The sign leaning against the roof of this tea shop advertises a special broth made of grated yams, for which the town of Mariko was famous. In this view, two resting travelers sit outdoors at a tea shop enjoying the specialty of the house. Even today, there are special foods associated with most places in Japan; during the Edo period (1603-1868), sampling these well-known delicacies was a popular feature of highway travel.

Adapted from

Anna McFarland, Ichiryusai Hiroshige: The Fifty-Three Stages of the Tokaido, Label text, 1986.