In Shibamata, Katsushika Ward , Tokyo , there is an oden restaurant run by a couple who have been together for 40 years. Their oden, featuring handmade fish cakes prepared by the husband and fried by the wife, has long been a favorite among visitors to Taishakuten Temple. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the first three days of the New Year, the wife shed tears—what was the reason…?
Meanwhile , a long-established oden restaurant in Azabu-Juban, Minato Ward, faced the struggles of being in a prime location in the heart of Tokyo. Maintaining the shop’s reputation in this area with high land prices is a difficult task. What path to survival did the third-generation owner choose while preserving the 105-year-old tradition…? We explored the subtle nuances of life, as poignant as the oden served at these two Tokyo oden restaurants.
