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Asakusa Ningyo-yaki

Ningyo-yaki (人形焼) is a very popular Tokyo snack and souvenir that originated from the Nihonbashi-Ningyocho district, famous for its 7 lucky god shrines. It is a soft sweet cake with anko (sweet azuki beans) inside. Ningyo-yaki usually come in the shape of the Shichifukujin, the traditional 7 lucky gods in Japan. They also used to come in the shape of the faces of famous Japanese puppets. From the Taisho period (1912-1926), other shapes such as the great lantern of the Kaminarimon gate of the Senso-ji temple and the 5-storey pagoda started to appear in Asakusa. The story goes that someone who learned the trade in Ningyo-cho opened his own store in Asakusa and introduced these new shapes. Nowadays any shape is possible, such as popular children’s characters such as Doraemon and Hello Kitty.

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Uploaded on December 28, 2023
Taken on October 22, 2023