It seems that food-hopping is quite the trend in Kamakura these days. Everywhere you look, there are tempting snacks and street foods. Even though I was already full after enjoying a bowl of shirasu-don, I found myself wanting to try something else as I strolled around. That’s when I came across a shop that really caught my eye along Komachi Koji.
And here it is — a place called Hana Meigetsu (花明月). They sell adorable skewers of mitarashi dango (sweet soy-glazed rice dumplings) and warabi mochi, neatly arranged in little containers.
So cute! You just can’t help but stop and take a look !
Here’s the menu. Mitarashi dango and warabi mochi skewers were ¥370 each. They also offer drinks and soft serve.
They have three types of Mitarashi. Normal, Shichimi (spicy) and Sesame. So, I decided to try the Shichimi Mitarashi. They grill the dumplings right in front of you after you order, so they’re served piping hot.
Now, can you guess which one’s the real deal?
At first, I thought it looked a little small, but once I picked it up, it actually felt quite heavy — each dumpling is big, and there are three on a skewer. As you can see, it’s drenched in mitarashi sauce — so much that it was practically overflowing! My hands got super sticky.
Freshly grilled, the mitarashi dango were incredibly soft and chewy — maybe even a bit too soft? It felt more like mochi than a traditional dumpling. The sauce was a nice balance of sweet and salty, with a spicy kick from the shichimi pepper.
There’s a little standing counter on the left side of the shop, and benches in the open-air passageway, so even though it’s sold as a street snack, you can actually sit or stand and enjoy it comfortably. I really liked that.
About
Name Hana Meigetsu (花明月)
Open Day through night
Credit card Unavailable
Google Map
From JR Kamakura Station, walk straight down Komachi Street. You’ll find the shop on the left-hand side — enter the open-air passageway between the buildings (this is “iZa”) and you’ll see it on your right.
