Kasumi Flower

Honey, killer hornets, stone grilled curry and a magical dog

This shop has as many names as it has produce. The kanji over the door 浪漫 can be called “Roman“, the Japanese version of Romantic, on Google maps it is called Kawagoe Jiryokuya, but the owner seems to call it Kasumi Flower. This is what is written on its main produce; honey. The honey is farmed locally by the owner, who speaks fluent English. This is where he catches the killer hornets that threaten his nests, and displays them in glass jars at the front of the shop. The honey is very high quality, about the best I've ever tasted. This is reflected in its price: 3,200 yen for a 500 gram bottle. The shop doubles as a restaurant serving stone grilled curry, which mystifies me as much as the magical dog, Priya, who has brought the shop fame and glory. Priya and hence the shop has been on TV about 50 times. She is said to be a healing dog, that makes wishes come true. If you buy something in the shop, you get to have your photo taken with the dog. Whether she is magical or not, I cannot attest too, but she is a beautiful placid 16 year old dog. All in all, Kasumi (aka Roman Ishiyaki aka Kawagoe Jiryokuya) is worth a visit if you enjoy bantering with shopkeepers, like something a bit quirky, want to try stone grilled curry or delicious honey, are fascinated by killer hornets and/or want to meet a (maybe) magical dog! The shop opens 11 am to 5 pm, but please note that while they don’t have an official day off, they tend to take days here and there. Especially after a busy weekend. There are quite a lot of shops like that in Kawagoe. Access from Tobu Tojo Line Kawagoe and Kawagoe Shi stations or Seibu Shinjuku Hon Kawagoe line. Its about a 10 minute walk from each. There is no parking nearby and the street outside is pedestrianized during shop hours.