Akebono Sembei in Ginza 銀座のあけぼの

Ginza Akebono 銀座あけぼの
Chuo-ku, Ginza 5-7-19
03-3571-3640
9:00 – 21:00, until 20:00 on Sunday
www.ginza-akebono.co.jp/ (Japanese)

Akebono, the very small store, has an interesting assortment of modern sembei that include cheese, almonds, and pine nuts. There is also temaki natto (dried natto wrapped in nori), and an uni sen (uni flavored sembei). And some unusual styles like genkotsu sembei that are very tough and hard to chew. Akebono also has a wide assortment of wagashi including a kuri monaka (monaka with a chestnut inside), dorayaki, and manju. Akebono has shops in most depachika. The shop in Ginza is located just behind the corner police box (koban). If you are lucky and come in the spring you can try the ichigo daifuku, a whole strawberry surrounded by azuki and wrapped in delicate mochi (sticky rice).

These photos taken in the spring show green apricots and one of my favorites, mame daifuku, azuki paste surrounded with mochi that is studded with black beans.