Harashimaya Sohonke
Founded in 1857, this is the original home of yakimanju, the soul food of Gunma Prefecture, with roughly 170 years of history. The secret house-made sauce of red miso and coarse sugar is applied 5-6 times by hand over charcoal for each order. The 5th-generation proprietor's philosophy—'We don't grill the dough; we bake the sauce into it'—has been passed down through generations. Chewy manju at an astonishing 240 yen, with a sweet-salty sauce, draws visitors from outside the prefecture who refuse to miss out on the real thing.
"A long-established shop you absolutely must visit when in Gunma." "This flavor at just 240 yen per stick is truly unbelievable." "The chewy dough soaked in sweet-salty sauce—you can eat stick after stick." "Busy on weekends but worth the wait." "The real yakimanju that every Gunma local knows."