Twentythree

The amusement park may have been demolished, but this ride lives on.

“This might be the most enjoyable merry-go-round I’ve ever ridden.”

That was the honest reaction from our reporter Natsuno Futon after she stepped off a carousel recently, and there were a couple of major reasons that made her feel this way. First was the fact that she could ride it as many times as she liked for free, and secondly, and most importantly, was the unique nature of it, as it kept the history of a long-forgotten theme park alive in a unique and heartwarming way.

Located in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture, the merry-go-round has pride of place in Oyama Yuen Harvest Walk, a shopping centre built on the site of the former Oyama Amusement Park (known as “Oyama Yuenchi” in Japanese). The amusement park was beloved by generations of visitors throughout its 55 years of operation, from 1960 until its closure in 2005, and while it was eventually razed to create the sprawling new shopping complex, one thing remained: the merry-go-round.

▼ In honour of the fact that it now lives on in a section called “Merry Go-Round Town”, we’ll refer to the carousel as a “merry-go-round” from here on out.

▼ Standing proud in one corner of the complex, the merry-go-round serves as a touching reminder of the former amusement park.

The fact that this original ride from the park is still running more than 20 years after the closure is a testament to its makers, and when Natsuno first laid eyes on it, she gasped at its beauty as it looked like no other merry-go-round she’d ever seen in person.

▼ It was much larger than she’d imagined, and much more beautiful as well.

It was also an astonishingly good deal, because this carousel is completely free to ride as many times as you like on weekdays. It operates four times an hour from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an hour’s break from 12 p.m. for scheduled maintenance.

If you visit on weekends and public holidays, the price is still surprisingly reasonable, as rides cost just 300 yen (US$2) for adults 200 yen for children aged three and over.

As Natsuno was here on a weekday, the ride would cost her absolutely nothing, and with her two children in tow, they were all excited to give it a try. First call of order, though, was choosing a seat, and unlike a lot of regular merry-go-rounds, which consist mostly of horses, this one had many more creative options.

▼ The first two seats to catch her eye were the lion…

▼ …and the donkey.

▼ The donkey was especially cute, as its head jiggled back and forth, making it look like it could be alive.

▼ There was also a carriage that gently rocked back and forth.

▼ For Natsuno and her two children, though, it was the teacup-shaped seat that was the winner.

Stepping into the teacup, Natsuno was impressed to find that although the merry-go-round looked old, the seats looked surprisingly new. It quickly became clear to her that the people running the show must have a strong affection for the ride and were doing a great job of looking after it.

As the ride began to whir into action there was another surprise – the teacup they were in actually spins.

Within moments, retro theme park-esque music began to play and the merry-go-round slowly began to turn. At first, Natsuno felt slightly self-conscious with shoppers walking by, but as the ride picked up she soon found herself throwing these concerns to the wind as a giddy sense of childlike glee took over and a wide grin began to form on her face.

It was fun, thrilling, and joyous, but before she knew it, the ride slowly came to a standstill, and Natsuno felt it just wasn’t enough. So she moved over to a classic horse for another go on the merry-go-round.

Once again, the music began to play, the ride began to turn, and Natsuno’s grin quickly returned. From the high vantage point of the horse she was able to enjoy a different view of her surroundings, and with her hands clasped around the pole, she felt more a part of the experience.

As she rode her steed, she made sure to look up and enjoy the decorative artwork above her, which was breathtakingly beautiful in its details.

▼ There was even a bucolic scene featuring a donkey.

▼ Peering even closer, she spotted a dragonfly charm hanging from the roof.

With every go on the ride, Natsuno seemed to discover new details that totally endeared her to the merry-go-round.

▼ On her third ride, she found herself appreciating the beauty of the horses’ tails, which had a real sense of history about them.

▼ Then, on her fourth and final round, she found herself admiring the details of the fairytale-like carriage.

After four rides, and an hour spent on the merry-go-round, Natsuno resisted the urge to spend the rest of the day there, and bid a fond farewell to its permanent residents.

▼ As she stepped off the ride, she made a mental note to revisit, so she could explore the second storey as well.

The two-storey merry-go-round was such a treat to ride on, and Natsuno couldn’t help but thnk how lucky she and her children were to have it all to themselves. If a ride like this existed in a big city like Tokyo, she imagines there would be long wait times and crowds that would totally detract from the true joy of the experience. So although it might be a bit of a trek to get to, we’re glad the merry-go-round is where it is.

