New convenience store chain to rival 7-Eleven opens in Japan

The company behind beef bowl chain Sukiya and conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain Hama Sushi now have their own konbini.

You’ve probably heard of Japan’s most famous convenience store chains, Family Mart, Lawson, and 7-Eleven, and you may even know about a few not-so-famous ones, like Mini Stop, Daily Yamazaki and New Days.

But have you heard of a convenience store called Sakura Mikura? If you haven’t, don’t worry — you’re not alone, as the chain quietly opened four branches in Gunma Prefecture in 2021 so not a lot of people know about it yet.

However, it probably won’t be long until more people start talking about the chain, as it’s run by Zensho Holdings, which operates some pretty famous restaurants — namely the Sukiya beef bowl chain, the Hama Sushi conveyor belt sushi chain, and the Cocos family restaurant chain.

▼ Sakura Mikura incorporates sakura cherry blossom petals in its logo.

The meaning of the store name is a bit of a mystery, as “mikura” isn’t a word that’s familiar to our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun, who made the trip out to Gunma to check the store out recently. According to the official site, though, the “sakura” in the title aims to “bring smiles to the region, as the cherry blossoms do“, and that’s certainly what happened to P.K. when he stepped through the doors and saw a large section inside called “Mikura Shokudo”.

▼ “Shokudo” translates to “dining hall” or “cafeteria”.

Given that the company behind Sakura Mikura runs some of the country’s most popular eateries, P.K. was excited to try the offerings from this shokudo, so he went all out by purchasing the following items:

• Mikura Fried Chicken Bento (470 yen [US$4.07])
• Rich and Delicious! Offal Miso Ramen (550 yen)
• Curry Bread (148 yen)
• Churro (105 yen)
• Maritozzo – Strawberry and Nut Flavour (290 yen)

In Japan, rival convenience store chains manage to survive within close proximity to each other by offering signature items that make them slightly different from their competitors. The Mikura Shokudo is definitely a unique drawcard for this chain, and by the look of the food on offer, they might even have what it takes to rival 7-Eleven, who’s particularly famous for its bentos.

What makes Mikura Shokudo so different to other hot food sections is the fact that it’s set up to be more like a fast food counter, with an extensive menu that includes options like bento lunches, curry dishes, bento, pasta, and rice bowls, all made to order.

There’s also an eat-in area, so you can eat inside like you’re at a fast food joint inside a convenience store, and that’s what P.K. did, sitting down to try the chain’s most popular item on the menu — the Mikura Fried Chicken Bento.

The fried chicken had a nice, crispy texture that was different to a ready-made bento that you’d buy off-the-shelf at a convenience store. The rice had also been freshly served out of the rice cooker, which elevated it from ho-hum kombini-level quality to something you’d purchase at an eat-in diner like Sukiya or Coco’s.

Next up, he lifted the lid on the “seasonally recommended” miso ramen, which came with “horumon” (“offal”). This was really delicious, as the broth was punchy and flavourful, and it was packed with a good amount of offal that was surprisingly high quality for a convenience store meal.

With his expectations exceeded, P.K. reached for the churro and curry bread. These too were a level above usual konbini-style offerings, which P.K. figured was due to them being freshly fried after he’d ordered them.

▼ The made-to-order feature really makes a big difference to convenience store food.

It’s hard to find a chain that offers made-to-order food at prices as low as these, so the big convenience stores might want to watch their backs — this could be a game-changer for customers.

There is another convenience chain that offers made-to-order hot food like this, but it’s a chain that only exists on Japan’s northernomst island of Hokkaido.

▼ That chain is Seico Mart, which is popular for its “Hot Chef” range of hot foods.

Seico Mart is known for its local pride, featuring locally sourced goods throughout each store, and that’s the approach also being taken by Sakura Mikura, which stocks products made by local companies.

In fact, P.K. would go so far as to say that Sakura Mikura is more similar to Seico Mart than it is the other big-name chains on the mainland, and given the immense love and pride for Seico Mart in its home region, this new chain in Gunma may very well go on to develop an equally adoring legion of customers.

