Hello everyone!
Torimiya
Hanabishi
Tanoya
Aso herbal tea
Today, I want to talk to you about the shopping street that is situated just next to Aso Shrine. It is a nice walk to add to the visit of the shrine and this is also the place to go if you want to find a restaurant easily or some souvenirs. I will introduce you to some of the nicest shops you can find there in the following paragraphs.
I'll start first with the restaurants. There are many of them all around Aso Shrine. On the main shopping street you'll find the Hanabishi well known for it's breaded Akaushi beef steak. If you like meat you can also try some Akaushi beef steak on the top of a bowl filled with rice at Gotou or Akaushi beef steak with garlic rice at Teppanyaki Mabou which is one of my favorite. If you're not in the mood for Japanese food you can also try a little Italian restaurant called La Luce. If you just want to taste some local specialties you can also go to Torimiya where you'll find Akaushi beef skewer or horse meat croquette you can then eat while visiting around. If you're more in the mood to eat sweets、you can enjoy some delicious chou a la creme.
If you're not especially hungry other kind of shops to enjoy too. At the entrance of the shopping street, you'll find a clockmaker. Some of these clocks are real antiques! On the other end of the street, there is a shop where you can find many kind of tea grown in Aso. Not far from the main street, there is Tommy's antiques if you like nice objects from the past.
Whenever I go to visit Aso Shrine, I always take the time to walk around the shopping street (also called Monzenmachi). Even if you don't plan to stop at a restaurant or to buy anything, the atmosphere there is very nice and traditional. There is also an information desk on the main street (picture below) where you can find local products and ask for advice. Near the end of March, a famous festival that always attracts many foreigners will be held at Aso Shrine. I hope they will also enjoy Monzenmachi too! See you soon in Aso!
Franck
Michi No Eki Aso
https://www.facebook.com/aso.michinoeki?ref=hl (in Japanese)
https://www.facebook.com/eng.michinoekiaso/ (in English)
https://twitter.com/MichiNoEkiAso (in English)