▼ Plus, at night, the carousel is lit up, transforming into a magical, dreamlike sight.

We’re also glad that the new site has paid homage to the memory of the amusement park in such a fitting way. As the star of Merry Go-Round Town, this ride deserves to live on for future generations, so that children, and adults like Natsuno, can enjoy all the wonder it brings.

Site information
Oyama Yuen Harvest Walk Merry-Go-Round / おやまゆうえんハーヴェストウォーク メリーゴーランド
Address: Tochigi-ken, Oyama-shi, Kizawa 1475
栃木県小山市喜沢1475
Open: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m./ 1:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. (weekdays); 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (weekends & public holidays)
Website

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A cookie clash amongst convenience store chains. 

It’s a great time to be a convenience store customer in Japan right now, as Family Mart is holding a special upsize campaign that gives us more for our yen for a limited time. One of the products that’s been upsized is the “Big Cookie”, which we heartily recommend trying, but as it turns out, over at 7-Eleven you can find a similarly large cookie, and some people say it could give Family Mart’s a run for its money.

▼ 7-Eleven’s “Baked In-Store Chocolate Cookie”.

As part of 7-Eleven’s “Baked In-Store” series that the chain introduced a little while ago, the cookie is displayed inside the countertop display near the registers, and warmed up after ordering in a special oven-like machine. With such attention to detail, it’s a cookie that’s received a huge amount of praise from customers, so were curious to find out if it could beat the deliciousness of the one sold at Family Mart.

▼ Family Mart’s “Big Cookie” vs 7-Eleven’s “Baked In-Store Chocolate Cookie”


Family Mart’s cookie costs 258 yen (US$1.60), while 7-Eleven’s is slightly cheaper at 200 yen. The 7-Eleven cookie is smaller, though, so we whipped out our ruler and scaled to accurately assess the discrepancies.

The FamilyMart “Big Cookie” was just over 13 centimetres (5.12 inches) in diameter and it weighed 170 grams (6 ounces). Although we didn’t measure the exact thickness, it looked to be around 1.5 centimetres thick. As the name suggests, it’s genuinely large and feels quite heavy when you hold it.

The 7-Eleven cookie was just over 10 centimetres in diameter and weighed 99 grams. The thickness was probably around 1 centimetre, so in terms of size and weight, it was significantly smaller than the Family Mart cookie, but still pretty large for a cookie in the grand scheme of things.

▼ Now, it was time to move on to the most important aspect: taste.


▼ Starting with the Family Mart variety, we opened the bag and immediately sensed the delicious aroma of cinnamon.

Biting into it, the exterior was slightly crisp, and quickly followed by a soft, crumbly texture that crumbled in the mouth. Normally, with a cookie this large, you’d expect the sweetness to become overwhelming as you keep eating it, but the crisp-and-crumbly texture and the gentle spiciness of cinnamon provide a nice accent that keeps it well-balanced.

▼ Now, for 7-Eleven.

As this one had been freshly warmed by staff after we purchased it, the chocolate aroma was much richer and fragrant.

By the time we were tasting it, the cookie had cooled somewhat, but it was still slightly warm and soft, and the chocolate inside was slightly gooey. As we broke into it, we saw that the chocolate chunks were pretty dense too, which was impressive.

Biting into this one, it seemed to be more like a chewy, American-style cookie, compared to the crisp varieties that most Japanese people are used to. It certainly did feel freshly baked, with an out-of-the-oven softness, and it had a more intense, dessert-like chocolatey quality, which we really enjoyed.

▼ To try and even the playing field, we warmed up some of the Family Mart cookie in the microwave, and although it did become warm and soft, the bottom turned out a bit soggy, and it just didn’t deliver the same level of satisfaction as the 7-Eleven cookie.

▼ So which one was our winner?

Well, they both have their good qualities – Family Mart’s serves up excellent satisfaction in the eating, as just one bite is enough to fill your mouth with cookie, which is very enjoyable. However, the 7-Eleven cookie is slightly cheaper, and no less delicious. Despite its smaller size, it doesn’t feel like its lacking in any aspect – if anything, it feels like an elevated version of a cookie, which is why, for us it’s the winner.

Considering that the Family Mart cookie is only upsized for a limited time, when it shrinks back to its regular size, 7-Eleven definitely has it beat. For 200 yen, it’s a bargain for what you get, and now you know how good it is, be sure to keep an eye out for it on your next convenience store run.