So look out, convenience store operators in Gunma — the freshly made food on offer at Sakura Mikura may wind up putting in a dent in your earnings. Unless you have a cat on your doormat like this Gunma 7-Eleven, because a touching story like that is a sure-fire way to get customers through your brightly lit automatic doors.

Related: Sakura Mikura
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Family Mart’s new Hotcake Soufflé Pudding proves Japanese convenience stores have the best sweets

New release serves up three delicious desserts in one cup.

In September last year, Japanese convenience store chain Family Mart held a “Soufflé Pudding Festival” at branches across the nation to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The festival showcased different regional versions of the Soufflé Pudding, the chain’s most popular sweet, which were devised by local staff and limited for sale in their respective regions.

One of the regional varieties ended up creating such a buzz that the chain has now decided to release it nationwide, and that special product is called the “Hotcake Soufflé Pudding“.

Originally limited for sale in West Japan, in and around Osaka Prefecture, we were thrilled to hear we could now get a taste of it at our local Family Mart here in Tokyo, so we went out and purchased one and took it home for a taste test.

▼ The Hotcake Soufflé Pudding costs 298 yen (US$2.58).

As the name suggests, this dessert looks just like a hotcake, but it’s actually a thick and fluffy soufflé that sits atop a “purin” (“pudding”), which is what crème caramel desserts are known as in Japan.

As soon as you lift the lid on this dessert, the visual effect is mouthwateringly good — the dollop of buttercream on top and the slightly browned surface of the soufflé makes you feel as if you’re about to bite into a hotcake.

When you do bite into it, though, you realise it tastes even better than it looks, as the buttercream has a slightly salty taste that pairs perfectly with the gentle sweetness of the light and airy soufflé. This sweetness is on point, hitting the right balance to create an addictive combination.

The soufflé is so soft that it melts in your mouth, and dipping your spoon a little further into the mix to pick up some purin as well makes for a sinfully decadent dessert experience.

The silky smooth texture of the pudding contrasts beautifully with the airy soufflé, and it’s not just the textures that complement each other, but the flavours as well, with the stronger notes of eggy custard and caramel mellowed out by the more subtle sweetness of the soufflé and buttercream.

Custard pudding, buttercream, caramel sauce, souffle…yes, they really do taste as delicious as they sound when rolling off the tongue, and we can truly understand why this dessert became such a sensation when it was first released.

It’s a fantastic twist on the soufflé pudding, and one we’ll definitely be heading out to try again. It just goes to show that Japanese convenience store sweets really are amazing, and worthy of all the love they get from fans around the world!

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Rakuten CEO donates one billion yen to Ukrainian humanitarian relief

Says that “the trampling of a peaceful and democratic Ukraine by unjustified force is a challenge to democracy.”

Hiroshi Mikitani is a man of many titles. He’s best known as the founder and CEO of Rakuten, which put him in various leadership positions for the conglomerate’s e-commerce, telecommunications, finance, travel, and medical operations. He’s also the chairman of a professional soccer club, the outright owner of a professional baseball team, and also the chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

And as of this week, we can add “massive donor of humanitarian aid to Ukraine” to the list. On Sunday, Mikitani sent out a bilingual Japanese/English tweet announcing that he would be donating one billion yen (US$8.7 million) to the country currently under invasion by Russian military forces.

▼ He also said he’d talked it over with his family, since a billion yen really is the kind of expenditure you should run by your spouse first.

僕達にできることは本当に限られていますが、家族と相談し10億円をウクライナに寄付することにしました。
Consulting with my family, we Mikitani family have decided to donate 1 billion yen to Ukraine.
Attached is my letter to President Zaranskyy. Our hearts are with you. pic.twitter.com/w4LAPs7nt7

— 三木谷浩史 Hiroshi (Mickey) Mikitani (@hmikitani) February 26, 2022

In his tweet, Mikitani also included a copy of a letter addressed to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, recalling a meeting between the two three years ago in the capital city of Kyiv. As for how Mikitani hopes the money will be used, in his letter he states that he has “decided to donate [one billion yen] to the Ukrainian government for humanitarian activities to help people in Ukraine who are victims of the violence.”

