Shirozakeya: Fresh Mugwort Mochi on Hasedera's Approach
Taste two fresh yomogi mochi styles and trace a former brewer's move into Nara pickles.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Shirozakeya: Fresh Mugwort Mochi on Hasedera's Approach
Shirozakeya began as a sake maker on Hasedera's temple-town approach in 1875 and now makes fresh mugwort rice cakes and Nara-zuke pickles. Its own history links the mochi to a wartime family response to scarce sweets, while the sake-house name survives even though the firm says it no longer brews. The operator's company address is 746 Hase. An English prefectural entry for the mochi shop instead says 728-8; this guide maps the operator's address and treats the second point as unverified rather than presenting two confirmed independent shops.
Choose between two kinds of kusa-fuku mochi
The maker uses young mugwort, rice flour and a hand-pounded dough. Its 'oyaki' version wraps coarse azuki paste and is browned on an iron plate; its green version encloses smooth paste by hand. The useful distinction is flavour and texture, not a made-up demonstration: the operator says the mochi is hand-made but does not advertise a visitor workshop. Buy from the counter and check the day's stock and ingredients directly.
Do not plan to ship the fresh mochi home
The operator explicitly says its additive-free kusa-fuku mochi has a short shelf life and cannot be shipped to distant regions. This matters to an international visitor more than an online catalogue price: purchase it for prompt eating during the trip, not as a suitcase gift for several days later. Confirm the same-day storage advice and any allergen information with staff. Its Nara-zuke products, separately sold online, have different packaging and delivery conditions.
Understand the former sake connection
The business says its sign first went up in 1875 as a maker of white sake, seishu and mirin. It no longer brews, but its Nara-zuke uses a sweet mirin-lees mixture and repeated hand pickling. That makes a comparison between a fresh sweet and a savoury preserved food possible at one maker. A website listing for alcohol sales is not evidence of an operating brewery tour, and the current shop should not be advertised as a place to watch sake-making.
Use the operator's address and verify today's closure
The operator's company page gives 746 Hase, 10:00–17:00, with 09:00 opening in busy seasons and irregular closing days. A separate business-profile page gives Friday closure and a 09:00 opening, while the prefectural mochi directory marks 728-8. These listings cannot all be treated as one verified shop schedule or doorway. Call 0744-47-7988 before a special trip, search the operator's 746 address, then follow current signs on Hasedera's approach.
What to look for
Two fresh yomogi mochi textures: browned coarse-bean and green smooth-bean
1875 brewing origin and present Nara-zuke pickles
Temple-town food stop with a short-shelf-life treat
Photo notes
No mochi, pickle, storefront or production image is licensed for MyNara. Ask before photographing the counter, products, staff or other customers; do not copy maker or tourism photographs.
Make a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.