Iwamura Momijiya - Traditional Momiji Manju in Miyajima
Momiji Manju
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Iwamura Momijiya
From my research, they are one of the oldest shop, founded in the late Meiji era that sells momiji manju (bun shaped in a maple leaf), one of the icons of Miyajima.
They also keep it very traditional when comes to making their momiji manju, where many other stores experimented with other flavours, they kept to their roots and only make it with anko (adzuki bean).
Wrapping
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Actual Box
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Unboxing
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Actual Momiji Manju
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Momiji Manju (Tsubu-an)
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Momiji Manju (Tsubu-an)
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Momiji Manju (Koshi-an)
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Momiji Manju (Koshi-an)
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Momiji Manju - 10 pieces (¥1000)
We bought a box of 10, a mixture of 5 pieces each of Tsubu-an and Koshi-an.
Tsubu-an (粒あん) = There’s still the adzuki beans in the paste, more chunkiness/grainy feel
Koshi-an (こしあん) = Only the smooth paste
In short, if I could describe it will be similar to peanut butter. Tsubu-an will be the crunchy peanut butter, and Koshi-an will be the smooth peanut butter.
The ingredients used to make the paste are adzuki beans and white sugar from Hokkaido, and then the handmade paste is carefully made by boiling it down with time and effort.
The castella outer are made using domestic flour and fresh eggs, it has a nice fragrant and the bite in is soft, fluffy, and moist.
Taste: Can really feel the natural adzuki bean in the paste, not been overwhelmed by sugar. Example when you first bite into it, your first thought will be the adzuki bean taste and not just sweetness (ie. sugar).
Our personal opinion, we feel their paste is quite unique and done in a great way (mixing ratio, cooking method, etc.) because you can taste the natural adzuki bean. Compared to another Japanese dessert that contains anko, let’s say dorayaki. A typical mainstream dorayaki, when you bite into it, your first impression usually will feel it is sweet from the sugar, rather the actual natural adzuki bean taste.
Texture: Smooth paste.
Overall: The momiji manju is not too sweet for a dessert, has natural adzuki bean taste, soft and moist castella texture.
Rating: 3.25/5
Disclaimer: We only ate it the next day for our breakfast. I believe the taste and experience will be much better if you eat it on the spot when they just finish making it, when it is still warm and at its freshest.
Note: They have an expiry date of either 6 or 10 days, depending on the season (temperature), so for those who are thinking to buy as a souvenir back home, better to calculate your days properly.
Queuing
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Making of momiji manju
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Different amount of momiji manju boxes
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Other snacks
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Awards
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Packaging area
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Shop Front
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Noticeboard
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Shamoji
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
Leading to the shop
Iwamura Momijiya 岩村もみじ屋
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Address: 広島県 廿日市市 宮島町 中江町304-1
Opening Hours: 9am-5pm Thursday to Tuesday, close on Wednesday.
Payment Method: Cash
Website: http://iwamura-momijiya.com/ec/index.html
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/hiroshima/A3402/A340202/34001087/
(Last visited: November 2019)