This teishoku-ya has been a local favorite for 65 years. The restaurant opens at 7:00 a.m. and serves rice with hot grilled fish.

The "morning set meal" without grilled fish is available until 10:00 a.m. and is priced at 310 yen with a daily changing menu consisting mainly of 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 4:00 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 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 the right food.

Sake is only served for one hour from 1:00 p.m. until closing. Some people order four kinds of simmered dishes and a bottle of sake (total 700 yen!). Some people even order four kinds of simmered dishes and a bottle of sake (for a total of ¥700!). It is very reasonably priced, but you will feel like you are in the lap of luxury.

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 retired streetcars and buses, 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 networking sites. This is a pleasant park that can be enjoyed by everyone, from small children to families and adults.

It is one of the best 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.... 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 city has introduced and implemented a number of advanced initiatives, including the installation of security cameras to ensure a safe shopping area, the "Happy Road Oyama Terrace Project," in which terrace seating is lined up in the arcade every Sunday in principle, thanks to relaxed standards for road use permits by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and a point card system, the first of its kind in Japan for a shopping area.

Among them, the National Furusato Fureai Shop "Tottate Mura", now in its 16th year, sells freshly harvested vegetables and local specialties under direct contract with nine cities, towns, and villages across Japan.

In addition to sales at the store, the store hosts hometown events (*) and tours to participating cities, towns, and villages (*), 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. The farm is also actively engaged in exchanges as a "base of contact" between the city and the production area. (*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 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 of each other. 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 also being used at the west exit of the station. In a few years, a 38-story high-rise building is scheduled to be constructed facing 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 may be subject to change as a result of future administrative consultations and design studies.

The "Enoki 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 that 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 Enoki Enoki, which is now on display at the Itabashi Tourist Center and Local History Museum, was the first Enoki Enoki to be used as a gateway to marriage. 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 spinning tops, bitterlings, Japanese bitterlings, Japanese pond smelt, 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 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 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 includes 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. In some cases, the fish is sold out by the end of 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 Hinodeya's "Haku-Sekirei," a bird of the district, also loves the Hinodeya's unagi. They come to the store every day to enjoy the treats.

Sakai Zenzo Shoten (pickles specialty store)

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

If you have trouble deciding what to order, try first the popular "Yam in Sweet Soy Sauce" made with "Ryokan Hishio," a rich soy sauce produced at a brewery in Niigata that is owned by the family of Zenzo Sakai, the predecessor of the shop. 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 the local people.

SANEI (various prepared foods)

SANEI, a delicatessen store, is a treasure of Naka Itabashi and a well-known store in the town. The refrigerated showcase is filled to the brim with more than a dozen different kinds of handmade delicacies, including simmered dishes, salad, boiled beans, and more.

Customers line up immediately after the store opens to get fresh and delicious side dishes, and on early days, the food is 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. He tastes everything before he opens the store. He lets me try a little bit of each dish, which makes me want to buy a lot of food.

Text and photographs by Tsutomu Ogasawara