Twentythree

Gyudon on the go in Kyobashi Station.

When you spot a restaurant on a train platform in Japan, the odds are extremely high that it’s going to be a noodle joint, and specifically a soba/udon one. Since they both use the same sort of broth, the logistics of keeping a pot of it heated and always having batches of noodles boiling makes it pretty easy to serve up meals in a speedy fashion.

But while he was passing through Osaka’s Kyobashi Station the other day, our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa spotted something he couldn’t recall ever seeing anywhere else: a station platform Yoshinoya.

This appears to be one of only two station platform Yoshinoya’s in all of Japan. Curious to see if it pares down its selection to just the bare-bones basics for easier operations, Seiji stepped inside and took a look at the ordering touch screen, but nope, this branch looks to offer the same full menu as other Yoshinoyas that aren’t five steps away from where commuters and travelers are getting on or off trains.

▼ Whether you want just a standard beef bowl or the deluxe, limited-time combo meal with grilled unagi (eel), stewed gyudon beef, miso soup, and a salad, the Kyobashi Station Yoshinoya’s cooks are ready to accommodate you.

OK, so they’ve got the regular menu, and also the regular Yoshinoya prices, with no extra price gouging despite the convenience of being right on the platform. But does this unconventional setup mean that the quality suffers?

Not a bit! Seiji’s beef bowl was 100-percent as delicious as the ones he’s had at regular Yoshinoya branches.

Because of all that, eating at the Kyobashi Station Yoshinoya is a surreal mix of everyday and unusual vibes. The familiar food looks, tastes, and costs the same as it would at any other Yoshinoya. But look up from your beef bowl, and you’ll see trains coming and going in front of you without having to get up from your seat at the counter.

And while all Yoshinoya branches accept payment by tapping a Suica or other prepaid train fare card, it feels like an especially appropriate way to settle your bill here.

This Yoshinoya is located on Kyobashi Station’s Osaka Loop Line outer track platform, and it’s open morning, noon, and night every day, not just during weekday rush hours. As for the only other train platform Yoshinoya in Japan, it’s on Platform 4 of Meitetsu Nagoya Station in Nagoya, a town with at least one more noteworthy platform dining option too.

Restaurant information
Yoshinoya (JR Kyobashi Station Platform branch) / 吉野家（JR京橋駅ホーム店）
Address: Osaka-fu, Osaka-shi, Joto-ku, Shin Kita 1-2-31
住所　大阪府大阪市城東区新喜多1丁目2-31
Open 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website

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Two completely different ways to make a delicious Japanese autumn dessert.

Now that we’re into the back half of September, we’re ready to switch our sweets snacking into autumn mode. And just like how farmers are harvesting their sweet potatoes, so too is it time for us to start bringing in Japan’s sweet potato ice creams for taste testing.

Today we’re looking at two ice cream makers with very different approaches. First, we’ve got Häagen-Dazs, a premium brand that’s very comfortable with adding decadent opulence to its desserts. But we’re also trying the new sweet potato ice cream from Mujirushi Ryohin, a.k.a. Muji, the lifestyle chain whose ice cream tends to be simple and understated, much like its furniture and housewares.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

While Häagen-Dazs Japan brings out seasonal fall flavors on an annual basis, sweet potato isn’t always one of them. So we’d been getting a little anxious, but on September 15 they released their new Nou Mitsu Imo, or “Rich Sweet Potato,” flavor.

Pop the lid off, and you’re instantly greeted by a luxuriously lustrous glistening gold sweet potato sauce meant to evoke the sweet caramelized juices that ooze out of a freshly roasted sweet potato. The sauce is made with two of Japan’s most delicious sweet potato varieties, Beni Haruka (the sweetest variety in Japan) and anno imo.

Meanwhile, Mujirushi’s sweet potato ice cream flavor is just called Beni Haruka, and its English name, Sweet Potato Frozen Dessert, is starker still.

That name probably doesn’t have you expecting dazzling visuals, and sure enough, things are pretty plain under the lid.

▼ Hmm…those black dots do look intriguing, though…

In terms of visuals, there’s no denying that Häagen-Dazs is more attention-grabbing, and that’s where our spoon went first. True to its name, the Nou Mitsu Imo is rich and delicious. The sauce is thick but smooth, harmonizing excellently with the flavor and texture of the Beni Haruka ice cream, which has a bright yellow color to it.

