"Yawata Hashirii Mochi Long-established Store" (Yawata, Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture) is located in front of the gate of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine. Founded in 1764 in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, and since moving to its current location in 1910, it has been entertaining worshipers with its famous confectionery, "Hashirii Mochi.'' Kanae Iguchi (40 years old) will run the restaurant as the next 11th generation owner, preserving the traditional flavors.
After she graduated from university, she worked at a hospital as a registered dietitian. She took over the family business when she was 25 years old. Since she is the eldest daughter, she says with a laugh, "I've always known that she would take over the store. There was no particular dramatic reason.''
In the past, she was able to get through the year with the income from New Year's Day, which was a busy time for New Year's pilgrimages. However, the number of her worshipers decreased year by year, and when she took over her family business, sales were significantly decreasing. In order to expand her business, she created new menus such as Monaka and expanded the dining space.
She has also created sweets in collaboration with the local community. She said, "This is a shop that has been running in Yawata for over 110 years.I wanted to make it useful as a confectionery shop.'' In the summer, they sell shaved ice made with locally grown pears and strawberries. She revived "Inoko Mochi,'' a rice cake handed down at the nearby Zenpoji Temple, based on materials, and also devised a dessert based on the quarter-cut box of "Shokado bento,'' which originated in Yawata.
Management is not the only thing we care about. "First of all, I want many people to know about Yawata,'' she says, and has been disseminating tourist information and local events for 15 years. She updates her Instagram and other social media accounts every day, and proudly says, "There are so many wonderful places and so much history. I don't have any trouble finding things to write about.''
She will serve as a guide for city walks, and will be working as a member of the Yawata City Tourism Association's "Yawata City Tourism Support Group'', which will be working to promote attractions and other activities since she was appointed in 2022. She is enthusiastic, saying, "It's a town that still has a lot of room for growth.We want to bring back its liveliness by increasing the number of people who visit.''
