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Nakatsugawa Kurikinton

kurikintonchestnutNakatsugawaSuyaseasonal confection

Gifu · Nakatsugawa

35.4984°N, 137.5058°E

The kurikinton of Nakatsugawa is not the glossy sweet-potato paste served at New Year elsewhere in Japan. It is chestnut and sugar and nothing else — the nuts boiled, scraped out, mixed with sugar, and twisted in a cloth into a shape meant to look like a chestnut. There is no bean paste, no binder and no flavouring, so the quality of the chestnut is the entire product.

The Kiso valley has grown chestnuts for centuries and Nakatsugawa is where the sweet was commercialised. Suya was founded in 1802 and Kawakamiya in 1864, and both still make it. Because it uses only fresh chestnuts it is made from September to January and then stops — the shops sell other things for the rest of the year. In September, when the first batch appears, people queue.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Suya 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Other makers keep their own hours

Closed: Suya closed Wednesdays | Open daily September–December, with occasional additional closures in November

Entrance Fee

Around ¥300 per piece | Boxed sets priced by count

Best Season

September–January only | September for the first batch

Visit Duration

30 minutes

Getting There

Access Information

Sold in Nakatsugawa from around September to January only. Suya, founded in 1802, is at Shinmachi 2-40, about 10 minutes on foot from JR Nakatsugawa Station, open 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM and closed Wednesdays, though it opens daily from September to December with occasional additional closures in November. Kawakamiya, founded in 1864, has its main shop in the town and keeps its own hours. Both use domestic chestnuts and sell by the piece and in boxes.

Insider Guide

Premium

**It is only made from September to January.** Fresh chestnuts and nothing else, so there is no year-round version. Arriving in June means buying something different. **September is when people queue.** The first batch of the season is an event locally, and the shops are open daily through the autumn because of it. **Chestnut and sugar, full stop.** No bean paste, no binder. That is why the shops argue about sourcing and why one maker's tastes different from another's. **Suya from 1802, Kawakamiya from 1864.** Both are a short walk apart in the town. Buying one of each and comparing is the normal thing to do here. **It does not keep long.** A fresh confection with no preservative. Eat it within a few days rather than carrying it home across a long trip.

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