With desserts that use this much sauce, you might be tempted to think they’re trying to cover up something or beat your taste buds into submission, but that’s not the case here. For all of its visual extravagance, Häagen-Dazs’ Nou Mitsu Imo is actually pretty straightforward. There are no ill-advised hidden ingredients or too-clever-for-its-own-good tricks involved, just lots and lots of great sweet potato flavor.

So after all that, would Mujirushi’s sweet potato ice cream come up short? Not at all! Remember those black dots we mentioned? It turns out they’re black sesame, and they’re not the only surprise that was waiting for us. As we dug down below the surface, we started coming across bits of actual sweet potato mixed in among the cream.

In addition to flavor, the sweet potato pieces added a lot of interesting texture, a crisp iciness with a fluffy chewiness waiting at the center. The black sesame imparted an elegantly enticing aroma, neither overpowering nor getting lost in the buttery notes of the sweet potato ice cream. All in all, it really delivers on the promise of “making the most of the ingredients’ flavors,” Mujirushi’s stated philosophy for its ice cream line.

Price-wise, there’s not much difference between the two, with Häagen-Dazs Nou Mitsu Imo at 373 yen (US$2.35) being just a touch more expensive than the 350-yen Mujirushi Beni Haruka. Muji’s ice cream is about 30 percent bigger (120 milliliters [4.1 ounce] vs. 90 milliliters), so it is technically the better value, but we think we can find room for both of these in our budget and stomach this fall.

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Lawson’s crazy corn bento arrives as part of new series of “sugi” foods.

In Japanese, the suffix -sugi translates literally as “too” or “too much,” but it can also be used in the sense of “very.” This can sometimes make the intended meaning hard to understand. For example, if someone says their coworker isn’t just yasahii (“kind”), but yasashisugi, that could either mean that they’re incredibly considerate, or it could mean that they’re overly, even problematically accommodating.

So generally you have to look at the overall context in which -sugi is being used, but even then, it’s not always easy to tell. For example, Japanese convenience store Lawson is getting set to release its new Ittentoppasugi line of bento boxed lunches. Ittentoppa basically means “single-minded,” which leaves us with the question of whether they’re extremely single-minded or too single-minded, and really, you could make an argument either way.

“JUST CORN” (コーンだけ), Lawson trumpets proudly in the promotional image for the new Ittentoppasugi Shikitsume Gohan Yaki Tomorokoshi, which, despite its lengthy name, really is just a whole lot of roasted corn (yaki tomorokoshi) served over a tray of rice (shikitsume Gohan). Those are the only ingredients, aside from the buttery soy sauce spread over the kernels.

But maybe you look at that box of corn and rice and can’t help thinking you’d like something with a little more protein? No problem, because Lawson’s focused/obsessive offerings continue with the Ittentoppasugi Shikitsume Gohan Teriyaki Sausage.

▼ As unartful as the presentation might be, teriyaki sauce and sausage actually are kind of a novel combination.

And finally, rounding out the Ittentoppasugi series is the Ittentoppasugi Shikitsume Gohan Bodakko, featuring a type of salted salmon popular in Akita Prefectue.

This one doesn’t match the quantity of its corn and sausage brethren, but it’s no less single-minded, perhaps to a depressingly spartan-looking degree. Speaking of which, Lawson describes all three of these as “bento,” which more commonly brings to mind boxed lunches with rice and a variety of side dishes (though bento does also sometimes get used for single-topping boxes/trays of rice too).

Now, if you’re someone who can’t get enough corn or sausage, or who appreciates salmon so much that you don’t want anything else getting in the way on your palate, then these Ittentoppasugi bento aren’t necessarily too ittentoppasugi, and for those who’re OK with this degree of single-mindedness, they are pretty reasonably priced. The corn and salmon bento are just 297 yen (US$1.85), and the sausage bento is 397 yen, far cheaper than just about any other convenience store bento these days.

On the other hand, some people are already voicing their opinion that Lawson has gone overboard with how laser-focused these concepts are, as shown in online comments such as:

“This is terrible. It’s like they just spread out a rice ball.”
“This is simple-sugi…and I’m intrigued.”
“You can just go ahead and write ‘Luxuries are forbidden’ on the packaging.”
“Thank you, Lawson, for taking pity on us poor people. I’ll be buying these.”
“That’s not single-minded, it’s shocking…I can’t get onboard with this.”
“Shouldn’t they leave this kind of stuff to the Lawson 100-yen [discount sister chain]?”

