Mrs. Kami gave me some monaka as a souvenir. When I opened it, I found out it was a DIY type! The monaka shell is crispy, the red bean paste is rich, and the quality as a monaka is high. The only problem is putting it together at the end (laughs). There have been a lot of brown bears around this year, so be careful!

On a certain weekday, I visited a Japanese confectionery shop bookmarked for lunch in Nijuyonken 2-jo, Nishi-ku. There are a few parking spaces in front of the store. Inside, there are various Japanese sweets displayed on shelves, along with what seems to be a workshop at the back. From the menu that day, I chose a few items that caught my eye. The "Mame Daifuku with Grain Anko (151 yen)" had a mochi with a good chewy texture filled with black beans that added a nice crunch, and the sweet bean paste was just the right level of sweetness. The "Kogane Maki (151 yen)" had a cylindrical shape with raisins on the surface, and the slightly sweet dough had a hint of black sugar flavor. Inside, there was a rich and sweet grainy anko paste. The "Coffee Dorayaki (173 yen)" had a slightly darker colored dorayaki with a subtle coffee bitterness, and the sweet bean paste inside had a strong bitterness that gave it an "adult taste." The white part alongside had a buttery milky flavor that balanced out the bitterness well. Overall, it was a unique and enjoyable experience, and I hope the shop continues to thrive in its location. Thank you for the meal.

May 24, 2022 - Near Exit 3 of the subway at Nijūyonken Station, there is a Japanese confectionery shop that I often visit. They offer a variety of items, including giant dorayaki that are so big (ﾟДﾟ)!! The prices are reasonable, and the sweets are delicious. Here are some of my favorites: - Beautiful Dango (130 yen): Small and easy to eat skewered dango balls. - Country Manju (108 yen): Thin outer layer with a generous filling of simple and tasty anko. - Suama (97 yen): You can choose the color, but I prefer the "red." It's a simple and tasty treat. - Koban Mochi (108 yen): Has a nice aroma of yomogi with a good balance of mochi and sweet bean paste. Easy to eat shape. Thank you for the delicious treats! (^ω^)

I enjoyed a set of Miyoshiya's rice cakes as a dessert after lunch, which I received as a New Year's greeting from a business partner. Among the assortment of grass mochi, sakura, and bean daifuku, I had my favorite bean daifuku. The texture of the mochi had just the right amount of chewiness, and the sweet bean paste was pleasantly mild, giving it a high-quality taste.

Yesterday, my sister brought over a giant dorayaki to celebrate my eldest son passing the high school entrance exam. It was much bigger than my son's face, but the refined red bean paste and the subtly sweet dough complemented each other perfectly. I enjoyed it with a beer and it made the celebration even more delicious.

Located in a back alley near Nijuyonken Station, there is a shop that sells a variety of seasonal Japanese sweets such as daifuku, sweet potato cakes, and dorayaki. I went there to buy the Sakura Mochi for my daughter's first Girls' Day celebration. The shop also had a great deal on daifuku, so I ended up buying a variety of them including Sakura Mochi, Mame Daifuku, Kusa Daifuku, and Goma Daifuku. All of them had either smooth or chunky red bean paste inside, and were on the sweeter side. The Mame Daifuku had whole black beans, the Kusa Daifuku had a subtle mugwort aroma, and the Goma Daifuku had a deliciously bitter sesame flavor. I found that toasting them in a toaster after freezing them made them even more delicious. The mochi was easy to chew, making it suitable for young children.

I'm embarrassed to say this, but I couldn't resist and ate it all! While walking around the Nijuyonken area, I stumbled upon a sweets shop. I went in and bought four dorayaki. When I got home, I made some tea and enjoyed the dorayaki. Oops, I forgot to take a picture... Please forgive me for only showing half eaten. The dorayaki was very moist and sweet, making my hands sticky. It had a strong matcha flavor. I'm a bit embarrassed, so I'll stop here... Thank you for the meal!

I am in Sapporo, alone. Before eating ramen, I decided to stop by a mochi shop. It was my first time doing a mochi shop crawl, starting from "Mochi no Kaneya" and heading towards a place that seemed a bit strange. It turned out to be "Kashi Koubou Bikaoya." I couldn't find it without navigation due to my poor sense of direction. The shop was in a big building, but the interior was not very spacious. I tried the "Mame Daifuku" and "Kusa Daifuku" with grain anko. The staff, aside from the anime-like voice, was refreshing. The daifuku was ordinary, nothing too special about the "Mame Daifuku" and "Kusa Daifuku." The mochi was delicious, and the grain anko was just average. Overall, it was a tasty daifuku without any standout features.

