Amakara Ena store

This long-established gohei-mochi store, opened over 65 years ago, is located in Oi-juku, an area on the Nakasendo trail where many historic buildings are preserved.
Gohei-mochi is a local delicacy originating from the mountainous regions of Gifu, Aichi, and Nagano prefectures. Mashed rice on a skewer is applied with a sweet and savory sauce, and then grilled to give a tasteful flavor.

There are many variations of gohei-mochi in shape and sauce depending on the region, store, or household, but Amakara uses 100% locally grown Uruchi rice to make the shape of the small balls. Their secret sauce is made from sugar and soy sauce with plenty of sesame seeds and high-quality walnuts. The firm rice balls go well with the sweet and savory sauce, and a perfect grilling brings up a rich flavor.

You can take away even a single skewer as well as eating while at the restaurant. The restaurant menu includes a six skewer set (with pickles) and the gohei-mochi set meal (six skewers of gohei-mochi with miso soup, wild vegetables and pickles, and fruit).

They also sell plain white gohei-mochi dough and homemade sauce. The sauce is popular as a handy condiment that can be used not only for gohei-mochi but also for various other dishes such as vegetables, tofu dengaku, and grilled rice balls.