi, and share a time together where they remember their ancestors. It would be nice if this custom was revived.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nContinuing to create wagashi that suit Ginza and the current times.<\/h4>\n
\n- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- What do you feel are the good points about Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Ginza is full of alleys, and I want everyone to know about this.
These back alleys are full of small shops, making them a real pleasure to stroll down. You can get a totally different Ginza experience by taking the time on occasion to visit these back alleys, rather than only visiting the famous shops on Odori.<\/dd>\n - Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Are there any traditions made possible because it\u2019s Ginza?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Ginza is very modern, but it has a grounded nucleus. Since the time of our shop\u2019s founding, we\u2019ve been firmly told to make sweets that match the current times. I\u2019m sure that it was our location in Ginza that made it possible to break past the boundary of sticking to a single product and make the best sweets for each era.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- It\u2019s the same with music. You have to study to get a firm grasp of the basics and then go on to find your own style. It\u2019s kind of similar.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Definitely. In addition to that, my father also told us to make graceful sweets. For example, the meaning behind otoshibumi, which was conceived of by my father, was that, in the Heian period, an otoshibumi was a letter written by a woman who was in love with a man of different social standing that she wanted to but could not give him.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s a lot of work. It\u2019s hard to name things without studying a little history first.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Exactly. Understandability is more in demand in current times, but it\u2019s also important to give the sweet a twist with a name that lets people imagine what it\u2019s like. Making sweets that matches an era is also a responsibility of living in that era.<\/dd>\n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- I look forward to seeing what kind of sweet the 4th generation will create as its specialty product.<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- That\u2019s the next challenge. We\u2019ll give it our best shot.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\u203b\u3053\u306e\u6587\u7ae0\u306f\u30c0\u30df\u30fc\u3067\u3059\u3053\u306e\u6587\u7ae0\u306f\u30c0\u30df\u30fc\u3067\u3059<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Who will be the next guest?<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Takashima<\/dt>\n
- Can you please tell us who the next guest will be?<\/dd>\n
- Mizuhara<\/dt>\n
- Your next guest will be Hisashi Ishihara, the 2nd generation proprietor of Yasuko, a prominent oden shop in Ginza. He\u2019s been living in Ginza since he was a baby, and I\u2019m sure he can tell you stories of Ginza that you cannot imagine.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/p>\n\n
Chisako Takashima<\/h4>\n
Violinist. Started playing the violin at age 6. After playing abroad, she moved her home base to Japan, and gives concerts all over the country. Although her current focus is on performing music, she also appears on TV and radio programs. Thanks to her much-loved personality, she is appearing in more and more venues.<\/p>\n