Nenbo Sweet Shop （年宝菓子屋）
What?
Nenbo, traditional sweet shop founded in Showa 21 (1946)
Where?
Isohama-cho 673, Oarai-machi, Higashiibaraki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture 311-1301/茨城県東茨城郡大洗町磯浜町６７３番地 311-1301
About
If you're looking for something sweet to eat in Oarai, this family-run sweet shop located on one of Oarai's main shoppoing streets is the place for you. The shop has a retro feel with Showa-era decorations and a wide selection of ame, traditional hard sweets. Nenbo is also known for karume-yaki
Karume-yaki - a sweet with a surprising history
Nenbo specialises in karume-yaki, a sweet made using sugar, water and bicarbonate of soda. The name karume-yaki comes from the Japanese word yaki meaning to bake or grill and the Portuguese word karume meaning 'sweet thing'. Karume-yaki was introduced to Japan from Portugal around the second half of the 16th century and rapidly spread throughout Japan thanks to the trend of having a sweet as part of tea ceremony, and the continued importation of sugar during Japan's period of isolation.