Lawson is actually also launching a line of luxurious zeitaku Zeitakusugi items at the same time, such as extra-meaty hiyashi chuka cold noodles with roast, stewed, and grilled pork (797 yen) and a whole box of Mont Blanc made with candied Japanese chestnuts (786 yen), though they don’t quite match the -sugi levels of the single-minded bento.

The Ittentoppasugi sausage and salmon both go on sale September 22, and the corn bento joins them one week later, on the 29th. Lawsone says they’ll all be on available “while supplies last,” though it doesn’t specify whether that’s referring to store stocks or the world supply of corn and sausage.

Source: Lawson (1, 2) via FNN Prime Online via Yahoo! Japan News, Twitter/@akiko_lawson
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Insert images: Lawson
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Cosy up in colder weather with cute characters cuddling your toes.

With the days now getting colder in Japan, it’s time to start looking for cosy socks, and for Ghibli fans there’s no better way to stay warm than with some of the studio’s characters adorning your toes.

This year, Ghibli specialty shop chain Donguri Kyowakoku is giving fans a giant hug in the form of two new sock ranges, with the first being a collection of embroidered socks, honouring four of the studio’s popular movies.

These socks come with a cute little embroidered patch on the side, with cable-knit details giving each pair an elegant and stylish look.

▼ My Neighbour Totoro

The embroidering on the My Neighbour Totoro socks feature a circle of leaves to evoke the film’s forest setting, and in the middle is the Small Totoro, alongside a couple of acorns.

▼ Kiki’s Delivery Service

These socks feature Jiji, recalling the moment when the charismatic black cat steps in to act like a wide-eyed plush toy in a basket to help Kiki out when a mishap occurs during one of her deliveries.

▼ Spirited Away

This charming pair depicts Yu-bird, in tiny fly-like form, with a tea setting that recalls the visit to Zeniba’s house.

▼ Howl’s Moving Castle

Sophie is the inspiration for this design, with the character being referenced through the long ponytail, distinctive hat, and milliner’s tools in honour of the millinery where she works.

▼ Spirited Away Warm Room Socks

This pair features Boh Mouse, with a scattering of star-like konpeito – the candies carried by the Soot Sprites – adding extra charm and colour to the design.

Both room socks come with a non-slip backing to prevent you from sliding about, even on hardwood floors.

▼ My Neighbour Totoro Warm Room Socks

Totoro is the star of the show on this design, with the creature’s beloved acorns making an appearance as well.

Both collections are made with a cotton-polyester blend and come in 23-25 centimetre (9-9.8-inch) sizes only. The embroidered socks retail for 880 yen (US$5.63) each, while the room socks retail for 1,320 yen each, and they can all be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online (links below) while stocks last.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Morning walk interrupted by notorious Troop T1.

The town of Yugawara, in Kanagawa Prefecture, seems like it should be a very tranquil place. A seaside hot spring town, with baths and inns dotting the cityscape as it stretches up into the mountains as you head inland, it’s the sort of setting that entices you to get up early and go for a nice stroll, and that’s how last Thursday started off for one local resident in his 40s.

Unfortunately, at about 6:50 in the morning, as he was walking past the entrance to one of the town’s inns, the man was suddenly surrounded by a group of roughly a dozen antagonists. When you find yourself outnumbered to that degree, ordinarily the smart thing to do is to try to talk your way out of the situation. That wasn’t an option, though, because the man wasn’t surrounded by yakuza thugs or delinquent youths, but by angry monkeys.

The animals advanced on the man, biting him several times on his hands before he could either get away or scare them off, and after reporting the incident he was taken to the hospital for treatment for his injuries.

▼ Monkeys on the streets of Yugawara

The trouble that had found the man this day came in the form of violent members of the group known as Troop T1, and if you’re thinking that a group of monkeys needs to acquire a certain degree of infamy, or at least notoriety, before a town gives them a name, you’re right. Monkeys in Yugawara have been growing increasingly bold. As you can see in the above video, they’re not limiting themselves to forested areas, with many of the animals now feeling comfortable roaming around more developed parts of the town. In 2025, there were over 900 reported incidents of monkeys behaving in an aggressive or intimidating manner towards human residents of Yugawara, including a farmer who said he was accosted by a group of monkeys in his field while harvesting melons and citrus fruits.

