March 22, 2025 Japanese Confectionery Shop That's Witnessed History for Over a Millennium
© 安岡喜晴 (JoyShine)
Today, we visited a wagashi shop which has been in business for more than one thousand years.
We cycled along Horikawa Street to the north, and after we passed Kitaoji Street, I noticed a sign Imamiya, so I turned left onto Imamiya Street.
After a short ride on Imamiya Street, we reached the shop.
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More than one thousand years ago, people might have lived in the dark, relying on oil lamps, followed seasonal hours,
confronted smallpox and other epidemic diseases with prayers rather than medicines,
avoided walking along the street at night for fear of bandits, travelling far could cost them their life.
That was the time without electric lights, antibiotics, or cotton underwear and they took it for granted and managed to survive the era,
and I was really really impressed because inside this shop, I could feel the stories of people who managed to survive the period,
and also it was amazing to think that this small shop has lasted from that era. And more surprisingly, it has never moved from here, as this shop was recorded in an old book from that era.
The United States of America was founded about 250 years ago.
The Han Dynasty lasted for about 400 years.
The Qing Dynasty lasted for about 300 years.
Even the current British royal family spans about 300 years, from Hanover (1714) to Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1901) and now Windsor (renamed in 1917).
The oldest university in the world, the University of Bologna in Italy, has existed for about 930 years.
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This shop has been here for more than 1000 years, much longer than those, although it is a private shop, handed down from generation to generation, family to family, not a large corporation.
When you enter the shop, you will feel as if you are stepping into history.
You will feel a sense of unity with the people who have spun the thread of time for more than 1000 years, and your heart will be filled with emotion.
