Tokyo🇯🇵 Original Sennari Monaka Dora Yaki🥠

Tokyo Food ~ Sugamo's "Genso Senshinari Monaka" Dorayaki and Gourd Monaka

Since the pandemic, I've been traveling to Tokyo more independently than I did before. I've especially fallen in love with independent travel, which allows me to travel freely and unrestricted, see the sights I want to see, eat the food I want to eat, share travel information with friends, and discover trips I've never taken before and try unique foods!

A friend once sent me a video of a shop in Sugamo making their dorayaki wraps live. Just watching the video intrigued me! My 2024 "Ten Shrines Tour" is all about visiting Tokyo's shrines. Thinking of my friend's video, and considering that Sugamo has Jizoson Koganji Temple (which fits perfectly with my shrine-visiting schedule), I immediately added Sugamo to my itinerary!

According to my friend's information, I exited the JR Yamanote Line's "Main Exit" and saw the "Sugamo Shopping Street Entrance" on my right. However, this dorayaki shop isn't located on the shopping street, but on the first floor of a building in front of it. When I got closer, I smiled! This is the Sugamo branch of "Genso Sennari Monaka," a well-known Monaka specialty shop I've stayed at many times in Otsuka since the pandemic. They're best known for their five-colored gourd-shaped monaka: brown red bean paste, green sesame red bean paste, white white bean paste, pink red bean paste, and orange plum paste. Unlike the usual round monaka, these are adorably shaped like Sennari gourds, and the small portions are just the right amount of sweetness.

In addition to the monaka, the Sugamo branch also specializes in freshly made dorayaki! The three flavors are "Ogura red bean paste," "white bean paste," and "green bean paste." From the entrance, you can watch the chef making the dorayaki wrappers! I walked into the shop and bought a freshly made dorayaki. They also had hot and iced tea available. It was a great way to relax and savor the freshly made dorayaki – the perfect way to relax and unwind on your own!

The gourd monaka and dorayaki on site are both great souvenirs to bring back to Taiwan, but they don't last long, so it's best to buy them a day or two before your return trip! I highly recommend the Sugamo Jizo-dori shopping street, which also has a ton of delicious food. A half-day trip to the end of the street, where you'll find the Toden Arakawa Line, is a great way to enjoy a downtown experience!

Shop Name: Genso Sensei Monaka

Address: 1F, 3-28-8 Sugamo, Toyoshima-ku

Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

#JR Yamanote Line
#Toei Mita Line
#Sugamo Station

Post by 旅遊去到悶 | Aug 17, 2025