The Story Behind imonne

Home to the Inner Shrine of Ise Jingu, Ise is one of Japan’s foremost centers of mochi culture, where pilgrims have been welcomed with mochi for centuries.

By bringing together this living mochi tradition with the skills and sensibility she developed as a pâtissier, owner and pâtissier Mai Tachibana set out to create a new sweet that allows people to enjoy tradition in a form suited to today. From her desire to “create sweets that move people’s hearts,” imonne, a gelato daifuku specialty shop, was born.

The name imonne comes from an Ise-Shima dialect phrase meaning “the girl from the sweet potato shop.” It is an affectionate name rooted in Tachibana’s upbringing in a family of sweet potato farmers.

Starting with the mochi and ice cream served when the shop first opened, she continued searching for a more ideal taste. Six months later, every ice cream recipe was completely revised. She then began developing house-made mochi and spent two years testing and refining it. This led to a new Gela Mochi®, combining house-made mochi with gelato.

From the surprise of the first bite, to the pleasure of every bite that follows, and the lingering memory of a journey to Ise. The Ise-exclusive Hoshi-imo Premium also reflects Tachibana’s roots in a family of sweet potato farmers.

Today, imonne continues to build on the mochi culture passed down beside Ise Jingu, enriching it with pâtisserie craftsmanship and evolving flavors that move the heart.