Spices of Tokyo
Japan's capital, where shichimi togarashi, a seven-flavour chilli blend, has been sold since the Edo period.
Traded and grown here
Best time: Year round.
Tokyo, once Edo, has old shops that sell shichimi togarashi, a Japanese blend of chilli, sansho, orange peel, sesame, hemp seed, nori and ginger. Japanese cooking uses spices sparingly but with care, including wasabi, sansho and mustard.
Spices and trade
Shichimi, or nanami togarashi, is sprinkled on noodles, soups and grilled food. Sansho, the Japanese prickly ash, gives a green scent and a light numbing effect and is a classic with grilled eel.
The place and its people
Shops in the old city, near Asakusa and Nihonbashi, grind blends to a customer's taste. Karashi mustard and wasabi are other pungent seasonings.
Visiting
Asakusa and Kappabashi Street are easy places to find spice shops, and many shops sell small tins as gifts.
A trail idea for Tokyo
- Asakusa Find a shichimi shop near Sensoji.
- Kappabashi Street Browse kitchen and food shops.
- Tsukiji Outer Market Look at wasabi and dried goods.
- A soba shop Add shichimi to noodles.
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Tokyo" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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