A billion yen isn’t an amount you just stuff in an envelope and drop in the mail box, and most financial institutions are closed on Sundays. Early Monday morning, though, Mikitani tweeted that the funds had been sent.

お待たせしました。
楽天ポイント、クレジットカードで募金がてぎる、楽天クラッチ募金
『ウクライナ人道危機 緊急支援募金』
You can donate to humanitarian fund of Ukraine by Rakuten points or credit card.
Please join and help people suffering in Ukraine.https://t.co/9CssvI7ljy

— 三木谷浩史 Hiroshi (Mickey) Mikitani (@hmikitani) February 28, 2022

Mikitani also added that other Rakuten executives and members of the Japan Association of New Economy business group, which Mikitani is the director of, have made donations, and encouraged others to do so as well, setting up a special web page through which donations can be made using Rakuten points or credit cards.

Source: Twitter/@hmikitani (1, 2, 3) via Sports Hochi via Excite News via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
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Mister Donut celebrates sakura season 2022 with “Sakudo” blooming doughnuts

See the blossoms, experience the blossoms, eat the blossoms.

Spring coming soon means it’s cherry blossom season again. We’ve already seen some cherry blossom goodies from popular chain eateries like Starbucks coming out, and now it’s time for Mister Donut to unveil this year’s sakura-themed creations.

On March 1, Mister Donut is releasing a limited series of doughnuts that are made to look like blooming cherry blossoms, aptly named “Sakudo” (with saku meaning “bloom” and do coming from “donut”).

There will be four different doughnuts in the lineup, each slightly differing in appearance and flavor, but all similar in their sakura shape and Mister Donut signature chewy, mochi-like texture.

▼ Here’s the first doughnut in the series.

These Sakura An-flavored doughnuts have a sakura-flavored base and are glazed with a bean paste seasoned with cherry blossom leaves and salt. The salty-sweet combination is unique and distinctly Japanese. They’re priced at 162 yen (US$1.40) for takeout and 165 yen to eat in-store.

▼ This flavor looks similar to the first one but is subtly different.

The Sakura Leaf flavored-doughnuts are, well, flavored like sakura leaves. They’re slightly salty, slightly sweet, and glazed with a sakura mochi coating to make you feel like you’re eating actual sakura mochi. These cost 140 yen for takeout and 143 yen to eat in-store.

▼ Like traditional Japanese snacks? Then you’ll love this one.

The Kinako flavored-doughnuts have a sakura-flavored base and a sweet glaze on the underside. The tops are coated with kinako (roasted soybean powder) and sugar, giving them an earthy and sweet flavor. These are also 140 yen for takeout and 143 yen in-store.

▼ And finally, the one you’ll want to post on Instagram.

Arguably the most visually stunning doughnut is the Sakura An and Whip doughnut. These sakura-flavored doughnuts have sakura-flavored bean paste and whipped cream sandwiched inside, then are decorated with white chocolate and sugar glaze. These are 162 yen for takeout and 165 yen for eat-in.

Mister Donut is planning to sell their Sakudo series until the end of March — coinciding with the end of cherry blossom season — but some stores will stop selling them as soon as they run out of stock. If you want one, it’s better to go sooner than later! They’ll be at Mister Donut shops throughout Japan.

Or if you’re planning to enjoy them during cherry blossom viewing, time it with this year’s sakura forecast.

Source, images: PR Times
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No, the Tokyo Skytree wasn’t lit in colors of Ukraine for solidarity…but another landmark is

Intentional or not, many still see color scheme as a sign of hope and encouragement.

On Sunday night, the Ukrainian Embassy in Tokyo tweeted a photo of the Tokyo Skytree with the message “The Skytree has become the colors of Ukraine!” along with the hashtags #StandForUkraine and #StandWithUkraineNOW.

▼ Though tweeted on Sunday, the photo shows the Skytree as it appeared on the previous night, February 26.

