Hello, this is the staff of The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa.

Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan. Kyoto has flourished as the center of Japan for a long time, from the establishment of Heian-kyo over 1,200 years ago to the transfer of the capital to Tokyo in the Meiji era (1868-1912).

Did you know that Kyoto is home to Japan’s only jowawamono or arare, a kind of food offered to the Imperial Household? This time, we would like to introduce you to Souzen, a confectioner who has passed down the finest arare to the Imperial Household in 2025.

Who is Souzen, a confectioner in Nishijin, Kyoto?

Souzen Yamamoto, the owner of Souzen, is the only craftsman in Japan who produces Jouwazamono Arare, a title reserved for only those Arare with the highest level of skill and taste.

From the royal Jouwazamono Arare Kame, which is presented to the Imperial Household, to Italian Arare, a creative arare that blends Japanese and Western flavors, to the Kyo no Arare Chocolat Kinran, a coffee and chocolate coated arare, to the Skewered Warabi, a chewy rice cake made from glutinous rice that is also used for arare. They have a wide range of products, including novelties.

From gifts for celebrations to products to enjoy at home, you can find the perfect product to meet your various needs.

What is arare in the first place?

Arare is a type of rice cracker made from glutinous rice. Some other types of snacks made from glutinous rice include okaki, and senbei, which is made from Uruchi rice.

According to one theory, arare originated from the Kagamimochi (mirror-shaped rice cake) offered to the gods at New Year’s, which was crushed and roasted in a pot, and has been valued as a noble confectionery where the flavor of rice can be tasted.

Arare is said to have come to be known as “arare” because of the sound it makes when roasted or because its size, resembles “arare” (hail), while okaki is larger.

They have a unique Japanese cultural background of savoring the flavor of rice. Today, arare has been produced in a variety of textures and shapes, and some of them are known as snacks and mass-produced in a short period of time and process.

However, Souzen continues to take the time and effort to pursue the “real arare”. Here we introduce Souzen’s passion for making arare.

History of Souzen

Souzen Yamamoto is the fourth-generation heir to a long-established arare store in Osaka that has been in business for over 100 years. Growing up with his father’s passion for making arare, Mr. Yamamoto felt at times that the time was not worth it, seeing his father spend all his time and energy making arare. However, as he became more and more devoted to making arare, he began to think that he wanted to pursue real arare and pass it on to the next generation.

In 2000, he established Kyoto Nishijin Confectionery Souzen in Nishijin, Kyoto, where the value of authenticity is most valued, in order to share the techniques passed down from generation to generation with as many people as possible. Since then, we have been loved by many people in Nishijin and Kyoto for more than 20 years.

“Thanks to the support of our customers, we have been able to inherit from our predecessors the secrets and secrets of the artisan’s technique, which can only be passed down to one person from generation to generation, and to become the only top craftsman in Japan.“
He is said to have the character of a craftsman who values living his life in his own way and never changes his mind once he starts to say something. It seems that he has somehow inherited his predecessor’s temperament, who insisted on making arare (laugh).
He now has a family of four, including his wife, eldest daughter, and eldest son. We will continue to devote ourselves to making arare, and will continue to stick to the two words of “culture” rather than just pandering to the times.

From the official website of Souzen, a confectioner in Nishijin, Kyoto

The carefully created Jouwazamono Arare Turtle.

Each arare is decorated with a beautiful pattern. Since ancient times, they have been highly prized as guest of honor and gift confections.

It takes about 10 days to make this Jouwazamono Arare Kame. From the rice washing process to the final drying process, the rice is sorted five times before it is delivered to the customer.

Souzen products are made with love and time and are a must-have product that can be enjoyed both visually and in taste.

The most important ingredient for making arare is the best rice. One would think that Souzen would be making the best rice in their own rice fields, but they do not have their own rice fields. The reason for this is that if the rice grown by the company has a bad harvest, the company has to use the rice from that bad harvest. Every year, the owner personally goes out to look for the best rice available that year and uses it based on his many years of experience and intuition.

The owner, Souzen Yamamoto, is particular about both the ingredients and the production process of the rice crackers, which have a crispy texture but retain all the flavor of the rice.

Access from The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa

The Nishijin Main Store is a 35-40 minute bus ride from The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa. The store is located in Nishijin, Kyoto, a traditional textile town.

■Route 1: Using bus (City route 46)

The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa ⇒ (5 min. on foot) ⇒ Bus stop Shijo-Kawaramachi Take bus 46 bound for Senbondori and Kamigamo Shrine ⇒ (approx. 25 min.) ⇒ Get off at Kenryu-ko-mae bus stop ⇒ (5 min. on foot) ⇒ Arrival

Route 2: By bus (City-route 12)

The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa ⇒ (5 min. walk) ⇒ Bus stop Shijo-Kawaramachi Take the municipal line 12 bound for Kinkakuji/ Ritsumeikan University ⇒ (approx. 23 min.) ⇒ Bus stop Horikawa-Teranouchi ⇒ (7 min. walk) ⇒ Arrival

There is also another Kyoto Souzen in Kyoto City, located in the Porta underground shopping mall in front of Kyoto Station, known as the Kyoto Souzen Kyoto Station Branch.

