Funabashiya, the maker of kuzumochi and anmitsu, is serving a new seasonal kuzumochi for eat-in only at its Kameido Tenjin-mae Main Store: Kuzumochi Furyu Kurabe Summer – Roasted Sesame and Sudachi.
The dish belongs to Furyu Kurabe, a series that expresses furyu — a Japanese sense of finding beauty in nature and the changing seasons — through kuzumochi paired with ingredients tied to each time of year.
For summer, Funabashiya chose fragrant roasted sesame alongside the crisp, refreshing aroma of sudachi.
Diners grind the roasted sesame themselves in a mortar at the table, and the dish is finished with a light dusting of grated sudachi peel.
The aroma of freshly ground sesame meets the bright scent of sudachi in a kuzumochi built around the season. Beyond the flavor itself, the dish is meant to be enjoyed with all five senses — through the grinding, the aroma, and finally the taste — as a way of experiencing the Japanese summer's sense of furyu.
Furyu Kurabe Expresses Japan's Four Seasons Through Kuzumochi
Furyu describes a distinctly Japanese sensibility — finding and savoring beauty in nature and the passing of the seasons.
Furyu Kurabe lets guests experience that sensibility through Funabashiya's signature kuzumochi, paired with ingredients that change with the season.
The ingredients and preparation shift for spring, summer, fall, and winter, offering a moment to sense the season through aroma and gesture as well as taste.
The Aroma of Freshly Ground Sesame
Central to this edition of Furyu Kurabe is the extra step of having diners grind the sesame themselves.
Roasted sesame is brought to the table in a mortar, and grinding it slowly releases its aroma.
Rather than serving pre-ground sesame, it's ground just before eating, right at the table.
That extra step, along with the aroma of freshly ground sesame, is part of the experience of enjoying the kuzumochi.
A Cooling Finish From Sudachi
The other key ingredient is sudachi, prized for its refreshing citrus aroma.
Grated sudachi peel is dusted lightly over the kuzumochi as a finishing touch.
Its citrus scent reaches diners even before the first bite, adding a crisp accent to the roasted sesame's fragrance.
Fragrant roasted sesame and cooling sudachi — two contrasting aromas enjoyed together with the kuzumochi — make for a fitting summer combination.
Look, grind, smell, then taste: the dish carries a long-held Japanese sense of coolness into a single serving of kuzumochi.
Kuzumochi in Edo's Furyu Kurabe
The Furyu Kurabe name carries a story tied to Funabashiya's own history.
An early-Meiji-era kawaraban news sheet titled Oedo Furyu Kurabe ranked Edo's noteworthy specialties, and included Kameido Kuzumochi (久寿餅) – Funabashiya among them.
Funabashiya has made kuzumochi since it was founded on the grounds of Kameido Tenjin Shrine in 1805, a history spanning 221 years.
The kuzumochi once ranked in that historical Furyu Kurabe now returns as a modern Furyu Kurabe built around the pleasures of the four seasons.
Through a single dessert, Funabashiya carries forward both its kuzumochi rooted in the Edo period and Japan's long tradition of savoring the changing seasons.
Overview
Product: Kuzumochi Furyu Kurabe Summer – Roasted Sesame and Sudachi
Available: From September 1, 2026, while supplies last
Price: ¥1,000 (tax included)
Store: Funabashiya Kameido Tenjin-mae Main Store, eat-in only
