Autumn is the season of appetite. It is the time of year when many delicious foods are available. We went to Kasama City, which is the largest producer and cultivator of chestnuts in Japan, to enjoy chestnuts. Chestnuts can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. What kind of chestnuts can we find in Kasama City?

Starting from Kasama  Geijutsunomori Park

The theme of Kasama Geijutsunomori (forest of art) Park is “Traditional crafts and new formative arts.” Within the park grounds are Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of Ceramic Art and Kasama Prefectural College of Ceramic Art. In 2021, a skate park which is large enough to hold international skateboarding competitions opened.

During the Golden Week holiday season, many people visit the city for Himatsuri pottery festival, an event in which the potters of Kasama pottery gather to sell their wares.
There is a large parking lot, so start at Kasama Geijutsunomori Park and go cycling in search of chestnuts.

In the neighborhood, there is “Pottery Lane” with stores selling Kasama pottery and a gallery road.
It is a perfect town for the autumn season of art.

While riding in search of chestnuts, you will come across chestnut fields. Some chestnut trees are still new. Enjoy the scenery as you continue on your way.

KURINOIE SWEETS

KURINOIE SWEETS (house of chestnut sweets)is located Haji area, Kasama City, about 11km from Geijutsunomori Park. Many cars were already parked.

The café, which is a 130-year-old renovated private house, has a large garden and a quaint building, where a quiet time passes.
When I entered the shop, there was a line of people waiting to get in. There were cakes using seasonal fruits in the showcase, but some were sold out.

My favorite was “Atago’s Spill Mont Blanc.

Chestnut paste was piled up in a heap. I had to be careful not to let it fall off the spoon. One bite was just like chestnuts themselves. The aroma and sweetness of chestnuts filled my mouth. It was very delicious.
It is very popular, so it would be better to visit the store early.

After tasting the Mont Blanc, we went to our next destination.

Odaki Shoten

Odaki Shoten specializes in chestnuts from Iwama.
Iwama refers to the former Iwama Town, which merged with Iwama Town, Tomobe Town, and Kasama City in 2006 to form the current Kasama City.

There was a cute monument made of stone.

A big doll in front of the store is moving left and right. It is cute.

When you enter the shop, you can smell the good aroma of chestnuts.
In the showcase, there are chestnut paste, candied chestnuts, and kurikinton (mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnuts). There are also roasted chestnuts, ice cream, and many other chestnut-based products.

I bought a frozen chestnut okowa(steamed glutinous rice), “Poro-chan okowa”. It only needs to be heated in the microwave for about 3minutes.

The large chestnuts in the pack are of the “Porotan” variety from Ibaraki Prefecture.
There were several large chestnuts in the pack. It was very delicious and flaky. I ate them in no time.

Aiki Marron, roasted chestnuts from Kasama

Next, we went to Aiki Marron for roasted chestnuts.

When I entered the store, I found a variety of products on the shelves, such as sweets, okowa with chestnuts, and curry using chestnuts.

I purchased a large roasted chestnut called “Aiki Marron”.

They were about the size of a ping pong ball.
Aiki Marron chestnuts are grown in a very particular way.
It was good to eat it warm, but I could feel the gentle sweetness of the chestnut as it was.

Oven-baked chestnut pizza was also available outside the store. I am curious to try it next time.

On the way, we also found a chestnut field near National Route355. It is a nice scenery.

Roadside Station Kasama

Michi-no-Eki Kasama (Road Station Kasama) opened near Tomobe Interchange on Kita-Kanto Expressway in September 2021. It is crowded with many people every day.

There were also bike racks. It is easy to use a bicycle in a crowded place.
We went to “Tsukemen Ramen Katsuryu” in the food court of the roadside station.

I ordered a dandan noodle with Kasama chestnuts and sesame seeds. At first glance, there were no chestnuts, but the secret was in the soup.
When I tasted it, the aroma of sesame matched the sweetness of the chestnuts. It is not so strong, so I recommend you to eat it slowly.
I never thought that ramen and chestnuts would match. I enjoyed it very much.

Stone Oven Forest Bakery

This bakery has a cute Western-style exterior along Gallery Road.

There are bike racks and tables outside. They make bread using local ingredients.

Chestnut-shaped chestnut bean buns. There is a whole chestnut inside. It is made with chestnut candied from Odaki Shoten.

The form is quite lovely.
I ate it at home as a souvenir, and although it was the size of the palm of my hand, it was satisfying and very delicious.

Course Introduction

▼Kasama Geijutsunomori Park
https://www.city.kasama.lg.jp/page/page000122.html

▼Roadside Station Kasama
https://digjapan.travel/en/blog/id=12515

Summary

Each shop we visited showed us their ingenuity and desire to let people enjoy chestnuts in various ways.
There are many things that I could not introduce, but I felt the power of chestnuts in this pottering tour, whether you enjoy chestnuts as they are or find chestnuts that you cannot find anywhere else.

Although we mainly went pottering in Iwama area, you can enjoy chestnut sweets in the town where Kasama Inari Shrine is located, so you may want to extend your visit.
You can taste chestnuts that you have never encountered before. We hope you enjoy your trip to find your favorite chestnut!