“Oimoyasan Koshin” Centennial Old Shop Sweet Potatoes
On this day, before heading to the famous “Asakusa Imahan” for Chinese food from the Nakamise Shopping Street in Asakusa, I deliberately walked through “Denpo-in Street” just to explore this second most famous shopping street in Asakusa. Besides the must-try “Asakusa Fried Pork Patty” and “Fukufuku Black Wagyu Curry Bread,” the most attractive thing for me on this street is this century-old shop “Oimoyasan Koshin” that sells Japanese sweet potatoes.
Oimoyasan Koushin Information
- Address: 1-39-9 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Business hours: 10:00~19:00 (open year-round)
- Phone: 03-5828-8530
- Transportation: 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station
- Cash payment only, no credit cards accepted
- Official website
The main branch of Yuwa Kosho is located in Tokyo‘s Komagome area, and there are five branches in Asakusa. There is one near Sensoji Temple on Nakamise Street, but this time I passed by the Asakusa Denpo-in Street branch while walking. You can find information about each store on the official website.
▼ There is also an “Oimoyasan Koshin Asakusa Sensoji Temple Store” across from the Thunder Gate.
Dengfayuan Tong
Turn left from Zhongjianshi Street into Chuanfayuan Street (Chuanfayuan-dori). It’s not as crowded as Zhongjianshi Street, but there are still many small shops to explore.
Like Zhongjianshi Street, Dento-in Street also has a street renovation movement. When the shops are closed, the iron gates are painted with Edo-style paintings representing their services, creating a retro atmosphere.
First of all, passing by the must-try queue food in Asakusa, “Asakusa Fried Pork Cake (浅草メンチ)“, “Fukufuku Black Wagyu Curry Bread“, Piaor recommends buying Asakusa Fried Pork Cake, and Fukufuku Black Wagyu Curry Bread is just okay.
Must Read: 9 Best Things to Do in Asakusa to Help You Capture 100 Years of Tokyo within a Day
▼The Dharma Court discovered a ninja clerk
▼ And we passed by a very interesting vintage clothing store called “Butterfly”, which sold a lot of ancient costumes.
University Taro Specialty Store “Oimoyasan Koshin”
After walking for about 3-5 minutes, you will see the corner intersection of “Oimoyasan Koshin” (おいもやさん興伸). Established in the 9th year of the Meiji era, “Oimoyasan Koshin” has a history of more than 130 years. Originally a sweet potato wholesale store, it has now developed into a shop that mainly sells various sweet potato products. It is a specialty store for “Daigaku Imo” (university sweet potato). Sweet potato lovers must come and try it out.
One of them is the Japanese snack called “Daigaku Imo“, which is made by deep-frying sweet potatoes and then coating them with sugar. Its name is said to have originated from a popular sweet potato sold at a steamed sweet potato shop in front of the University of Tokyo during the Taisho to Showa periods, but the actual origin of the name is unknown.
There are different types of sweet potatoes at Daigaku Imo, including “Komachi,” “Red Satsuma (sweet potato),” “Golden Sweet Potato,” “Kanto,” “Kamote,” and more. The sweet potatoes sold at Imoya Koshin are all seasonal, so you can’t try all the types at once. This time, Piao Er ordered two types of honey sweet potatoes, Satsuma and Miyabi, and luckily the staff served them freshly cooked and hot. The staff will pour honey sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds on the sweet potatoes before putting them in a bag for you.
The university sweet potato is filled with thick and sweet honey sauce, but not too sweet. It has a honey flavor and a crispy and delicious skin, while the core of the sweet potato is soft and tender. It tastes different from the honey sweet potatoes in Taiwan and has a traditional Japanese flavor and texture. Not bad.
After tasting a few bites of hot sweet potatoes, continue walking towards Asakusa Imahan and enjoy the iron gate paintings of the shops along the way when they close.
Above is the unique Japanese traditional sweet potato specialty store “Oimoyasan Koshin (芋屋興伸)”, which is pretty good. I recommend it to everyone here!
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