This set meal restaurant has been a local favorite for 65 years since its predecessor. The restaurant opens at 7:00 a.m. and serves rice with hot grilled fish.

The "morning set meal," which does not include grilled fish, is available until 10:00 a.m. and is priced at 310 yen with a daily changing menu of mainly simmered dishes and natto (fermented soybeans). A la carte grilled fish such as silver salmon, fresh Hokke, and salted mackerel can be added for 300 yen. The lunch "daily set meal" comes with grilled fish of the day for 500 yen.

He always prepares his dishes in the morning, and he is on his feet from 4 a.m. until he closes the restaurant and finishes cleaning up, leaving no time to sit down. Even so, he says that he hopes to offer reasonably priced, affordable food by making it himself.

Recently, the number of young female customers has been increasing, as they are looking for a homey taste of home and proper Japanese food that will make anyone feel at home. Some regular customers take pictures of their meals every time they come to the restaurant and send the pictures to their wives who are in the hospital, saying, "Don't worry, I'm eating proper food.

Sake is only served for one hour from 1:00 p.m. until closing. Order 4 kinds of simmered dishes and a bottle of sake (700 yen in total!). Some people even say, "I've never had such a good time! It is very reasonably priced, but you will be immersed in a very luxurious atmosphere.

Itabashi Traffic Park is a facility designed for children to safely learn traffic rules. Bicycles, go-carts, tricycles, and bicycles with auxiliary wheels are available for rent (free of charge), and visitors can learn traffic safety while having fun on a course with crosswalks and traffic signals.

The park exhibits streetcars and buses that are no longer in service, and visitors can tour the inside of each vehicle. (As of February 2022, the tram and bus areas are temporarily closed to prevent the spread of new coronavirus infection.)

It is also wonderful to enjoy taking nostalgic photos with retro cars and lorries that are sure to be a hit on social media. This is a pleasant park that can be enjoyed by everyone, from small children to families and adults.

It is one of the most prominent shopping streets in the country, with approximately 220 stores lining its 560-meter-long arcade. Fishmongers, fruit and vegetable stores, hardware stores, shoe shops, etc., etc., etc., etc. It would be difficult to find something that is not available here. Especially on weekends, about 30,000 visitors come here to shop and dine!

In addition, the shopping mall has introduced and implemented a number of advanced initiatives, including the installation of security cameras to ensure a safe shopping mall, the launch of the "Happy Road Oyama Terrace Project" with terrace seating inside the arcade every Sunday in principle, thanks to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's relaxed road use permit standards, and a point card system that is the first of its kind in Japan for a shopping mall.

Among them, "Zenkoku Furusato Fureai Shop 'Tettate Mura'", now in its 16th year, has direct contracts with 9 cities, towns, and villages across Japan to sell freshly harvested vegetables and local specialty products.

In addition to sales at the store, the store hosts hometown events (*) and tours to participating municipalities (*), accepts students on school excursions from production areas for sales experience, and supplies school lunch ingredients to all elementary and junior high schools in Itabashi Ward, all as a "base of contact" between the city and production areas. The company is also a member of the "Municipal Government of Japan". (*In front of the Corona Disaster)

JR Itabashi Station is the well-known gateway to Itabashi Ward. Many people probably use the station for commuting to work or school by transferring to the Toei Mita Line or the Tobu Tojo Line. However, did you know that more than half of the platforms are located in Toshima Ward (Kami-ikebukuro)?

If you go up the stairs to the platform, you can walk through Itabashi, Kita, and Toshima wards within 30 meters. Please zoom in on the map to see the location of the ward boundaries. Incidentally, the official location of the station by JR is 7-chome, Takinogawa, Kita-ku.

Currently, the west exit of Itabashi Station is in the midst of a large-scale redevelopment project, and a temporary passageway is being used for the station's west exit. In a few years, a 38-story high-rise building is scheduled to face the station square. It will be interesting to see how the gateway to Itabashi will be transformed.

This perspective image is based on the current design drawings and is subject to change depending on future administrative consultations and design studies.

Enoki Enoki, the "Enkiri Enoki," is the most popular power spot in Itabashi and is visited by many people every day. The Enoki, which is said to "sever bad relationships and bring good ones together," is actually the third generation of the Enoki.

