On June 16, 2022, during my first visit to "Space Apple Yoiichi," I stumbled upon the "Yoichi Space Memorial Museum Shop" located right next to it. Although it was labeled as a museum shop, it felt more like a regular souvenir shop, which was a bit disappointing. The unique feature of this museum shop was the variety of over 10 types of space food available for purchase, alongside the usual Yoichi souvenirs. I felt that they could enhance their product selection by offering more space-themed items to cater to the interests of visitors intrigued by space. Inside the museum shop, there was a peculiar place called the "Illusion Room - Step Trainer," which appeared to be a straight path but actually caused a dizzying effect when attempting to walk forward, making it challenging to walk straight. It was a fascinating and somewhat disorienting experience, reminiscent of feeling seasick, prompting me to turn back midway.

During work, I stopped by the "Otaru Space Museum Museum Shop" in the middle of the job. They sell a lot of space food here, but I bought two bottles of organic blueberry juice "Konpeki no Koi" made by the local company "Natural Farm in Niki Town". After bringing it back, I opened the screw cap with a snap and shook it well before opening it. The juice is thick and rich, with a gentle flavor that is not too acidic. Although it's a bit pricey, it's really delicious. Thank you for the meal.

On the second day of my trip to Hokkaido in October 2017, I visited the Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery in Yoichi. After having lunch at the Nikka Kaikan Restaurant, I toured the distillery, sampled some whisky and apple wine, bought souvenirs at the Northland shop, and tried some distillery-exclusive whisky at the Whisky Club. Then, I moved on to the Space Apple Yoichi roadside station. Instead of catching my train back to Sapporo right away, I decided to visit the Yoichi Space Museum as well. I bought some unique space-themed snacks and souvenirs at the museum shop for my friends. The space snacks I purchased included space okonomiyaki, chicken rice, gratin, white rice, curry, shrimp pilaf, pudding, and Neapolitan ice cream. I also bought space gummies, which were yogurt-flavored and delicious. The freeze-dried shrimp pilaf and pudding were interesting to eat, and the Neapolitan ice cream had a unique texture. Overall, the space-themed snacks were a fun and quirky souvenir option for my friends.

On October 9, 2017, two friends from Tokyo and Osaka met in Sapporo to enjoy drinking and eating. Since I couldn't join them due to working on a holiday, they sent me souvenirs via Yu-Pack. The second installment was from the Yoichi Distillery near the Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery, located within the roadside station "Space Apple Yoichi." The "Yoichi Space Memorial Museum Shop" is where they got the following items: - Space White Rice 432 yen (tax included) - Space Curry Beef 540 yen (tax included) You may wonder why there is a "Space Memorial Museum" in Yoichi, Hokkaido. Well, this is the hometown of Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese astronaut to ride on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in September 1992. The museum allows visitors to experience space travel in terms of clothing, food, and living conditions, inspired by Japan's own developed space experiment module "Kibo." You can also see exhibits from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the blue suit worn by Mohri during training. The "Space White Rice" is freeze-dried Alpha rice, the same kind taken to space. You just need to add hot water, stir, and wait for 15 minutes to enjoy two servings of fluffy rice. The "Space Curry" is a retort curry made by House Foods, identical to the one taken to space, except for the packaging. Simply heat it for 5 minutes and serve over the Space White Rice for a space-style curry rice. In space, taste buds react differently, so the curry is spicy and rich, enhanced with turmeric, calcium, and vitamin D to support dining in a unique space environment. It was a spicy and flavorful beef curry, with a paste-like mix of shiitake, eringi, and mushrooms adding a nice touch. I'm grateful for this rare and unique meal! Thank you for the feast!