Funawa Asakusa 舟和 浅草: "Imo" that won't make you Emo

There are few sweet potato specialists in Asakusa and Funawa 舟和 is probably the most famous shop and oldest imo yokan shop in Tokyo (since 1902). Most tourists might have tried the imo yokan soft serve ice cream at its outlet along Nakamise Dori towards the temple direction but do you know that it operates a Wagashi area as well? 

Tucked off the busy main street is its main outlet that houses a cafe on the 2nd and 3rd floor. Most people come here for kakigori or anmitsu during summer. Since Funawa is famous for its sweet potato sweets, it has introduced its very own Matcha Sweet Potato Parfait (900 yen) 

Though the star is the creamy matcha soft serve, one can dig out several pieces of its signature yokan, together with bitter matcha jelly cubes and two types of Satsuma imo senbei (see that yellow and purple "ears" of the parfait?)
  

The signature yokan (a kind of traditional condensed bean paste) has been on sales since 1903. It does not contain any preservatives nor artificial flavoring. Still, I found it too sweet but it did pair very well with tea. 

Similarly, the Imo Yokan ice cream is just as intense as the yokan itself. But this is probably a good thing since we are all looking out if the flavour of any particular soft serve is discernible, isn't it? And yes, this is pretty yummy. 

Besides its main outlet (Honten), there is also another outlet in Asakusa offering a slightly different menu. Other cafe outlets include Takadanobaba and Jiyugaoka but for the quickest access to its traditional sweets, just head to the major depato. 

Funawa Asakusa　舟和 浅草　Since 1902

Shin Naka-mise Dori (At a corner of Orange Street) 

Map Here

Cafe hours: Weekdays 10.30am-7pm 

Sat 10am-8pm

Sun/PH 10am-7.30pm 

(L.O. 30 minute before closing)

Website http://funawa.jp/

Japanese Menu here

Other nearby eats in Asakusa: Kikumaru, Kagetsudo , Yoshikami , Tempura Sansada, Umezono