I believe that you must have heard of Izumo-Taisha (Izumo Grand Shrine). It is one of the most prestigious and ancient shrines in Japan. Indeed, Izumo Grand Shrine is located at Shimane prefecture. Shimane prefecture is in the lower west of Japan and is known to contain most Japanese myths. Therefore, the place is full of ancient style.
If you get off at Metro Mitsukoshi-mae Station, you can find the antenna shop of Shimane. Outside the store, you can see two mascots; one is called “Shimanekko” and the other “Yoshida-kun”. Personally, I think “Shimanekko” is pretty cute! The shop only has 1 floor, but you can find almost all the products famous in Shimane prefecture!
When you enter the shop, you can see seasonal products recommended by the staff. The time when I went to the shop was summer, and thus they were promoting cold Chinese noodles. Unlike ordinary cold noodles, their sauce is made with clams from Lake Shinji in Shimane.
There is also a great collection of liquor from Shimane. The picture above is the Junmai sake called “Yachihokono”, which is liquor purely made with rice. This bottle of sake is used to serve the god in the Izumo Grand Shrine. Since Shimane wine is brewed carefully and meticulously, the taste is said to be quite good. It is also one of the most popular liquor in the shop.
Shimane prefecture’s soba especially Izumo Soba is incredibly famous as well, it is known as one of the three best sobas in Japan along with Togakushi Soba and Wanko Soba.
The above picture shows the shop’s bestsellers dried clams. Just like the sauce of the cold Chinese noodle I mentioned before, Shimane natives make a lot of clam-related dishes, including miso soup. Lake Shinji is said to contain the greatest harvest of clams in Japan.
Seaweed from Shimane is one of the bestsellers as well. Since Shimane is right next to the sea, natives can reap some amazing seafood. In addition to the clams, I believe that the miso soup at Shimane must be very delicious, too.
Usuogura (薄小倉) is the popular sweet, made with red bean boiled and soaked in honey for 3 days and covered with a thin layer of sugar which gives it crispiness in the outermost layer. The red bean, in contrast, is very soft soft. I really love this sweet and highly recommend it!
Lastly, there is a corner for crafts and arts from Shimane prefecture. You can pick up your favorite among those beautiful bowls and plates there. Other than that, there is also a corner which displays numerous products of the mascots and another corner for the information of sightseeing at Shimane.
For more information please visit:
Hours: 10:30am to 7pm
Address: 1-5-3 Nihonbashi-Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: 1 minutes from Mitsukoshi-mae Station
Map:
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