On February 3, 2019, Sunday, sunny weather, visited at 4:00 PM, and around 8:00 PM used it at home with my spouse. The frequency of updates has decreased significantly. We haven't been eating out much. Lately, my wife has been making bento boxes for me. Still, I visited a few restaurants, so I'll update sporadically. I want to continue up to about 500 posts. Now, this is Furuiichi-an. This shop's specialty is the Uzushio roll. Honestly, I didn't intend to embrace the culture of Ehomaki to this extent, but my wife was out with a friend all day, so I had to prepare dinner. I had made a reservation a few days ago for the Ehomaki at Furuiichi-an, planning to make it the main dish for dinner and also making daikon and boiled eggs into oden in the morning. It was Setsubun, so I thought I'd try reserving an Ehomaki. I'm actually somewhat negative about Ehomaki. I never thought Ehomaki would spread nationwide like this, and due to my work, I never thought I'd be so nervous every year around the day before Setsubun. But on Setsubun, in an attempt to overcome Ehomaki, I reserved two rolls. The shop is located on the first floor of Aeon Higashi-Kurume. The display shelves were bustling as it was Setsubun. Since I had made a reservation, the payment process was smooth. The woman who served me was very efficient. When my wife returned home, we enjoyed the Ehomaki with oden. We started with beer and then switched to white wine. We didn't solemnly face a direction and eat, but instead, I cut it up and placed it on the table from the start. It wasn't like, "Wow!" but the balance of ingredients was just right, and it was delicious. It paired well with the oden too. Furuiichi-an, a place where you might crave a thick roll not just on Setsubun. It might be good for drinking at home or as a small gift. Aeon Higashi-Kurume seems like many shops are closing down, I hope they're doing okay. Thank you for the meal. The end.

Takeout sushi chain restaurant called Furuiichi-an. They have stores in various department store basements, so it's a familiar place. Visited the one on the first floor of Aeon Mall Higashikurume close to 9 PM. Perhaps because it was close to closing time, many items were half price. Bought a half-cut futomaki. It had the usual ingredients like sakura denbu, kanpyo, cucumber, tamago, and shiitake mushrooms. The sweetness of sakura denbu, the acidity of the sushi rice, the seasoning of kanpyo and shiitake mushrooms, and the overall balance make up this futomaki. Well, it was just a normal futomaki, really.

On my second visit to the Seibu department store in Tokorozawa, I saw that Furuiichi-an Tokorozawa Seibu store had reopened with a renovation. They had special inari sushi called "Toko dake!" (made with local Tokorozawa ingredients) and Nanohana Karashi-ae inari sushi (seasonal inari sushi) available. I was really torn about whether to buy them for my late-night snack (ultimately I didn't). Furuiichi-an (part of the "Umenohana" group from Kurume, Fukuoka) also has a store in Aeon Higashi-Kurume, so I bought three Nanohana Karashi-ae inari sushi (1 piece for 113 yen) for myself while picking up a family bento. The inari sushi is ordered in person by specifying the quantity. The inari sushi packs with barcodes on them can be paid for at the centralized registers in Aeon (including self-checkout), but you won't get stamps on your Furuiichi-an stamp card or earn points on your waon point card. It's better to pay at the Furuiichi-an register, get points on your waon card, and receive stamps on your Furuiichi-an stamp card (valid at all stores). The items sold here are made in the kitchen at the back of the store, so you often find freshly made inari sushi displayed around lunchtime. As for the Nanohana Karashi-ae inari sushi I had for my home lunch, I have been eating "Nanohana Karashi-ae" from Seiyu's deli section (Wakana) almost every day recently, so I'm so used to the taste that I didn't find it spicy at all. This inari sushi did have a hint of the Nanohana Karashi-ae flavor, with a very mild spiciness. If asked whether I would want to eat it again, I would definitely say yes! Since it's a seasonal item, I plan to buy it again during the sales period. Next time, I think I'll buy the "Toko dake!" inari sushi at Furuiichi-an Seibu Tokorozawa store as well.

I bought a pack of red rice from Furuiichi-an as a favorite family dinner item, as my family loves it even more than having it three times a day. This store is located on the 1st floor of AEON Tokorozawa, which opened on April 23, 2013 (pre-opening from April 18, 2013). They have various rice packs and inari sushi packs displayed, and you can also order individually and have them packed for you. Since it is a tenant specialty store, the payment is separate from AEON Supermarket's central register, and they provide free plastic bags. I bought the "Spring Season Rice with Sakura Shrimp" for myself (for a late-night snack). It is rice with small sakura shrimp and edamame beans. Honestly, I am not a big fan of sakura shrimp, but I thought it might be okay with the edamame beans. However, even though it has a spring flavor, the texture was a bit off for me. They gave me a stamp card (valid for one year) that can be used at all Furuiichi-an stores nationwide. There are also Furuiichi-an stores in Shibuya Tokyu Toyoko and Seibu Tokorozawa, so I can make good use of the stamp card there.

Strolling around Aeon Mall Higashikurume. The initial chaos of the opening has been greatly reduced, and I was able to park without waiting. After casually walking around and making impulse purchases, I got tired and decided to choose some snacks for my evening drink before heading home. I browsed through the deli section and peeked into Furuiichi-an. I was drawn to the assortment of cube-shaped pressed sushi, "Naniwa Sushi," priced at 712 yen (tax included). It looks visually appealing, so refer to the photo! Now, it's time for my evening drink. I take off the wrapping paper and colorful pressed sushi appear. Beautiful. The sushi pieces are sticking together, making it a bit difficult to pick them up. I start with the salmon. The slices of sashimi seem a bit thin, but the vinegared rice has a protein-rich seasoning that balances out the flavors nicely. To accompany my sake, I decide to use a small dish with soy sauce. The snack level instantly goes up. There's marinated mackerel, grilled conger eel, battered fish, thick rolled omelet, simmered shrimp, seasoned crab meat, small dried bonito flakes, marinated sea bream with kelp, pickled takana greens, pickled sardines... There are so many varieties that just writing about them makes me tired. I can't write about which ones were delicious, that would be too mundane. I ended up drinking about four cups of sake. Thank you for the meal. Hahaha.

Enticed by the delicious smell, I visited this restaurant for the first time. They offer four types of rice balls: red bean rice, mountain vegetables, mixed rice, and the one I was looking forward to, chestnut rice. Chestnut rice is perfect for the approaching autumn season. The steamed rice balls are truly delicious. While I usually make rice in a rice cooker at home, the ones here are completely different and much tastier. I've had chestnut rice at other places before, but sometimes they skimp on the chestnuts, which can be disappointing. However, here, there are plenty of chestnuts in the rice, which is delightful. They offer rice balls by weight, starting from 100g, so you can try different types in small portions, which is very reasonable.