Senjakuame Honpo (扇雀飴本舗), a candy maker from Osaka, relaunched two sweets made with naoshichi (直七), a hard-to-find citrus grown in Sukumo, Kochi Prefecture. To get more people to try it, the company is handing out small two-piece samples in central Tokyo this week: on Friday, October 2 right by Yurakucho Station, then on Saturday and Sunday, October 3–4 at the Kochi antenna shop in Ginza.
If you are around Yurakucho or Ginza on any of those days, it is an easy free treat to pick up on the way. Below are the times, the exact locations and a short explainer on what naoshichi actually is.
Schedule at a glance
| Date | Place | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 2 | Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan, 1F sampling area (Yurakucho) | Free 2-piece samples, 11:00 to around 17:00 |
| Sat, Oct 3 Sun, Oct 4 | Marugoto Kochi Tokyo store (Ginza) | Naoshichi Fair. Samples 11:00–18:00 (planned), while supplies last |
October 2: Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan, Yurakucho
- When: Friday, October 2, 2026, from 11:00 until around 17:00
- Where: Tokyo Kotsu Kaikan (東京交通会館), sampling area on the 1st floor, 2-10-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006
- What you get: a sample pack with two pieces so you can try both the throat drop and the gummy
The building sits right in front of Yurakucho Station, so this one works well as a lunchtime or after-errand stop on a weekday. The end time is given as around 17:00, so aim to arrive earlier rather than at the last minute.
October 3–4: Naoshichi Fair at Marugoto Kochi, Ginza
Over the weekend, Kochi Prefecture’s antenna shop in Tokyo, Marugoto Kochi (まるごと高知), runs a Naoshichi Fair. Besides the candy samples, the shop sells naoshichi-related products and naoshichi drinks, so it is the better choice if you want to taste the citrus in more than one form.
- Dates: Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 2026
- Shop hours: 10:30–19:00
- Sample handout: 11:00–18:00 (planned), ends when they run out
- Where: Orb Premier 1F, 1-3-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
- Access: 3 minutes on foot from the Kyobashi exit of JR Yurakucho Station; right by Exit 3 of Ginza-itchome Station on the Yurakucho Line
What is naoshichi?
Naoshichi is a specialty of Sukumo City (宿毛市) in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku. Only small amounts are grown, which is why it is often called a phantom citrus in Japan and is rarely seen outside the region.
It belongs to the sudachi family. Compared with sudachi, yuzu or kabosu, the sourness is gentler and the flavor rounder, so it is easy to enjoy even if you find very tart citrus too sharp.
For both candies, Senjakuame uses not just the juice but also the pulp, peel and seeds left over after pressing. That gives a fuller fruit flavor, cuts waste and supports the growers. If you like backing small producing regions like this, our guide to the October changes to furusato nozei hometown tax donations is worth a look.
The two products
Both items were relaunched in September 2026 and have been in stores since September 1.
| Product | Details |
|---|---|
| Naoshichi throat drops (幻の柑橘 直七のど飴) | 80 g bag. Open price (no fixed list price; set by each store). |
| Naoshichi gummies (幻の柑橘 直七グミ) | 40 g bag. Open price (no fixed list price; set by each store). |
Because the price is set by each retailer, check the shop for the current price. Full product details are on Senjakuame’s naoshichi series page.
You may also spot the campaign ads on the way: they run from September 28 to October 12, 2026 at Omiya Station in Saitama (beside the Central Ticket Gate South Exit) and on the Den-en-toshi Line platform toward Chuo-Rinkan at Futako-Tamagawa Station in Tokyo.
Tips for the weekend
- Pick the venue by what you want. Just a quick taste on a weekday: Yurakucho on Friday. Drinks and more naoshichi products too: Ginza on the weekend.
- Go earlier on the weekend. The Ginza samples end when they run out, so the afternoon is riskier than late morning.
- Stack it with other free or cheap plans. On Saturday, October 3, you could head west afterwards for the Setagaya Tamagawa fireworks. For a cheap snack on the go, the 7-Eleven onigiri sale running October 1–4 overlaps with the same days.
- End the day with a bath. Our guide to the Tokyo sento half-price coupon covers hundreds of bathhouses around the city.
FAQ
- Q. Do I have to pay for a sample?
- No. The samples are handed out free, and the announcement does not mention any purchase requirement.
- Q. What is in the sample pack?
- Two pieces, so you can try both the naoshichi throat drop and the naoshichi gummy.
- Q. What are the sampling hours in Ginza?
- From 11:00 to 18:00 on October 3 and 4 (planned), until the samples run out. The shop itself is open 10:30–19:00.
- Q. How much do the full-size bags cost?
- Both are sold at open price, meaning there is no fixed list price and each store sets its own. Check the price at the shop.
- Q. What does naoshichi taste like?
- It is a type of sudachi, with softer, rounder sourness than sudachi, yuzu or kabosu.
- Q. Can I still buy naoshichi products after October 4?
- Marugoto Kochi plans to continue selling the related products after the fair dates, and the candies have been rolling out to stores since September 1.
Official info: Naoshichi series page · Senjakuame Honpo · Press release (Japanese) · X · Instagram. Details are as announced on October 1, 2026; check the official pages before you go, as plans can change.