Taiyaki is a fish-shaped pancake filled with bean jam. Nostalgic stores and houses stand on the car-free Nawate street. In the center of Nawate street, Taiyaki Furusato is open next to the Frog Daimyojin (the temple where the deity is enshrined).
Tai is red snapper or sea bream. It’s a premium ingredient associated with holidays and other celebratory occasions in Japan. Taiyaki doesn’t contain any fish, however. It’s actually a sweet snack made from an egg batter and baked in a mold that just happens to be shaped like a red snapper. The shape of the snack gives it a cute, festive touch, plus it’s a lot cheaper than an actual tai.
Furusato makes a couple of versions, one with the traditional sweet red bean paste filling, a savory version with a sausage inside, a custard filled version, and one with ice cream (seasonal). This shop uses high quality ingredients and unlike most taiyaki shops, they actually make their own red bean paste filling. All the taiyaki are made in individual custom molds that are found nowhere else but at Furusato.
This is the sausage version of taiyaki, which is surprisingly tasty. It has a bit of mayo and shichimi spice inside as well. The sausage taiyaki shows up in the manga and anime Orange. At ¥150, it’s a very popular treat that is known even in Taiwan.
Grab one of these delicious snacks and eat it while walking around Nawate Street. Be wary of the New Year’s holidays and festival days though, as Furusato will often have a long line of eager customers waiting to get their own taiyaki. Taiyaki also makes a great take-home souvenir.
At weekday night, Furusato opens up the UO Cafe & Bar nextdoor where you can enjoy some taiyaki with a drink until 10 p.m (occasionally close).
