A Healthy Taiwanese Dessert Near MERI in Ryogoku: Discover Douhua
We've shared many stories over the years about our connection with Taiwan.
We've held MERI zori-making workshops in Taipei and Taichung, participated in the 2024 Taiwan Design Expo in Tainan, and continued to build wonderful relationships with people in Taiwan through design and craftsmanship.
Our home, Sumida City in Tokyo, has also been strengthening its relationship with Tainan through exchanges focused on manufacturing and craftsmanship.
button hook
In 2024, the mayor of Sumida City, Toru Yamamoto, visited Tainan. It was through this growing connection that our Tainan-inspired button hook designs were born.
Collaboration with a Tainan-based illustrator
Because of these connections, I've had many opportunities to visit Taiwan.
And naturally, I've become a big fan of Taiwanese food.
I enjoy Taiwanese cuisine in Japan too, but one of my absolute favorites is douhua (豆花).
Douhua is a traditional Taiwanese dessert made with silky-soft tofu and served with sweet syrup and a variety of toppings.
Whenever I'm in Taiwan, I eat it almost every day.
And even when I'm back in Japan, I always know where to go when I'm craving a bowl of douhua!
One of my favorite places happens to be just a 7–8 minute walk from MERI in Ryogoku.
The shop is called Kurokougou (黒工号).
It's located on a small side street after turning off Hokusai Street toward Keiyo Road, so it can be a little difficult to spot the first time.
But it's one of those local places I keep coming back to.
Address:
3-16-6 Midori, Sumida-ku, Tokyo
Here you can enjoy not only my beloved douhua, but also grass jelly (仙草), another popular Taiwanese dessert.
I almost always order the Tapioca Douhua.
I'm sometimes tempted by the azuki bean and barley douhua, but I love having peanuts in mine, so the tapioca version always wins.
The standard serving is quite generous, with around 250g of tofu.
That's a little too much for me, so I usually ask for mine with 150g of tofu and extra sweet syrup.
My bowl comes with chewy taro balls (芋圓), peanuts, tapioca pearls, and goji berries.
It's a wonderful combination of different textures—silky tofu, chewy taro balls and tapioca, and crunchy peanuts.
During Tokyo's hot summer months, I choose the cold version, served with partially frozen sweet syrup.
It's cool, refreshing, and exactly what I want after walking around the city in the heat.
When the weather starts getting colder, I switch to warm syrup.
Whether served hot or cold, douhua is smooth, gently sweet, and wonderfully easy to eat.
I also love that it feels much lighter than many rich desserts. Even when I don't have much of an appetite, douhua is something I can usually enjoy.
Japan certainly has no shortage of delicious sweets, but douhua is still my favorite.
Right next door is a ramen shop.
After ordering your douhua, let the staff know that you'd like to eat it there, and you can sit down and enjoy your dessert inside.
I actually haven't tried the ramen yet, although it always looks delicious.
The problem is that every time I come here, I end up ordering douhua!
One day, I'll have to give the ramen a try.
If you're exploring Ryogoku and Sumida, Kuromegou is a nice little place to stop for a break.
It's only about a 7–8 minute walk from MERI, so it's easy to visit before or after shopping at our store or joining a MERI zori-making workshop.
Tokyo has countless famous cafés and Japanese sweets to discover, but sometimes it's these small neighborhood places that make exploring the city especially enjoyable.
If you like Taiwanese food—or you're simply looking for a light and refreshing dessert in Ryogoku—try a bowl of douhua.
And if you see me there, there's a good chance I'll be eating the tapioca one.
