Shuei-Do Manju Shop

Best mochi I’ve tried, better than the ice cream mochi. Texture of mochi has a silky smoothness that has maintains a springy bite to it.

One of the only places (the only?) to get fresh manju in the South Bay area. An institution, one of those places that never really changes. They make picture perfect little manju that thankfully also taste amazing.
Of course, prices have gone up over the years but that is just inflation. I can’t imagine they’re getting rich here. It appears to be a labor of love.
They also have a shave ice window during the warmer months, which we took advantage of today (super hot). Not Hawaii-​level stuff but probably as close as you’ll get around here.

I’m not the hugest fan of mochi but I got curious about this place when I found out that some fellow friends of my friends had driven all the way down from Sacramento on a day trip to just get mochi from here. You know the mochi must be special if people are willing to drive 2 hours just to get some. The 1^st one I tried was the red bean mochi. The red bean wasn’t too sweet and the mochi on the outside was pillowy soft and smooth. I tried some pink mochi too with a white filling but it didn’t have much flavor. Not sure what it was supposed to be. I feel like these are so unhealthy because it’s just a bunch of dough and carbs so I really tried to limit myself!

i’ve been here a couple of times over the years and do believe that the sweets sold here are authentic. if the hole-​in-​the-​wall small shoppe run by a couple of sweet japanese ladies isn’t enough, the taste of the chewy rice cake filled with red bean should make you a believer! in addition to the traditional red bean mochi, they offer peanut butter mochi and other flavours (gotta get there early for the best selection!) the manju is like a chinese steamed bread on the outside, with red bean on the inside, except that the bread isn’t hot and steamy, it’s room temp-​cool. i could easily eat several of these in a sitting as they are oh so delish! and i’d probably need to run a 10k or more to burn off the calories consumed after, but it’s all worth it. a box of 6, mix-​n-​match, is $ 9.60, a very fair price for the size and quality of the manju and mochi. they also offer boxes of 4, 12, and other even numbers, with similar pricing. located in japantown in downtown san jose, there’s ample street parking near this shoppe.

The manju is soft and delicious. The shaved ice (during summer only) is the BEST I’ve found.

I was so impressed about this manjyu shop. The place atmosphere remained me during my childhood. The daifuku is not too sweet and fresh.
I recommend to everyone!
I would go back again.

5 stars for the mochi! These are the best Mochis I’ve had yet! I highly recommend the Pink White, it’s delicious! The Mochis are EXTREMELY soft and filled with just the right amount of sweetness — not too much but not too little; just perfect. It’s like they melt in your mouth!
I also really like the green Mochis too (forgot the name) :(
If you are a Mochi lover, you HAVE to try this place. Even if you’re not, you’re probably going to be one after this. Lol.
Don’t expect much for the presentation-​just focus on the important thing-i.e. MOCHIS BEYOND AMAZING!

Old school rice desserts like grandma made and still being made here. Come before this older generation of chefs move on as I suspect the younger generation won’t take over. Delicious rice desserts with a sweet bean paste inside. They are all excellent quality but I like the ones with the brown powder on top the best.

Really cute shop with nice ladies. The selection changes everyday and everything is fresh. My favourite is pink with white beans and also the peanut butter one (probably not the most traditional haha).
Cash only but there’s an ATM across the street.

First time Manju so have nothing to compare to. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is the actual shop being kind of plain. The friendliness of the ladies in the shop was second to none though. Thank you!
The manju was very tasty … not sure about the other reviewers that say to eat a whole box?! I got 4 and only because they were all so new did I plow through all 4. They are rich and tasty … unique texture and flavors.
Summary — excellent quality … excellent flavor … meh shop.

What’s the magic of mochi? The ingredient, the recipe, and the freshness. If you have enough of them, the differences became apparent and you appreciate Shuei-​do more.
Come early, prepared for the crowd, and splurge on more than you planned for. You won’t regret and and your friends will appreciate it.

This may be the single reason I visit Japantown when there’s no festival going on. The best place to get fresh, hand made manju. Though articles said they were worried the younger generation wouldn’t continue the family business, they must have figured something out because it still is thriving and there are much younger ladies working the counters these days. I am so glad they decided to keep this relic running because it’s is such a wonderful place to have. The lost art of fresh manju is hard to find but the quality and taste is unmistakeable.
Whenever I make it far enough south to San Jose, I always try to stop by here (and always get request from friends to pick some up too!)