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Although your pre-battle preparations need to start a week in advance.

With many parts of Japan already experiencing extremely hot days, with some areas of eastern Japan reaching 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), it’s time for residents and tourists alike to start considering how to survive the looming midsummer heat that will be striking in full force in a few weeks. One aspect that some people tend to forget is how heat affects appetite, and the hotter it becomes, the lower your desire to eat, and for our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa, that would be a hindrance on his life’s happiness. So, he took it upon himself to invent a food with a completely new concept for the coming summer, one that he thought he would never tire of eating: ice slurry somen.

Somen is a standard summer comfort food in Japan, being wheat flour noodles that are traditionally served cold, on top of ice cubes or floating in cold water, and less traditionally underneath a garden hose.

While ice slurry, a liquid mixed with ice particles, is well known as a heatstroke prevention measure in sports settings, it has recently begun to gain traction among the general public as a counter to the extreme heat. As such, Seiji couldn’t help but feel it was a match made in heaven.

Looking into the concept a little further, it seemed that food manufacturer Kikkoman had released Sharitto Hiya Somen (crisp chilled somen) earlier in the year, which you freeze before eating, but it only comes in two flavors: Korean Cold Noodle-style and Dashi-Scented Citrus Somen. However, Seiji just wanted a simple tsuyu (noodle broth) made with dashi soup stock, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. So, he started to look into how he could make it on his own.

Fortunately enough, it seemed pretty simple, as essentially all it needs is to become a liquid mixed with ice, so Seiji first diluted concentrated store-bought tsuyu and put it in the freezer, figuring it would freeze if left for about two days.

▼ It did not.

Even after three days, it hadn’t frozen at all.

Apparently, when salt is present, liquid becomes a lot harder to freeze, but “harder” is not “impossible,” so surely with enough time it would eventually freeze. Double-checking that he couldn’t adjust the freezer any lower, Seiji decided to let the tsuyu sit there for about a week…

… and it froze rock hard.

Feeling pleased with himself, now being only a couple of steps away from enjoying an ice-cold meal, Seiji took out his tsuyu ice and put it into a blender, adding in some regular, unfrozen tsuyu to the mix.

▼ Creating a brown whirlpool of icy foam

Having never put tsuyu into a blender before, Seiji wasn’t exactly sure what would happen, but it certainly wasn’t this ominous-looking creation.

Setting aside his surprise at how erratically the tsuyu was behaving, it seemed to be well mixed, so Seiji poured it into a bowl, finally achieving his wish of ice slurry tsuyu, with ice particles covering the tsuyu like thick clouds.

Seiji couldn’t wait to try it, so without hesitation, he tried dipping the somen into the tsuyu and…

… the noodles froze!

They made some kind of crackling sound—completely different from the somen Seiji was familiar with. It seems pausing to take photos is a fatal flaw when eating this meal. He still tried eating them, though, with the noodles having a texture similar to katayakisoba (crispy fried noodles).

Still keen to try out ice slurry somen the way he had intended to, Seiji dipped in for another shot.

The delicate texture of the somen and the feeling of it sliding down his throat, cooling his body from the inside out, was like a welcome into heaven.

It was like stepping into a whole new world of somen, and a commitment to eating nothing else but this for the rest of the summer.

For those looking to prepare Seiji’s new creation at home, the recipe is:

Ingredients

• Hon-Tsuyu (a popular tsuyu concentrate made by Kikkoman)
• Somen noodles

Recipe

1. Leave 140 milliliters (4.7 fluid ounces) of tsuyu in the freezer for one week, following the product’s directions for dilution.

2. Put the ice from step one and some unfrozen tsuyu (100 milliliters [3.4 fluid ounces]) into a blender and mix.

The ratio used is 1.4 parts ice to one part water, but this is just a guide.

3. Boil the somen noodles, dip them into the tsuyu from step two for a split second, and eat.

If you dip them too long, they will freeze.

Except for the fact that this recipe takes about a week to prepare, Seiji is confident in saying that this is a dish that is perfect for summer: a revolution in the world of summer foods. If you’ve tried somen before, this will unlock a completely new level of enjoyment, whereas if you haven’t, you might never be satisfied with the regular version after sampling this fascinating ice slurry somen.

Related: Sharitto Hiya Somen
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