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Y Shop Nakakubo

Address: 16-2 Konucho Kajita, Miyoshi, Hiroshima 729-4105
Call: 0847-67-2328
Business Hours: 7 am – 9 pm *until 7 pm on Sundays and holidays
Closed: Irregular

The new local speciality of Miyoshi, Carter Chocolate and Carter Manju is becoming so popular in the whole country that now they are sold at a famous department store. In Miyoshi, “Y shop Nakakubo” is the only place that you can get them. The shop owner, Nakakubo, is one of the members who were involved in developing the products saying, “Let’s make a product that can be a souvenir of Konucho that also uses a local speciality.”

Konucho didn’t have a local special sweet, so a few years ago people in the town cooperated and developed ones using the local speciality, Carter Peanuts. One of them is Carter Chocolate which became so popular that it is sold at a famous department store in all of Japan and sold out immediately. Another is Carter Manju (a bun with a jam filling) that has caramel paste wrapped by a crispy coating containing peanut butter. In Miyoshi you can only get them at Y shop Nakakubo.

The shop owner, Nakakubo, is one of those who joined a study meeting consisting of people in Konucho who wanted to make something using Konusho’s speciality, Carter Peanuts. He was involved in developing products from the first moment. “I was selling things for souvenirs at my shop, but all of them were other town’s specialities. There is no sweets shop in Konucho and that was one of the reason.” Says Nakakubo. But now they have a product that was made and produced with people from the association of commerce and industry cooperating, a lot of people inside and outside of the town buy the new local specialities as souvenirs and for gifts at a ceremony.

The uniqueness of Carter Peanuts is that they are sweet and small. Making the best use of the sweetness is how Carter Chocolate and Carter Manju are made. Carter Chocolate is made with milk chocolate mixed with the large grains of the peanuts which makes the peanuts easier to chew. In 2016 when the former president of America, Obama, visited Hiroshima, he had them. Nakakubo still displays the letter of thanks in his shop. As for Carter Manju, they wrap the caramel paste with batter that contains sweet, smashed Carter Peanuts. Makakubo told us how it was difficult to create, “At first, based on a regular manju, we just substitute Carter Peanuts for a bean paste, but what we wanted to make is somethings that you can enjoy the taste of the peanuts more.” Both sweets succeeded in bringing out the attraction of Carter Peanuts. Makakubo, who is the closest to consumers says, “Local people made the sweets, so I’ll keep selling and make them more famous.”

Aiming to be a convenience store that works for locals, Y shop Nakakubo has plenty of perishable food and daily necessaries, and even Miyoshi Karamen (local noodle) cooked at the shop. Delivering products to elderly people’s houses sometimes, Nakakubo supports the people in the town.

Feature articles about Carter Peanuts, the speciality preserved by people in Konucho

Producer: Ibaraki Eiji (Green Cowbell Inc)
Spread the Specialty in Kunocho, Carter Peanuts from Miyoshi to the Whole Country

Processor: Ito Sakae (Society of Carter Peanuts)
Bringing out the Sweetness of Carter Peanuts, the Top Peanuts Craftsman in Konucho