Kikumi Senbei

Kikumi Senbei sits behind a simple wooden storefront, identifiable by the hand-painted sign and the scent of charcoal-grilled rice crackers. It has occupied this spot since eighteen eighty-two. While surrounding neighborhoods shifted through fires and rebuilding, the shop kept its original methods, roasting rice dough over binchotan charcoal rather than gas. Fourth-generation owner Noboru Kikuchi still monitors the heat by hand, a process that earned the shop its reputation among locals who grew up smelling the toasted soy sauce.