Chomeiji, a Buddhist temple located in the shadow of Tokyo Skytree, is the birthplace of one of the most popular springtime sweets in modern Japan. In 1717, a shrine gatekeeper named Yamamoto used fallen cherry blossom leaves to wrap mochi for the crowds gathering by the river to see the beautiful spring bloom. At this moment, sakuramochi was born.
Although we’ve already talked about a few key questions surrounding sakuramochi on the blog, I want to look a little bit more into the temple and its neighboring shop where the treat first became famous over 300 years ago and give some more information about where it is and how to visit.
Is Chomeiji Sakuramochi still open?
After over 300 years in business Chomeiji is still selling one and only product: the original sakuramochi. They are open 8:30am to 6:00pm every day except for their weekly day off on Monday.
Eating Sakuramochi at Chomeiji
You can still enjoy sakuramochi made with the traditional process passed down from the Edo Era, meaning you’ll be tasting the same flavors that have kept the shop in business for centuries!
Chomeiji pride themselves on their hand-picked ingredients from all over Japan, such as azuki beans from Hokkaido and cherry tree leaves from Izu.
You may be wondering why Chomeiji’s mochi is a traditional pale doughy color rather than pink like most other sakuramochi. In fact, there is no cherry blossom flavor in the mochi. Modern sakuramochi are made with red dye to form a pale pink dough which invokes the sight of flowers in the spring. I admire Chomeiji’s commitment to tradition, but at the same time still believe that the placebo effect of pink cuteness works wonders for the flavor.
How to Get to Chomeiji Sakuramochi in Tokyo
First of all, the shop’s official name is Chomeiji Sakuramochi Yamamotoya, though most people just call it Chomeiji. Chomeiji is also the name of a smaller temple just behind the shop, and there is another larger temple around the corner known as Kofukuji. They’re right next to each other, but they can be a little hard to navigate. I’ll include Google Maps pins in this article, so keep reading to find out how to get there!
The shop is a bit far from all of the nearest train stations, so it’ll likely be a 15 to 20 minute walk from Tokyo Skytree Oshiage, or a short bus ride followed by a 10 minute walk from Asakusa.
If you’re coming from Asakusa, I recommend first heading to the Chomeiji Sakuramochi Yamamotoya shop. After a dine-in sakuramochi and tea and maybe a few to take home, feel free to head around the back of the shop, where you’ll find the temple. There are some nice views of Skytree from this position.
After that, if you’d like to see the much more striking temple of Kofukuji, you’ll need to walk all the way back around the block. There’s a fence blocking your way into Kofukuji, so head back and pass in front of the shop, turning right three times before you find the magnificent front gate of the temple.
If you’re coming from Tokyo Skytree Oshiage Station, just hit up Kofukuji first, then swing around to try some sakuramochi and see Chomeiji second!
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