I hear somewhere near Nakamura in Nerima Ward, miso is still made in the age-old traditional way. I figure I'll just wander around the tidy little neighborhood and find it.
Exiting north from the Seibu Ikebukuro Line's Nakamurabashi Station, I sally forth in what turns out to be the wrong direction. My consolation prize is Nerima Art Museum, a minimalist 1985 structure dedicated to local and international avant-garde works. I gaze at the abstract oils of Saeko Wakabayashi, and dreamy silver-gelatin photos of miniature model interiors by Mayumi Terada. I am alone there except for the museum attendants, two of whom are snoozing so artfully they appear part of an installation.
From there, I head back to the station and try the South Exit. Passing the usual klatch of coffee and ramen shops, hair salons and convenience stores, I start to worry. Nakamura's main drag, Sengawa Avenue, built over the former Sengawa Aquaduct (1696), which conveyed fresh water as far as Sensoji Temple in Akasaka, is now busy with cars. I jog southeast searching for a quiet backstreet where I imagine miso might happen.
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