When Japanese people think of Nagano, they first think of the Zenkoji temple, one of the country’s most important Buddhist shrines and the historical centre of the city. Europeans tend to associate Nagano with the 1998 Winter Olympics, but Nagano is also home to a red tin with almost 300 years of history. The spice shop Yawataya Isogoro, located directly on Nakamise-dori, the shopping street in front of the temple, is open every day and is the busiest shop in the area.
Between the temple gate and the spice rack
Two large chilli peppers flank the entrance, which exudes a spicy, warm and lemony aroma. Only then do the tins catch the eye – hundreds of them, in different sizes, red on red, gold on red, special editions for a regional train, neatly stacked on wooden shelves. It quickly becomes clear: Shichimi is not just any product here. It is the product – since 1736.
The beginnings of Yawataya Isogoro
The story of Yawataya Isogoro does not begin with a cook or spice merchant, but with Kan’emon Muroga, a trader in hemp and washi paper. Whilst travelling to Edo, now Tokyo, he discovered Shichimi Togarashi, a spice blend that was popular in the capital at the time. Recognising its potential, he brought it to Nagano and began selling it on the grounds of the Zenkoji temple. The region was perfect for growing six of the seven ingredients. Only the dried mandarin peel, the flavoured Unshu Mikan, had to be imported from Kansai.
The perfect souvenir
Kan’emon’s sales location was cleverly chosen: The Zenkoji temple still attracts pilgrims from all over Japan to this day. Shichimi, with its long shelf life and compact size, was an ideal souvenir even back then – light, robust and flavourful. It spread across the country almost by itself. Kan’emon’s son Gozaemon later travelled to Edo to perfect the art of making it and brought the knowledge back to Shinshu. Since then, the recipe has been passed down through nine generations of the Muroga family – refined but never fundamentally changed. Today, Yawataya Isogoro is one of the three oldest and best-known shichimi houses in Japan.
Seven ingredients, one flavour
Shichimi means “seven flavours”, Togarashi stands for red chilli. What sounds simple is an art. The exact recipe for Yawataya Isogoro remains a secret, but the basic ingredients are known. Their combination results in a flavour that tastes unmistakably of Shinshu, the old name of Nagano Prefecture, and its mountains.
Togarashi, the medium-hot chilli pepper, forms the basis without dominating. Sansho, the Japanese pepper, grows wild in the mountains and tingles on the tongue. Dried mandarin peel adds freshness and depth. Black sesame provides a nutty note and anchors the other flavours. Hemp seeds are reminiscent of the region’s traditional hemp cultivation. Dried shiso, green and tangy, evokes summer in the mountains. Ginger, spicy and warm, is the characteristic ingredient of the Shinshu blend.
Nakasendo and shinshu soba – one unit
The Nakasendo, the old trade route between Edo and Kyoto, runs through the heart of Nagano Prefecture. Along the route you will find restaurants and inns that look as if the Edo period has never passed: Wooden houses, paper doors, stone floors and low tables. On every tray of cold soba noodles is a red tin of Yawataya Isogoro. The connection between shichimi and soba also goes back to the Edo period. Back then, the ingredients, especially chilli, were considered to be medicinal – warming and stimulating the circulation. Nagano, Japan’s leading soba region, offers ideal conditions for buckwheat with its cool mountain air and nutrient-rich soil. Shinshu soba is considered to be particularly flavourful and delicate. And soba without shichimi? As unthinkable in Nagano as pasta without parmesan in Italy.
In a small restaurant on Nakasendo, the noodles come cold, with dashi broth for dipping. The chef points to the red tin. I open it and smell ginger, citrus notes and pepper. The tin may be fiery red, but the shichimi is orange with yellow speckles. I add it to the soba noodles in the broth. The seasoning gives the noodles contour and turns a simple dish into something complete.
Your own shichimi mix
Back in the main shop on Daimon-cho, just five minutes away from the temple gate, a special experience awaits: your own shichimi mix. A menu card and the patient staff help with the selection. I opt for yuzu, the Asian citrus fruit, as a top note, along with shiso and sansho. We choose, consider and discuss: more sansho, less chilli, with yuzu, without chimpi, with sesame or almost without? Behind the counter, the spices shine in stainless steel containers, the employees mix the smallest quantities with the precision of perfumers. At the end, they pour the mixture into the iconic red tin. It’s a ritual, not a tourist gimmick – the seriousness with which spices are discussed here is palpable.
Shichimi spice gelato, shichimi cakes and spicy macarons are served in the Yokomachi café next door. The spiciness of the chilli, the warmth of the ginger, the citrus note of the tangerine peel – it all harmonises surprisingly well with chocolate, cheese and fruit. If you can’t make it to Nagano, you can also find the red tins in the souvenir shops along the Nakasendo. Each tin contains two small sachets of the spice mix – another sign of quality awareness.
More episodes from Japan
Spiritual, culinary, fascinating. On our trip through the Japanese prefectures of Wakayama, Mie and Nagano as well as the cities of Osaka, Nara and the Hakone region, we hiked pilgrimage routes and ancient trade routes, bathed in hot springs and drifted through the street food streets of Osaka. There is no way around octopus there – especially not a takoyaki, the legendary dough ball with a tiny piece of octopus inside. In Tanabe, another world opens up: that of Umeshu, the amber-coloured plum liqueur, the nuances of which you can get to know in a small bar. If you can still walk afterwards, it is best to head straight for the famous Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route – and if you want to do it in style, wear a kimono. Yunomine Onsen is home to the oldest onsen in Japan, where hot water has been bubbling up from the earth for 1800 years for cooking, bathing and relaxing. You can learn about the history of the ama, the women of the sea, their tradition and their endangered craft in Mie. If you are looking for a souvenir, you can choose an oyster in Ise-Shima. You can only find out what’s inside at the Pearl Picking. The somewhat quirky bag charm culture, in which soft toys dangle from bags, is a nationwide phenomenon.
The research trip was supported by Go Nagano