スカイツリーがウクライナカラーになりました！#StandForUkraine #StandWithUkraineNOW pic.twitter.com/mooqZI7mgH

— 在日ウクライナ大使館 (@UKRinJPN) February 27, 2022

The extra layer at the bottom means it’s not an exact match, but it does closely resemble the blue-and-yellow color scheme of the Ukrainian flag, and the tweet quickly earned close to 100,000 likes.

With fighting in the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning on Thursday,  some took this as a sign of solidarity from the Skytree, which periodically changes the color of its illumination for special events. However, it turns out that the lighting was an unintended coincidence.

As shown in the press release photos directly above and at the top of this article from Tobu Group (the Skytree’s owner), the Skytree has three different standard color patterns. The one on the left is called “Iki” (meaning “chic”), and its colors are meant to be evocative of spray forming on the waters of the Sumidagawa River (the officially stated colors are blue and white), Tokyo’s major transportation vein during the Edo period.

Iki, along with Miyabi and Nobori (the names of the other two color patterns), entered into rotation for the Skytree in February of 2020, in anticipation of the influx of overseas visitors Japan was expecting for the Tokyo Olympics. Since then, they’ve been on a steady three-day rotation, barring any special illumination patterns, and Saturday just happened to be when Iki’s turn came up again.

▼ “Today’s lighting is Iki,” tweeted the Skytree’s official account on Saturday morning. Sunday’s pattern was Miyabi, Monday’s was Nobori, and a special sakura color pattern runs from March 1 to 9.

[本日のライティング] 本日のライティングは「粋」です。 https://t.co/NQd6NwRrOj

— 東京スカイツリー (@SkytreeInfo) February 25, 2022

The Skytree’s color daily patterns are set a month in advance and posted on its official website. A Skytree public relations representative also confirmed to Huffington Post reporters that the color pattern was not meant to have any connection to the situation in Ukraine.

A number of Twitter users responded to the embassy’s tweet by pointing out the preexistence of the Iki color pattern and schedule. All the same, many others who saw the Skytree on Saturday night, or the photo posted by the embassy the next day, had their thoughts drawn to the Ukrainian people, and their hope for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict, with reactions including:

“Even if it’s a coincidence, a light of encouragement was shining from the tallest tower in Japan.”
“The end result is still deepening the bond between our country and Ukraine, and I have faith that they will know peace again.”
“Whether it was part of the regular rotation or not, when a lot of people saw the coloring it made them think of Ukraine, and that’s important.”
“If this gives the Ukrainian people even a little bit of courage, then I think it’s a good thing.”

Meanwhile, across town in the Shinjuku district, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (also known as Tocho) actually is lit up in the colors of the Ukrainian flag in a deliberate show of solidarity.

【#都政ニュース】#ウクライナ との連帯を示すため、東京都庁第一本庁舎をウクライナ国旗の色である青と黄色にライトアップします。
期間：2月28日（月）～3月6日（日）
時間：18時～23時 pic.twitter.com/fUbY2YxjdH

— 東京都庁広報課 (@tocho_koho) February 28, 2022

都庁 ウクライナ国旗の色にライトアップ pic.twitter.com/oyI5aNibCb

— 踊ウタマ口(ﾆｰ) (@utamaro_) February 28, 2022

While it can’t claim “tallest structure in Japan” status, at 242.9 meters (797 feet) tall Tocho is still a massive presence, and the fact that it’s an actual governmental facility arguably makes the gesture more significant than one from the Skytree would be.

東京都庁がウクライナカラーに染まった。ライトアップで連携示す【画像集】 https://t.co/TwmmNiYFBw pic.twitter.com/eviLHaLqTU

— 乃木坂＆欅坂パリピ (@paripikohei) February 28, 2022

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is scheduled to be illuminated in blue and yellow until March 6 from 6 to 11 p.m. nightly.

