{"id":1683,"date":"2013-07-01T10:00:57","date_gmt":"2013-07-01T01:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ginzaofficial.sakura.ne.jp\/?p=1683"},"modified":"2015-06-26T17:56:31","modified_gmt":"2015-06-26T08:56:31","slug":"%e9%bd%8b%e8%97%a4-%e5%85%85x%e9%ab%98%e5%b6%8b-%e3%81%a1%e3%81%95%e5%ad%90","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ginza.jp\/en\/connective\/1683","title":{"rendered":"Mitsuru Saito\u00d7Chisako Takashima"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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The youngest Sembikiya is the Ginza shop that was founded 120 years ago<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
Ginza Sembikiya will celebrate the 120th year of its founding next year, which is amazing. You have shops in Nihonbashi, Kyobashi, and Ginza, and I understand that the first one was actually the Nihonbashi shop.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
That\u2019s right. Nihonbashi was the original and it franchised out to Kyobashi and then to Ginza, making Ginza the youngest. The 120th year anniversary is for the Ginza shop. The Nihonbashi shop that was the original was founded in 1834. That\u2019s almost 180 years ago.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
What?? Hold on a second. You mean there was a fruit shop that long ago?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Yes, in around the fifth year of the Tempo era.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
I\u2019m very surprised there was a fruit shop so long ago. They must have been something that was only eaten by the feudal lord class.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Actually, that was not the case. At first the founders tried to create a business that would become popular among the common people. There were only limited types of fruit, so the shop also sold vegetables.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
I see. And the youngest of the Sembikiya shops is the Ginza shop?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
That\u2019s right. The first franchise was the Kyobashi Sembikiya, in 1881. Our shop was founded in 1894, so next year will be our 120th anniversary.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Amazing. I personally am very happy when I receive a gift from Sembikiya. I know the person who gave it to me really cares for me. That\u2019s not something you feel about many brands. <\/p>\n

By the way, what does the name Sembikiya mean?<\/dd>\n

Saito<\/dt>\n
It\u2019s the name of a place. The person that founded the Nihonbashi shop was originally from a town called Sembiki near Koshigaya in Saitama.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
I see! It came from the name of a place\u2026<\/p>\n

So, if the name of the town was \u201cManbiki\u201d (the Japanese word for shoplifting), the shop would have been called Manbikiya (laughs).<\/dd>\n

Saito<\/dt>\n
I suppose so (laughs). It\u2019s a good thing it was called Sembikiya (laughs).<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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Ginza Sembikiya<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The fruit should only be cut minimally in a fruit parfait<\/h4>\n
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Saito<\/dt>\n
Since you\u2019re here, please go ahead and choose something.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Really?! Thank you!! They all look so great, it\u2019s hard to choose (orders a limited-time seasonal strawberry parfait *currently unavailable). I really love Sembikiya\u2019s fruit sandwiches. They are also great to bring as a gift when visiting someone\u2019s home. The package is really cute.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Thank you.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Other shops also make fruit sandwiches, but these are totally different. I wonder what makes them so special?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
At Sembikiya, we use the best tasting whipped cream. That is why they are so popular.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Whipped cream is the best for telling you how tasty a shop is. (While eating whipped cream from the parfait) This whipped cream is truly delicious!<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
One time, we changed the whipped cream blend slightly, and a customer suddenly said, \u201cYou change the whipped cream.\u201d We were pretty surprised (laughs). I think our regulars probably know our flavor even better than our actual employees (laughs).<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
It keeps you on your toes (laughs). Sembikiya is famous for its fruit parfaits, but I get the sense that the fruit is not chopped haphazardly.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
That\u2019s right. Many shops sell parfaits, but quite a few of them go for artistic parfaits. I suppose that\u2019s fine as well, but we value a retro style.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
A classic style?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Yes. A little old-fashioned. My grandfather often said that fruit should not be cut too much. He said that just cutting them roughly brings out the natural fruit flavor. So, they should only be cut minimally. I personally feel that there are tons of gorgeous looking parfaits out there, so I want to sell ones that give off this retro feeling.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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July\u2019s limited-time seasonal peach parfait<\/div>\n<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n