Staff Recommendations

The staff of The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa actually visited the store and tasted some of the recommended products.

Jouwazamono Arare Kame

First, let us introduce Jouwazamono Arare Kame, which is synonymous with Souzen.

As we mentioned earlier, it takes 10 days to produce this superb product. The luxurious packaging is sure to raise your expectations before you open the package.

When you open the package, you will find four different flavors in the shape of a turtle: Kyoto sansho, Hiden soy sauce, miso soy sauce, and yuzu miso arare. They all look very delicious.

Finally, open the seal and enjoy!

Look at this beautiful pattern. The closer you look at it, the more you will be impressed by the skillful and well-calculated technique that only confectioner Souzen could have achieved. Of course, the taste is also of the highest quality. The flavor of the rice, the aroma of the soy sauce and miso, and the texture are all wonderful. However, the beautiful shape of the turtle may make you hesitate for a moment before eating it, which is a characteristic of this Jouwazamono Arare Turtle. It’s almost too beautiful to eat.

Kushi-Warabi

Kushi-warabi is very popular as a new texture of warabi mochi. Originally, warabi mochi is made from warabi flour, which contains a lot of water. Therefore, if the product is baked for a long time, the water will be absorbed and the texture will deteriorate, making it a product that does not last long. However, Souzen’s skewered warabi are made from glutinous rice used for rice crackers, which locks in moisture and extends the shelf life to 90 days after production.

There are seven flavors to choose from: Wazuka hojicha, chocolate, kinako (soybean flour), sakura, Wazuka matcha (powdered green tea), Kyoto Mizuo yuzu, and black sesame. The packages are so cute and full of Kyoto’s character that you will want to collect them all.

Let’s open the package and see what’s inside!

There are three adorable warabi mochi on each skewer. They are bite-size warabi mochi, which makes them perfect to eat as a snack.

The chewy texture of the skewered warabi mochi, which is the result of their skill in producing high-quality arare, is a very popular item among the staff at The Gate Hotel Kyoto Takasegawa. We highly recommend that you try them when you visit Kyoto!

Italian Arare

We recommend Italian Arare for those who like to have dinner at home. This product, made with Italian taste ingredients, is so delicious that once you start eating it, you cannot stop. The arare is perfect with wine, beer, sake, or even green tea or coffee.

There are four flavors available: parmesan cheese tomato, Ikasmi olive oil, basil spinach, and garlic butter corn. At 270 yen per bag, they are reasonably priced, so it is recommended that you try them all to compare the different flavors.

After much deliberation, I decided to purchase the basil spinach flavor this time. The package is cute and makes me excited to eat it.

Let’s open the package. This time, I’m going to enjoy them with a glass of wine!

The crispy, crunchy texture of the rice flavor and the delicious aroma of basil and spinach. This combination is so delicious that you won’t be able to stop eating it with wine.

Red and White Turtle-shaped Rice Cake

Kohaku Kikkou Mochi (turtle shell rice cake) is a rice cake with a red and white color for good luck. The incisions are made to the nearest few millimeters to form the shape of a tortoise as it bakes. If the incision is too deep or too shallow, the rice cake will not be baked into a beautiful turtle shape. This is a perfect product for celebratory gifts because it makes full use of the skills of a master craftsman.

This time, we were able to enjoy the red and white turtle-shaped rice cakes baked by the owner, Mr. Souzen Yamamoto himself. First, please take a look at the thin rice cake before baking.

The rice cake is placed on the net and baked. The red and white rice cakes are beautiful even before they are baked. When you enjoy it at home, you can easily bake them in a toaster oven.

After a few dozen seconds, the rice cake begins to puff up little by little. You can enjoy just watching it puff up.

After another few dozen seconds, as you can see, it has transformed into a beautiful turtle shape! This bulge is made possible by the careful incisions made every few millimeters.

And finally, it’s done! The baked rice cake is eaten as it is. This time, we enjoyed it with secret soy sauce at the Souzen Cafe located in the Souzen Confectionary Shop. This secret soy sauce is indispensable for making arare, has been passed down from generation to generation, and is also used in Jouwazamono Arare Kame. This deep soy sauce flavor accelerates the deliciousness of the Kohaku Kikko-Mochi.

The rice cake is fun to bake, impressive to look at, and delicious to eat.

Store Information

As mentioned above, in addition to the main Nishijin store, Kyoto Nishijin Souzen also has a store near Kyoto Station in Kyoto City and several stores in Osaka Prefecture. In addition to the products introduced here, there are many other delicious products that we would like to recommend. Check out a store near you on your next trip.

If you are unable to visit Kyoto, we recommend their online store. You can purchase a wide variety of products online, including Jouwazamono Arare Kame and other products available in their stores.

If you register as a member, you can enjoy even greater savings, so we recommend it for those who prefer to enjoy shopping at home.

Please note that it may take up to a month for delivery, as products are carefully crafted over a long period of time. We recommend that you place your order well in advance.

*Please contact the store directly for the latest information on business hours, holidays, etc.

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