Greengrocer store Honjin, which has its roots in an inn where feudal lords stayed during the Edo period.

Despite the legitimate and prestigious name of the store, the old-fashioned “Greengrocer Store Honjin” is well known by the locals. Fresh seasonal products, mainly vegetables and fruits from Shizuoka, are on display. The charming proprietress will be happy to help you with your shopping.

The curious origin of “Honjin”.

My first impression is that it is an unusual name for a greengrocer store.

Honjin (本陣) is the Japanese word for an inn for government officials, generally located in post stations (shukuba) during the later part of the Edo period.

Cited from Wikipedia

Originally, the family was the Honjin (see above) of Shimodenma on the Tokaido road at Fujieda-juku. At the end of the Edo period(1603-1867) , when the role of the Honjin was changing, there was a big fire that burned down the whole area including the main camp, and the camp at that time was lost.

After that, there must have been many twists and turns and difficult times, but in the early Showa period, the first proprietress at that time started selling vegetables with a wheeled cart, which led to the establishment of the store in the present location and the “Greengrocer Store Honjin”.

The old store was rebuilt due to aging and is now a very refreshing store with high ceilings and an open entrance.

The current proprietress is the 13th generation, counting from the time of the inn’s Honjin, and the 4th generation as a greengrocer store.

The seasonal bounty of the four seasons

As inscribed on the signboard, many of the vegetables and fruits are fresh and in season, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture, and the owner has a desire to offer what is naturally available in that season.

They consider it an advantage not only to enjoy the seasonal bounty, but also to be able to keep prices low because of the abundant harvest of seasonal produce. She is very considerate of her customers.

The proprietress runs the store, but her husband works at the market, and her daughter-in-law is mainly in charge of the early morning stocking.

When I visited this time, there were many freshly picked bamboo shoots on display. When I was wondering about the preparation, she guided me to the store where they keep the lye-removed ones. I was told that here they use ash, not baking soda, to remove the lye.

I bought some for my mother as a souvenir and she was very pleased.

They also sell pickles made at the store, and they all looked delicious.

The spirit of hospitality passed down from generation to generation

The photo above left was provided by the proprietress. At that time, part-timers made vegetable and fruit headdresses, and they and their customers enjoyed wearing them and taking pictures with them. The idea was to have fun and interact with the customers.

Considering that when it was Honjin inn, the customers were feudal lords and shogunate dignitaries, one can imagine that the spirit of hospitality must have been on par with that of a five-star hotel today (and if there was any rudeness, they would cut you down…).

Now, the business is a greengrocer store, and the customers have been replaced by local residents, but the spirit of hospitality seems to have been passed on in the interactions with these customers.

In addition, in the intervals when she was dealing with customers in a friendly manner, she spoke politely to me many times, which was very helpful.

Although it is no longer commonplace to take over the family business, here it has been passed down from generation to generation. The daughter-in-law is working by the proprietress’ side, which is a very encouraging sign.

The Greengrocer store Honjin adds peace of mind and enjoyment to your daily shopping. It is also a good place to buy local vegetables and fruits as souvenirs.