It's nostalgic that they still give out red and white steamed buns at graduation ceremonies. I have visited the main store of Yoshinoya a few times and enjoyed their daifuku and dorayaki. The red and white steamed buns are also delicious.

I took a walk to 24 houses and arrived at a shop with a sign saying "Otanjo-mochi Biko-no-koko turn right here". The shop was located next to a factory and inside, there were various baked goods, traditional Japanese sweets, and large-sized "dorayaki" for around 1,000 yen each. I bought a "mame-daifuku" (red bean paste-filled mochi) and a cup of soft serve ice cream, which I enjoyed in the seating area with tatami flooring. Watching the process of making soft serve ice cream reminded me of capsule coffee machines. The mame-daifuku had a slightly sweet red bean paste and chewy mochi with a good texture, although I wished there were more beans inside.

I had some errands to run in the West district, so I decided to stop by a place nearby that I had been wanting to visit. When I arrived at the shop around lunchtime, I noticed that some of the items on display were sold out, which was a bit unexpected. Despite that, I purchased a few items that caught my eye and headed back home. The bean daifuku had a nice texture with whole black beans, and the sweet bean paste inside was smooth. The sakura mochi was small and easy to eat, with a lightly salted sakura leaf that added a nice touch. The miso manju had a thin skin with a hint of miso flavor and sweetness, but it wasn't overpowering, and the smooth sweet bean paste inside complemented it well. The green tea dorayaki had a green tea-infused skin with both smooth sweet bean paste and green tea-flavored bean paste filling. It had a nice balance of green tea flavor and bitterness, perfect for green tea lovers. All the items were reasonably priced and easy to enjoy, making it a great place to visit again. Thank you for the delicious treats!

On June 3, 2016, I had some free time during a tight schedule and decided to go out to buy some snacks. I ended up at Kashi Koubou Yoshiyoiya main store, where I purchased dorayaki and daifuku. The dorayaki was small but had a good balance of sweetness, while the daifuku had soft mochi and delicious sweet bean paste. The store was empty when I visited, and the staff packaged each daifuku individually, which was convenient. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I would recommend stopping by if you're in the area.

Welcome. ---------- March 2016 ----------Every year in March, I use the excuse of the "Hina Matsuri" festival to indulge in delicious treats like sakuramochi and uguisumochi. As always, they are delicious!------------- Yamaori -------------------------- December 2013 ----------In a quiet corner of a residential area, there is a factory with a shop attached. I asked Tom Grandma to "buy me some daifuku!" The automatic door greeted me with a warm welcome. In front of me, there was a giant dorayaki about 23cm in size. When I looked to the side, I saw a variety of discounted traditional Japanese sweets. Just like the kids in the McDonald's commercial who buy nuggets for 100 yen, I could buy daifuku here. In the back, there were freshly made mochi lined up, essential for the New Year. Tom Grandma handed me a stamp card, which reminded me of the times when she would buy large quantities of dorayaki and traditional sweets. She would sometimes give me a piece of the broken dorayaki, which were actually for her grandchildren. She spends over 10,000 yen in one shopping trip, mostly on these sweets. The texture of the sweet bean paste in the beautiful dango is irresistible, with its smoothness and sweetness that appeals to the elderly. The red bean daifuku can be distinguished by the seal, with the choice of smooth or chunky paste. I, Tom, prefer the soft mochi skin and smooth texture of the sweet bean paste, while the chunky paste can sometimes be distracting. Both are enjoyable for me. The four-color sweet bean paste has a unique texture, not overly sweet, with a sticky and pleasing feel. If given the chance, I would love to share the Mega Daifuku and the Jumbo Daifuku with my friends Mokutan and Rabashin. Thank you for the delicious meal.

