Kantenpapa Shop

Located within the historic Patei Daimon complex, just steps from the iconic Zenkoji Temple, Kanten Papa Shop is a specialty health store dedicated to kanten—a traditional Japanese jelly-like food made from agar. Celebrated for its impressive health benefits, including being rich in fiber and low in calories, kanten has long been a staple of wholesome Japanese cuisine. Upstairs, the experience continues at the Yonezawa Shuzo Sake Shop, where you can sample a carefully curated selection of premium Japanese sake. Offering a rich taste of regional craftsmanship, this sake tasting adds a delightful cultural and culinary dimension to your visit.

Kantenpapa Shop's motto is "just a bit handmade" which means that every product has some some kind of human touch to it. And as you walk in this shop you'll notice the bright colors of the products allowed to really shine by the understated elegance of the rest of the interior. These products include many different foods such as soups, puddings and many others that require only adding (hot) water. This makes eating healthy even easier than ever! The product this store is most famous for; however, is the kanten, or jelly snack. They are usually rectangular or square and come in many different flavors. As this is shop focused on your health, these include various tasty vegetable flavors to help improve many of the different functions of your body.

On the second floor of the store, you'll find a curated selection of "Imanishiki", a renowned sake from Nakagawa Village in southern Nagano Brewed using pristine underground water from the Southern Japanese Alps, this sake is celebrated for its pure, refined flavor with minimal impurities—perfect for those who appreciate a clean and elegant taste. Tasting samples are available, so be sure to try a sip.

In addition to sake, the shop also offers a variety of snacks that pair perfectly with alcohol, pickles made using Imanishiki sake lees, and a range of original goods, including T-shirts—ideal as mementos of your journey through Nagano.