Miyagi Prefecture’s most famous specialty is Zunda Mochi. Such simple ingredients make it completely understandable if the dessert underwhelms you before you taste it. But there is a mochi shop in Sendai selling Zunda Mochi that people would still queue up for! The mild Zunda Mochi served at Murakamiya Mochiten (村上屋餅店) is different from that at other places. Even those who don’t usually like the dessert found it delicious!
What Is Zunda Mochi?
So what is this weirdly green dessert?
The traditional dessert is called Zunda Mochi (ずんだ餅). It is basically plain mochi rice cake with sweetened mashed green soybeans poured over.
The process of hitting and crushing the beans is called Zuda (豆打). So initially, the dessert was probably called Zuda Mochi. But over time, the pronunciation slightly varied, and it is now commonly known as Zunda, at least since the 16th century.
People in Sendai are so proud of the Zunda Mochi that Date Masamune showcased Zunda Mochi to Toyotomi Hideyoshi!
About Murakamiya Mochiten
It is no wonder that the shop can make such mouthwatering desserts. The owner’s ancestor was responsible for the Date clan’s dessert-making!
The secret to Murakamiya Mochiten’s delicious Zunda Mochi is how the sweetened bean paste is prepared. Before the beans are mashed, the staff would remove the thin, transparent skin covering each bean one by one. Although it is a time-consuming process, it is Murakamiya Mochiten’s way of showing respect to its customers.
Furthermore, Murakamiya Mochiten doesn’t make many mochi rice cakes at once. They will wait until they are nearly out of rice cakes before making more, so you can enjoy the freshest mochi rice cake!
Therefore, the shop is determined to provide the best dining experience for those willing to come in and pay to enjoy this simple dish.
What to Order at Murakamiya Mochiten
Zunda Mochi isn’t the only thing on the menu, of course! The most popular dine-in menu is the Sanshoku Mochi (三色餅). When we ate at Murakamiya Mochiten, 80% of those who sat around us ordered it.
In addition to their signature Zunda Mochi, the Sanshoku Mochi comes with two other flavors, black sesame and walnuts. The black sesame and walnut pastes are sweeter than the green bean paste.
Murakami Mohciten purposely reduced the sugar used to make “Zunda” so you can enjoy the beans’ original taste. The other reason for making a less-sweet Zunda is to achieve a good balance among the three flavors.
Besides the mochi rice cake, there will also be a small plate of pickled vegetables called Shinko (新香). The savory pickled vegetables in the bottom-right of the photo play the same role as the coffee beans placed next to perfumes, resetting your senses. Before you try another flavor, remember to eat some pickles!
Tips:
☛ You can request the shop to replace the topping on the Sanshoku Mochi with red bean paste. It is also possible to have two mochi rice cakes with the same flavor, and the other with a different topping.
☛ Remember to take preventive measures against sunburn if you plan to head there in summer, especially on a weekend or public holiday. You may need to queue under the sun for more than 30 minutes to dine in.
Our Visit to Murakami Mochiten
We got to Murakami Mochiten on a Sunday. There were already several groups of people waiting outside, which worried us. Fortunately, most people were takeaway customers, so we didn’t have to wait long to be seated!
Per the second photo in the Instagram post, there are two signs in front of Murakamiya Mochiten. The red sign indicates where you queue if you plan to order takeaways. If you want to dine in, queue in front of the blue sign.
After we sat down, the staff quickly took our orders. As we waited for our desserts to be served, we were amazed by the number of celebrities’ autobiographies and letters of appreciation on the wall. There was also a photo of the shop when it opened in 1877.
Besides what is on the cafe menu, there are a couple more traditional sweets on the display shelf, which you can order to dine in as well.
To try something different, we ordered a Sanshoku mochi and an Ozenzai (sweet red bean soup) with rice cakes. Both were great, but I loved the Sanshoku mochi much more, since red beans aren’t on my list of favorite foods.
The sauce poured over the rice cakes was so smooth that we wanted to lick the plate!
Murakamiya Mochiten’s Business Hours and Access Information
- Murakamiya Mochiten is open from 9 am to 6 pm from Thursday to Sunday.
- The last order is taken at 5:45 pm.
- From Sendai Station’s (仙台駅) west exit, it is around a 15-minute walk.
- From Sendai Subway’s Itsutsubashi Station (五橋駅), it is around a 5-minute walk.
Discover Other Fantastic Attractions in Sendai
You might not be aware of it, but Sendai, the Tōhoku region‘s biggest city, receives more than 20 million tourists each year!
So if you want to find out how Sendai managed to attract so many visitors, refer to our article on Sendai, which is filled with historical, cultural, and natural attractions (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ.