【Take-out】If you mention a popular shop for online shopping on Rakuten, it would be Mihoya, a shop in Sapporo's Central Market that has been selling rice cakes, rice balls, Japanese sweets, and bento boxes since 1964. The main store and factory have moved to the Twenty-four House area, just a minute's walk from Exit 2 of the Tozai Line Twenty-four House Station. They have a stamp card where you get one stamp for every 400 yen spent. Accumulate 10 stamps and get a 300 yen discount on your next purchase. The stamp card is only valid at the main store and has an expiration date of one year from the date of issue. I visited Central Market in the morning on December 27, 2014, and bought some New Year's kagamimochi on my way back. The factory and shop of Mihoya used to be located behind the Sapporo Chuo Wholesale Center, which I used to frequent. This time, I made sure to come and buy from this shop, as the prices for the kagamimochi set were much cheaper and a better deal compared to buying from the market inside. The variety of kagamimochi has decreased over the years, which is unfortunate. I enjoyed the kagamimochi after the New Year, and each piece had sweet white bean paste with a hint of cinnamon. Some pieces had a slightly different taste depending on the filling. I will strive to review each type in detail next year!

There was a meeting in the palace forest, and I had about two hours of free time. I decided to go donate blood for the first time in a while, so I got off at Nijukken Station on the Tozai Line and found it on my way to the blood donation center. In a quiet street with hardly any people or cars passing by, I couldn't help but notice the sign that said "Delicious Daifuku Available". So, I stopped by on my way back from donating blood. The store mainly sells traditional Japanese sweets, so I bought both a bean daifuku and a grass daifuku (with sweet red bean paste, of course). I enjoyed them in a nearby park, but the bean daifuku was a bit harder than I expected. The sweetness of the red bean paste was mild, but I couldn't really feel the texture of the beans... The grass daifuku, on the other hand, was softer and easier to eat. Although I was curious about other Japanese sweets in the store, I don't think I'll be going back again (it's far from my home).

I purchased a set of 10 red and 10 white mochi from the store called Biko-ya on Rakuten Market for my second son's birthday. The store was closed on his birthday, so I bought the mochi in a frozen state and had them rapidly thawed at the store. The mochi came with a message attached saying "Don't dislike mochi" along with a present for the baby. The mochi, with red bean paste and white bean paste fillings, were delicious with a hint of salt. Unlike the previous time when I bought a large mochi from Rokkatei and struggled to cut it, this one was easy to divide and share. I'm glad I bought the one-sho mochi from Biko-ya. The store is located at 4-1-8, 2-4-1, Nijuyonken, Nishi-ku, Sapporo. They have parking available.

◆◆◆◆◆◆ [5th Post] ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [April 2015] This is the 5th post, so let's talk about the "Giant Dorayaki" after a long time. It's a popular item in our household. This time, I ordered the frozen version, which is not displayed in the store. They bring it from the back and I cut only the portion I want to eat at home. Details of the Giant Dorayaki: Weight: 670g, Chestnut filling included, Comes in a special paper box, Comes with a plastic carry bag. Price: ¥1200 (including 8% tax), Store price: ¥1160 (including 8% tax). The regular price of ¥1200 has remained the same for two years. The store offers a 10% discount on their own products, but the Giant Dorayaki is discounted by only ¥40, so the price has slightly increased. However, the cost-performance ratio is still very high. ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [4th Post] ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [May 2013] This is the 4th post, so let's briefly talk about my visit to the main store of the bakery. I purchased two Giant Dorayaki, one for home (frozen) and one as a gift for a friend. My friend was surprised by the size of the Giant Dorayaki. The price has increased from ¥1000 to ¥1200, with the store price being ¥1000 (a ¥100 increase). I also bought some rice crackers for my mother who was in the hospital. ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [3rd Post] ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [February 2012] This is the 3rd post, so let's briefly talk about my visit to the main store of the bakery. I bought the Giant Dorayaki, which is loved by my companion. It weighs 670g and I bought the frozen version. The chopped chestnuts inside are a charming point of this delicious and economical Giant Dorayaki. ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [2nd Post] ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [March 2011] I bought the "Soft Kinako Candy" from Ginza Hananoren for White Day. It was delicious, and I contacted the manufacturer to confirm where it is sold. Only Mitsukoshi in Sapporo Central Ward and the main store of the bakery in Nishi Ward sell this candy. It's a great product in a great store. ◆◆◆◆◆◆ [1st Post] ◆◆◆◆◆◆ While in the hospital, I dreamt of eating the "Giant Dorayaki" from the bakery. After being discharged, it was the first thing I wanted to eat. The bakery's Giant Dorayaki is my favorite. It's located near 24-ken Station. Check out the exact location on Tabelog. The store has about 6 parking spaces in front. The mochi daifuku is amazing, and the kinako candy is a must-try. The bakery's mochi is truly special.