Recently a friend asked me did I know where you can buy the giant cotton candy (candy floss) you sometimes see people walking around Kawagoe with. Although, I am not a foodie, I am into anything photogenic, so I actually not only know the shop, I have been. And the kids have sampled it! Actually, if you’ve been near Penny Candy Alley in the last three years, you will have passed the shop. And if you’ve been there on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday you probably noticed it too with all the colourful candy floss lined up!
Cotton Candy Mocomoco
The reason you may not have noticed it on a weekday is that they don’t open on a weekday! Unless its a public holiday. Furthermore, although officially the hours of opening are 11 am to 5 pm on weekends and public holidays, its not unusual for it to open late! Or finish early! Moreover, he doesn’t operate on rainy days either! But working to your own schedule is actually quite common with the Kawagoe natives! The big chains and famous brands work to a fixed schedule. But the local shops, that have been around for decades, sometimes don’t.
I’ve always loved that about Kawagoe. If they’ve had a really busy weekend its not unusual for a shop to close on a Monday. Sometimes they’ll put a handwritten sign saying “closed” on the door, sometimes they won’t. Another example, is candy man Suzuki or the lady with the coffee trolley. Its completely luck of the draw when you get to see them at work. They don’t have a website or social media, as far as I know. And they are not alone. There are a few shops / services in Kawagoe with no online presence at all.
Penny Candy Alley
Cotton Candy Mocomoco does have a social media account, on Instagram, but no website (that I can find). Sometimes, he posts in advance to say that he will be late opening on a given day. I don’t have the best photos of this spot, but you can see some more on his Instagram account. To be honest I hadn’t planned to give it a post of its own until I was asked about it. I have it listed as one of several shops in a post about Penny Candy Alley that has been sitting in my drafts for more than ten years! I keep adding and subtracting from it, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be happy enough with it to publish it! So thank you J-san for asking about this spot and encouraging me to publish a post about it.
Mocomoco is located on the corner of Penny Candy Alley, beside Raku Raku bakery. It is an outdoor kiosk, hence he doesn’t operate on rainy days. There is no seating area. They sell cotton candy for take out only. You can either have one or three flavors in the regular size and up to four flavors in the giant size. The flavors are strawberry, grape, melon, soda, lemon, cola and plain. The giant size is served on a stick like traditional candy floss and costs 600 yen. You can also get a small size on a stick for 300 yen. In addition, they have candy floss in a cute plastic cup with animal eyes. The cup is convenient for walking around with. It costs 400 yen.
Information
Shop: Cotton Candy Mocomoco わたがしモコモコ
Address: Mocomoco, 2 Chome−7−10 Motomachi (at the inner entrance to Penny Candy Alley), Kawagoe, Saitama 〒350-0062. View on Google Maps.
Open: Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays only
Time: 11 am to 5 pm
Cost: 300 yen for the small size, 600 yen for the giant size, 400 yen for cotton candy in a cup!