▼ Video from last winter, demonstrating how little apprehension some of the monkeys feel around people. In addition to raiding gardens, the animals have broken into homes by tearing through screen doors or prying open sliding glass ones.

As a hot spring town, tourism is a vital part of Yugawara’s economy, and as a rural town, many of its residents are elderly. Troop T1 preying on unsuspecting tourists or defenseless senior citizens. Since at least last year, the city administration has been seeking authorization from the Kanagawa prefectural government to capture all of Troop T1, but permission to do so has yet to be finalized.

It’s not clear what’s causing the increased aggression from the animals. Decades ago, it wasn’t uncommon for tourists to bring food into the Yugawara foothills to feed the monkeys with, which could erode the animals’ fear of humans and see them, and their living spaces, as sources of sustenance, but this has become far less prevalent than it used to be. All the same, the local authorities have reminded everyone to neither feed nor provoke the monkeys, and to contact the police should they spot groups of the animals in town.

On the bright side, at least Yugawara hasn’t had any bear troubles.

Source: Nitele News via Dmenu News via Itai News, Kanaloco, Nitele News (2)
Top image: Pakutaso
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In Japan, a cake that’s “imperfect” can sometimes be perfect.

Whenever we’re not eating sweets, you can find us on the Internet, searching for sweets, and the rarer they are, the better. So when our reporter Natsuki Gojo discovered an odd-looking pack of cakes online, she immediately stopped browsing, and when she leaned in and discovered that it was a kilo (2.2 pounds) of cake ends from the cakes served to Japan Airlines’ first-class passengers, she wasted no time in clicking the purchase button.

Marked as “wake ari” (“imperfect”), Urokoya Sohonten’s “Premium Cake Ends” are inherently imperfect – as off-cuts from the manufacturing process, they would usually be discarded rather than presented for serving. The taste is the same as the more beautiful bits in between the ends, though, and given that they’re made by a long-established confectionery shop founded in 1684, Natsuki was far more interested in the flavour than the presentation.

Still, when they arrived on her doorstep, the cake ends looked beautiful to her eye, with two packs containing four neat towers, and each pack weighing around 500 grams.

Though she’d thought that “cake ends” might turn out to be small bits and leftover scraps, these were far bigger than she imagined, and looked like cakes in their own right.

▼ Comparing the size with a Sylvanian Families baby, and a human hand, gives you an idea of just how big these cakes are.

▼ Plenty of thickness in both the sponge and fresh cream.

She was surprised by how hefty they were too, because when she went to take a selfie with them, she found they were difficult to hold.

The cake ends arrive frozen, which is great as you can thaw only as much as you want to eat.

▼ The pack comes with stickers for jotting down the date you thaw it.

Each slice is about 16–17 centimetres (6.3–6.7 inches) long and a little over 1.5 centimetres (0.6 inches) thick, so it’s a generous serving.

After opening the pack and popping one of the slices on a plate, Natsuki cut it in half, which made it basically the same size as a regular piece of cake. Taking a taste, it was just as delicious as she’d hoped, with a dense yet fluffy sponge adding a soft sweetness to the fresh cream sandwiched inside of it.

The fresh cream was only mildly sweet, so Natsuki felt like she could easily eat to her heart’s content, and the flavours were incredibly well-balanced, which is a sign of a well-made, high-quality sweet.

▼ So this is what First Class tastes like!

While the cake can be eaten as is, because the flavour is simple, you can customise it to your liking. Natsuki chopped up the other half and added chocolate sauce, nuts and mint to make a decadent mini parfait, and it was utterly delicious.

With every mouthful, Natsuki felt like she was enjoying both a stylish cafe experience and a taste of first-class luxury in her own home. She now says she might just be hooked on these first-class cakes, and is chuffed that she found them.

If you’d like to enjoy a taste of first-class while not up in the air, these cakes can be purchased at the online store, as well as online retail sites like Amazon and Rakuten. According to the official website, a kilo of these cakes is equivalent to about 11 slices of shortcake, so at 3,999 yen (US$25.84), including postage, this is a very sweet deal.

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