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I was a really fussy eater as a kid and actually would not eat fruit<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
I really love fruit, but I absolutely detest vegetables. I eat almost no vegetables, and only fruit. So much so, in fact, that my doctor says I\u2019m probably getting all my vitamins from fruit alone (laughs).<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
That\u2019s surprising. This is something I haven\u2019t told many people, but when I was a kid, I wouldn\u2019t even eat fruit, let alone vegetables.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Really? Until when?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Maybe until elementary school. My parents were very worried. It\u2019s absurd for someone running a fruit shop to dislike fruit (laughs). Then, when I was in high school, I was very physically active, so I joined the mountain climbing club. I joined thinking it would just be hiking, but it was actually quite serious. They made us run every day, and it was really hard. Of course when we got to the top of the mountain, we would make loads of different kinds of food, but there was an unspoken rule that the junior members had to eat all their food without skipping anything\u2026 Thanks to that, I became able to eat anything. Once I actually began eating things, I found them to be surprisingly delicious. Fruit was also quite tasty, and now I am actually a big fruit lover.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
That\u2019s very interesting! If a fruit shop owner couldn\u2019t eat fruit, they wouldn\u2019t be able to sample it.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
You\u2019re right. It\u2019s a good thing I like it now.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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The reason why a single muskmelon costs 10,000 yen or more<\/h4>\n
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Saito<\/dt>\n
The reason we have such exquisite fruit is all the hard work our farmers put into growing it. Naturally, I also go to check out the production sites. They really do work hard.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Do they conduct research?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Well, I don\u2019t know if you would call it research per se, but they try to find ways to bring out the sweetness or make them look even nicer.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
In Japan, appearance is very important.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Yes. If there is even the tiniest scratch, we can\u2019t sell it. The best example is our muskmelon. Each one costs 10,000 yen or more. When the occasional foreign visitor comes to our shop, they see the price and say that it\u2019s crazy (laughs), but the reason muskmelon is so expensive is that we leave only one melon on each tree.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Really?? Why do you do that?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
To give it the best flavor. Of course each tree bears lots of fruit, but the farmers leave only the best looking ones, gradually cutting off all the rest. Eventually only one is left, and all the flavor gets concentrated into that single melon.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Wow. It\u2019s like a one child policy (laughs).<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Also, the amount of watering. It cannot be too much or too little.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Do they have to be monitored constantly?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Of course there are also other factors, like the temperature, but they are grown in a greenhouse. Every day they need to be closely monitored, without fail. That\u2019s why they are so expensive.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
I see. I didn\u2019t know they were grown so carefully. That certainly explains the 10,000 yen price tag. In Japan, fruit are almost more like candy than desert.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Yes. But recently all sorts of rival fruit are appearing. Even when the melon farmers work as hard as they can to produce really terrific melons, they don\u2019t sell as well as they used to.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
It would be terrible if melons disappeared\u2026 I\u2019ll be a melon supporter!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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I want to do whatever I can for Ginza<\/h4>\n
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Takashima<\/dt>\n
Lastly, could you tell me your thoughts on Ginza?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
I think the most wonderful thing about Ginza is that the people working here truly love it. There are very few districts where women can walk alone at night and shop without fear. The people of Ginza consider long and hard how to keep the area safe and talk with each other, maintaining safety.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
It\u2019s a special district.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
Yes it is. To protect the Ginza that our forefathers built up, the current people working in the district must talk seriously with each other to make sure it always remains Ginza. I am also a board member for a group related to Ginza, and you could almost say that I do more work for that job than for my actual job (laughs). That said, I do feel that I am indebted to Ginza, and that work can also be considered part of my job\u2026 Well, saying that it is my job may be a little misleading.<\/dd>\n
Takashima<\/dt>\n
Sometimes you get something in return, and sometimes you are repaying a favor.<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
I think so. My basic attitude is that I want to do whatever I can for Ginza.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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The next guest will be\u2026<\/h4>\n
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Takashima <\/dt>\n
Could you tell us about the next guest?<\/dd>\n
Saito<\/dt>\n
It\u2019s Akihisa Kawaguchi , the president of Ginza Zenya, a long-established shop that sells traditional Japanese footwear and umbrellas. He is a young president that tries novel approaches, like adding modern touches to traditional Japanese sandals.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n
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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

Chisako Takashima\u2019s official website<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Mitsuru Saito<\/h4>\n

President of the long-established Ginza Sembikiya, one of Japan\u2019s leading specialty fruit shops.
\nAlso acts as Vice Chairman of the Ginza Street Association, and makes strenuous daily efforts to further develop Ginza.
\nHis favorite fruit are persimmons, pears, and peaches. His hobbies are mountain climbing, skiing and sports in general. He is very active, and has even run in the Tokyo marathon.<\/p>\n

Official website of Ginza Sembikiya<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Writer: Mikiko Okai\u3000\u3000Location: Ginza Sembikiya Fruit Parlor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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