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Oginoya Ginza Chaya since 1885

A clay pot
to take home

Tōge no Kamameshi seen from above, painted in the Nihonga style 峠の釜めし 荻野屋

Tōge no Kamameshi is seasoned rice and nine toppings in a clay pot of Mashiko ware. At Oginoya Ginza Chaya, in the heart of Ginza, you can take one of these pots home.

Oginoya Ginza Chaya is still preparing to open and is not open yet.

Get directions Google Maps Menu
  • Hakuhinkan B1F, 8-8-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8132

Story

The pot is the point

Oginoya began selling meals to rail travelers at Yokokawa Station, at the foot of the Usui Pass, in 1885. When it put Tōge no Kamameshi on sale in 1958, it chose a clay pot because passengers tired from long train journeys wanted a warm meal. More than 170 million have been sold since.

The brick railway bridge of the Usui Pass among autumn maples, painted in the Nihonga style
The kama pot with its lid on: a persimmon-glazed shoulder and bare clay below, painted in the Nihonga style
Each pot is made by potters in Mashiko, Tochigi.

It is not a throwaway container: back home, the pot can be used again.

A potter pouring glaze over a plate in one sweeping motion
Oginoya's historic main shop at Yokokawa

Articles

Further reading

  1. What is kamameshi? The Japanese rice dish and Tōge no Kamameshi

    Kamameshi is rice cooked with seafood, chicken or vegetables in a small pot for one. Learn how it began, and how Tōge no Kamameshi became the station meal in a pot. Kamameshi basics

  2. The pot of Tōge no Kamameshi: what it is made of and how to reheat it

    The pot of Tōge no Kamameshi is Mashiko ware, sized for one serving of rice. Why a bento came in a ceramic pot, and how to reheat the meal in it in a microwave. The pot

  3. Oginoya: the station vendor behind Tōge no Kamameshi

    Oginoya has sold meals to rail travelers at Yokokawa Station since 1885. This is how a small mountain station produced Tōge no Kamameshi, one of Japan's best-known ekiben. History

  4. What is ekiben? Japan's railway bento and Tōge no Kamameshi

    Ekiben are boxed meals sold at Japan's railway stations. Learn where they are said to have begun in 1885, why every region has its own, and how Tōge no Kamameshi fits in. Ekiben
All articles

Menu

To eat, and to keep

  • Tōge no Kamameshi

The pot

Buy the pot on its own

Fell in love with the pot? You can buy an empty one to take home or give as a gift.

Mashiko ware

Kama pot (empty)

Take it home

Taking the pot home

The kama is ceramic, so it travels best in your cabin bag.

Hands lowering a kama pot into a padded bag
  1. Wrap the pot and its lid separately, in bubble wrap, newspaper or a towel.
  2. Pack them in your cabin bag so that nothing can move.
  3. Keep the bag with you on the plane instead of checking it. Airlines such as ANA ask passengers not to check breakable items.

How to use

Cooking with your kama

Your kama can cook rice for one — in the microwave. It is not made for an open flame.

The kama pot with its lid on, inside a microwave oven
  1. Put the rice and water in the pot and let it soak.
  2. Cover with the lid and heat in the microwave.
  3. Leave it covered to steam for a while, then serve.
From soaking to serving
  1. Soak
  2. Microwave
  3. Rest

Never put the pot over an open flame or on an induction cooktop — it can crack.

Getting here

Find us in Ginza

We are on the basement floor of Hakuhinkan, the toy store building on Ginza's main street, Chuo-dori.

Coming soon, with the Hakuhinkan building in Ginza in the background

Address in Japanese (show this to your taxi driver)

〒104-8132 東京都中央区銀座8-8-11 博品館 B1

Address
Hakuhinkan B1F, 8-8-11 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8132
Get directions Google Maps

FAQ

Can I take the pot on a plane?

Yes. Carry it in your cabin bag: airlines such as ANA ask passengers not to check breakable items.

Is the pot dishwasher safe?

Please wash it by hand and let it dry completely before storing it.

Do you have vegetarian options?

Please ask our staff.