I love this place mochi-​ssimo! Haha, but really, where else can you get some of the most authentic mochi you can without flying thousands of miles to Japan? Move aside, prepackaged mochi boxes at Ranch 99, there’s a big player in town and its name is Shuei-​Do!
A small shop located in San Jose, this place looks family owned and sell different types of mochi! The ones they make here are ridiculously beautiful and yeah, you can get a box of them at Ranch 99 but you can’t beat the ones here for taste, beauty and freshness! The most common filling is traditional red bean but there are other ones such as white bean and peanut butter! Not a fan of red bean in general so I usually go for the most simple chichidango which is just the mochi with no filling. These are often offered in rotating flavors and probably taste like fruity marshmallows plus Japanese rainbow clouds! I enjoyed the peanut butter mochi as well because it had a thick skin but no skimping on filling either!
Even though I’ve been here multiple times over the years, I never knew about the famous Sakura mochi until my friends brought me after lunch the other day! They’re limited edition and only offered late February through March. They were sold out earlier in the week to our disappointment.
The people who work here are ridiculously nice. After we left, they ran out the door to catch us and tell us that Sakura mochi would be offered one last time that Saturday! They even let us preorder and pick them up! We came back on Saturday and they were packaged in boxes nicely tied with a lovely pink bow! When I got home, I realized my mistake: I underestimated my willpower to only one box. We immediately called back and ordered two more boxes and went back!
This place may seem pricey at face value but for excellent quality mochi and service, this place can’t be beat!

This place has been a staple of the Japantown community… been here for decades! The ladies that rock the place are amazing and definitely have the best manju in the Bay Area!

MOCHIS GALORE!
Small mom and pop shop in Japantown.
The elderly lady who helped me was super sweet and explained the texture of the beans inside each mochi.
I decided on a bundle of four, which came to $ 6.40. CASH ONLY!
Each mochi was delicious. I especially liked the pink mochi and the green mochi. Honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the flavors. I definitely will come back to try all of them!

I love these places! Cute little mom & pop shop in the heart of Japantown. Fresh, homemade manju … my hubbs and I ate our entire 4-​piece box by the time we reached our car :X
I’m not a red bean lover, but theirs is so light and not dry… so I was hooked!

Shuei-​Do Manju Shop is a no-​frills, simple & authentic shop serving the very freshest mochi/​manju in San Jose. Once you walk in, you’ll see that there are no tables or hipster decorations to lure in the young crowds looking for a place to hangout. But lo and behold, their mochi is fresh made everyday, and the product speaks for itself.
There are several options available:
–Monaka: wafer cookie with whole azuki red bean
–Brown inaka: steamed wheat flour with whole azuki red bean
–White inaka: steamed wheat flour with whole azuki red bean
–Kinako: rice flower and soy bean powder with smooth lima white bean
–White manju: steamed wheat flower with smooth azuki red bean
–Pink white: rice flour with smooth lima white bean
–Pink tsubu: rice flour with whole azuki red bean
–Habutae: rice flour with smooth azuki red bean
–Yomogi: rice flour with herbs, smooth azuki red bean
Unluckily for me, I went there later in the afternoon and most of the options were sold out. I only got to try the Monaka, White inaka, Yomogi, and Habutae. My favorite was the Habutae, as I loved the smooth feel of the beans mixed with the chewy deliciousness of the mochi outer layer. The mochi is soo soft, unlike pre-​made fridged mochis you find in supermarkets.
YUM! They’re about $ 1.60 each, which isn’t bad especially since each mochi is quite generously sized. Comparable to J-​Sweets, which sells more modern flavored (mango, blueberry etc) mochis that are much smaller and more expensive (ranging between $ 1 – 3).

Hands down the freshest mochi and manju on the West coast. I’m not from NorCal but whenever I’m in town, I never fail to visit for a box of 32 (sometimes more!)
I grew up in Tokyo so finding mochi that reminisce my childhood days were tough to come across. When I finally sunk my teeth into one of theirs, I knew I had hit the mochi jackpot. The rice cake portion itself was soft and melted in my mouth. The filling, be it red bean or even peanut butter (must have!!) is not too sweet but tasty enough to crave any sweet tooth you may have.
I can’t wait for my next trip to San Jose!

AHHHHHH! I have always passed by the little shop when in Japan town but never went in. That was a mistake.
I recently went thru a week of hell. My wonderful boyfriend surprised me with little box of mochis. These little balls of heaven are the perfect combination of soft, squishy, chewy goodness. Not too sweet.
They said they were good for 3 days at room-​temperature. Day 3 was just as good as day 1!
Will be making weekly visits so I can try ALL the flavors.
The pink one with white bean filling was my favorite.
Missing mochis in my picture below because I couldn’t wait. Haha.

I luhhh me the mochi here. Soft and succulent. Smooth and a little powdery. Always fresh.
Love the peanut butter mochi, but it’s usually sold out! Pink mochi with the black bean is yummy. They also do manju here, but to be honest I’m not a big fan of their manju. It’s a bit on the dry side.
The ladies who work here are super sweet, local Japanese Americans and they got lots of other Hawaiin snack ‘ems. Can’t go wrong with mochi here!
Overall, cute spot and will definitely keep coming back.
Local love,
Renee from the Bay