To the Mecca of Shizuoka Oden: The Place to Enjoy Oden and Sake! - Aoba Oden-gai Kotaro -

When it comes to the cold season,
it has to be oden and sake, right?

So, after walking through the tea fields, today I have come to the Mecca of Shizuoka Oden, an oden street near Shizuoka Station.

It's about a 15-minute walk from Shizuoka Station.
There are two famous oden streets across the main road (National Route 362): "Aoba Oden-gai" and "Aoba Yokocho." The names are confusing... Street and Alley...

A Shizuoka Oden shop I've always wanted to visit.
Coming from Aichi Prefecture, the Shizuoka Station area is so close that I never stay overnight.

This time, I booked a room nearby and am fully prepared.

Plastic models

Shizuoka is also famous as a city of plastic models.
The hotel information board looks like this too.

◇◇

Now, the shop our "Nagu-Nagu Gang" chose today is "Kotaro" in Aoba Oden-gai.

Enter the alley from Aoba-dori Avenue, and it's a few shops down on the right.

The interior is cozy. You can seat two people on the short side of the L-shaped counter and four on the long side facing the back. Well, if you try hard, you could fit two or three more.
And there is a sake refrigerator on the wall at the back of the counter seating area. If you sit at the very back, you get appointed as the sake server (lol).

Soaked in Red Star

They had Sapporo Red Star bottled beer.
The reliable Red Star. A shop that carries this beer is a shop with high standards; you can't go wrong.

Cheers!

Immediately, I ordered oden.
Starting from the bottom left: black hanpen, shiro-yaki, daikon radish, and egg.

Ah!!
I forgot to sprinkle the magic powder.

Shizuoka oden is not complete without a sprinkle of dashi powder. This shop provides three types of powder cans: dashi powder, green laver (aonori), and a mix of both. Help yourself to your preference! I personally like plenty of dashi powder with a little bit of green laver.

Oden soaked in a broth made from beef tendon and bonito flakes,
with a refreshing flavor that belies its dark appearance.

The unfamiliar 'shirayaki' is made by grinding and kneading cod white meat and mountain yam (according to the landlady), a first-time oden ingredient for me. It's sticky, well-soaked, and delicious.

Tongue-twister Sake

If you love sake,
try asking the landlady, 'What kind of sake do you have?'

'Isojiman, Kikuyoi, Kokko, Setsugetsu, Hatsukame, Kaiun, Hakuin Masamune, and Garyubai!'

Huh!?
If you understood all the brand names from the landlady's tongue-twister,
you've passed the Shizuoka Sake Certification. Haha.

The correct answers are
'Isojiman, Kikuyoi, Kokko, Setsugetsu, Hatsukame, Kaiun, Hakuin Masamune, and Garyubai.'

I try a brand I've never had before, 'Kokko'.
Since it's a small brewery, it doesn't circulate much outside the prefecture.

It has a sharp taste,
making it a 'hard-boiled' choice among the many soft sakes of Shizuoka. Ossu!

Fried and High

To pair with the sharp sake,

I order fried foods:
black hanpen and ham cutlet.

Piping hot, blowing on it to cool it down,
dipped in sauce while freshly fried.
Made with fresh breadcrumbs, it's fluffy, crispy, and well-soaked.
My spirits are lifted too.

Empty Seats

The family who had been serving as the 'sake attendants' leaves.

Immediately, a young person arrives to take their place.
I've been appointed as the sake attendant again.
Apparently, they came all the way from Yokohama alone.

Self-service

Recently, I was chatting with a younger colleague at work and was surprised by something.
It was the reason they choose self-service gas stations.

It's not

because it's cheaper.

It's because interacting with the staff is stressful.

That's what they said.
I don't feel like you have that much small talk at a gas station. Even so, the idea that talking to a complete stranger is exhausting...

When I was young, I wasn't good at making conversation at restaurants either, but it seems I've built up an immunity through my travels. And through the COVID-19 pandemic, I realized the joy of being able to rub shoulders and have a lively time with complete strangers.

It's a deep space, but one where you can immerse yourself in the Showa era.
I hope you enjoy the conversation with the landlady and the regulars.

The dirtier one

Ordering more
Clockwise from the top: Fuwa (lung), Warazori (deep-fried tofu), and Sakura shrimp tempura.

This time, I didn't forget the magic powder.
"Fuwa" is beef offal (lung), and as the name suggests, it was fluffy and a texture I'd never experienced before.

A moment ago, a pair of middle-aged men who came in quite tipsy were talking to someone on their mobile phone using the speakerphone. It seemed they were telling the other person which shop they were at.
"Which one are you at?"
"The dirtier one?"
"Yeah, that's the one."

The landlady couldn't help but chime in,
"The 'dirtier one'? How rude!"

Watching exchanges like this is also fun.

Next

I chose Hakuin Masamune and Isojiman.

Hakuin Masamune is a sake brewery that has recently switched to producing only junmai sake. They have abolished the addition of brewer's alcohol. It is a brewery that is gaining popularity, especially in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Among what I drank this time, this was my personal favorite. It has a nice acidity and richness, making it perfect for fish-based oden!

Isojiman is, well, consistently delicious. It really is good.
It is a brand that is hard to find in Aichi Prefecture, so I am grateful to be able to enjoy it.

Finally,
Atsuage (thick fried tofu) and chikuwabu, with plenty of magic powder.

Conversations with various people, along with oden and sake.

On the way back to the hotel, both my heart and body were full and warm.

Next time, I will bring you a trip filled with trains and abandoned lines in Shizuoka,
full of iron-rich content.
Look forward to it!


( To be continued... )

For those who want to try a sip of Isojiman,
and for those who want to try eating deep-sea fish, click here.