The first Enoki Enoki, which was mentioned in a geographical survey of Edo compiled in 1794, was already widely known for its power at the time. In 1861, when Wamiya married into the Shogun's family from the Imperial Household, a detour route was purposely constructed to avoid passing right by it.

Later, in 1884, a large fire broke out in Itabashi-juku, and only the blackened old stump remained, but it was not removed and continued to exist as it was, as an object of people's wishes and prayers.

The first generation of Enoki, the "Enoki" (enoki), is now on display here at the Itabashi Tourist Center and Local History Museum. The third Enoki Enoki, now on display at the Itabashi Sightseeing Center and Local History Museum, has continued to attract the faith of people wishing for happiness through the Edo, Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and 2025 eras.

Hikawa Fishing Hori Park is a popular hidden spot where you can relax in the sun and cast a fishing line, and before you know it, you will forget your busy daily life and find yourself mindlessly reexamining yourself.

Use of the facilities is free, and fishing rods and other equipment and chairs can be rented free of charge, so you can go out on a whim with only bait ready.

You can catch Japanese goldfish, bitterling, bitterling, sea bream, and crucian carp. When available, you may be able to ask the staff to teach you how to use the tools and how to fish.

It is a quiet and serene space, like an air pocket that opens up in the middle of the city. It is perfect for a short stroll, and in spring you can enjoy luxurious fishing under the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

The typical palace-style public bathhouse structure is a lovely tasteful building with a magnificent karahafu (Chinese gable) roof.

Located at the end of a narrow alley, the approach along a small path is similar to the approach to a shrine, and it seems to purify the mind before taking a bath.

Even in the shopping paradise of Naka Itabashi Shopping Street, shopping for prepared foods is especially enjoyable here. Within a radius of 12 meters, there are stores offering grilled fish, various kinds of simmered dishes, tempura, pickles, and more to make your daily meals easy, delicious, and convenient.

Hinodeya (grilled fish, simmered dishes, etc.)

The grilled fish of the day included the famous extra-large grilled Nishin (herring), grilled mackerel, grilled salmon kamayaki, open Pacific saury, grilled tuna marinated in miso, teriyaki silverfish, teriyaki black sea bream, teriyaki squid, and more. A wide variety of grilled fish is available at very reasonable prices.

Freshly grilled fish are lined up and sold rapidly. Sometimes they are sold out by the evening. Various kinds of simmered and stir-fried dishes are also available, such as rustic simmered dishes and kinpira gobo (fried burdock root).

The district's bird, the "Haku-Sekirei," also loves Hinodeya's unshiu-hana. They come to the store every day, hoping to get some.

Sakai Zenzo Shoten (pickles specialty store)

The pickles specialty store, which has kept the name of its predecessor, is a wonderland of pickles with a wide variety, from the standard overnight pickles to Japanese-style pickles and rare vegetables.

If you can't decide what to try, first try the popular "Yam in Sweet Soy Sauce" made with "Ryokan Hishio", a rich soy sauce produced at a brewery in Niigata, which is derived from "Sakai Soy Sauce", the family home of Zenzo Sakai, the predecessor of the company. You will surely understand the true value of this store.

The traditional sour pickles made in the traditional marinated bed that has been preserved for 70 years since the establishment, as well as the fashionable "yuzu jelly tomatoes" finished with a special jus, are widely loved and have become the heart and soul of local people.

SANEI (various prepared foods)

A treasure of Naka Itabashi known by those in the know, SANEI is the town's most famous delicatessen. The refrigerated showcase is filled to the brim with more than a dozen different kinds of handmade delicacies such as simmered dishes, salad, boiled beans, and more.

Customers line up immediately after the store opens for the fresh and delicious side dishes, and on early days, they are often sold out by midday. Some people have never seen the store open because they only pass by in the evening.

The owner gets up at 2:30 every morning and comes to the restaurant at 3:30 to prepare everything before opening. Would you like to taste a little? The staff is always willing to let you sample a little bit of each dish, which makes you want to buy a lot of food.

Text and photographs by Tsutomu Ogasawara