Iseya

Standing close to the entrance of Sugamo Jizo-dori shopping street, Iseya is a long-standing Japanese confectioner where many passersby pause for classic shio daifuku and shio mame daifuku. What distinguishes the shop's daifuku is a deliberate hand with salt, holding the sweetness well back to spotlight the natural flavor of the red beans and mochi dough. In the shio mame daifuku, soft, stretchy rice cake meets firm whole beans, leaving a clean finish appreciated even by those who normally pass on sugary treats—making it an easy snack to eat in hand while exploring the street.

Skewered dango are another staple here. The plump rounds of mitarashi dango come coated in a generous layer of sweet-savory glaze, offering a satisfying, fragrant chew. Alongside them, the display features comforting everyday sweets such as seaweed-wrapped isobe dango savory with soy sauce, plain and unpretentious suama, and toramaki, which rolls bean paste inside patterned dorayaki pancake batter.

Beyond confections, the counter stocks savory staples like gomoku inarizushi and sekihan (steamed red bean sticky rice)—a practical downtown touch. Shoppers and temple visitors frequently have boxes of daifuku packed as gifts while picking up inarizushi or sekihan for dinner. The shop runs from 9:00 to 18:00, but popular items like the shio mame daifuku and inarizushi can sell out earlier depending on the hour, making an early visit worthwhile if you have specific favorites in mind.