Source: Twitter/@UKRinJPN, Tobu Group, Huffington Post Japan, FNN Prime Online via Livedoor News, Tokyo Skytree
Images: Tobu Group
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Pokémon is going open-world with brand-new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games【Video】

Developers looking to modernize Pokémon with the series’ first seamless open-world installment.

February 27 has become known as Pokémon Day, in honor of the date being when the very first Pokémon video games were released for the Game Boy in Japan back in 1996. As it always does, the Pokémon Company celebrated Pokémon Day with a video presentation of its upcoming products, hosted by CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. Things started out pretty low-key, with announcements of updates for Pokémon GO Pokémon Masters EX, and Pokémon Café ReMix, but it wasn’t all smartphone news, the presentation saved the best bit for last: a brand-new mainline Pokémon game for the Nintendo Switch.

In keeping with tradition, the new game is actually a set of paired titles, to be called Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Among the keywords mentioned in the reveal are “open world.” While the Wild Area of Pokémon Sword and Shield, the most recent mainline games, allowed for free camera movement, it was only a single section of the map, surrounded by fixed-camera areas which made up the bulk of the game’s world.

The developers are also touting a “seamless” style of play in Scarlet and Violet, which suggests that stark transitions from field exploration to battles, which have been part of the gameplay for the past two and a half decades, are finally being retired.

With a new mainline game comes a new, ninth generation of Pokémon to catch, and we’ve already been given a look at the selectable starter trio. As they set off on their journey, Pokémon Masters-to be will choose between Sprigatito, a capricious feline Grass-type, Fuecoco, a laid-back “fire crocodile,” and Quaxly, a duckbilled Water-type with a personality as put-together and reliable as his hairstyle.

The preview video cagily provides only the smallest glimpse of a map on the wall of the player character’s home, but the architecture has some strong Mediterranean vibes to it.

▼ Though you could also say it has a Southern Californian feel.

The towering structure seen in the video also has some similarities with Barcelona’s famous Sagrada Familia basilica, a site Japanese travelers to Spain are particularly enamored with.

In keeping with the video’s warm coastal climates, the player character’s starting outfit is appropriately breezy.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is when Scarlet and Violet is going on sale: Winter 2022. While fans whose internal clocks are set to Poké-time probably were feeling that we were due for a new mainline Pokémon game pretty soon (they’re usually spaced three years apart, and Pokémon Sword and Shield came out in 2019), Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a major release with plenty of polish, just came out on January 28, less than a month before the announcement of Scarlet and Violet.

So it sounds like it’s going to be a busy year for the developers who just wrapped Arceus only to shift gears right away to get Scarlet and Violet ready for release by the end of the year. But before you think “Wow, Nintendo really works hard!”, remember that…

…it’s not Nintendo that makes the Pokémon games.

Source: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet official website
Top image: YouTube/ポケモン公式YouTubeチャンネル
Insert images: Scarlet and Violet (1, 2)
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What does Showa-era curry taste like? We try making some with an old-timey roux

Our Japanese-language reporter had no idea what to expect.

No matter what era you grew up in, there are always going to be times you look back on your youth fondly, and for some of us, the best memories center around food. And while we can’t go back in time to relive those memories, we can bring them to life by recreating those foods and their nostalgic flavors.

That’s why our Japanese-language reporter Aoi Kuroneko was excited to find a “Natsukashi no Showa Curry Roux” (“Nostalgic Curry Roux”), which recreates the flavor of curry from the Showa era (1926 to 1989). Though Aoi, who was born in 1985, isn’t quite old enough to have seen much of the Showa era, she found this product intriguing. What did Showa-era curry taste like? Is it different from curry today? Aoi couldn’t wait to find out.

But first, did you know that curry powder first arrived in Japan in the Meiji period? There’s actually Meiji-era roux that you can try out. Curry was introduced to Japan in 1905, so perhaps by the time the Showa period rolled around, it was already close to the version of curry that we know and love today. Just in case, Aoi checked the instructions on the back of the package to make sure she had everything she needed.

The recommended ingredients were meat of your choice, onions, carrots, potatoes, and of course the Showa Curry Roux. Hm…so exactly the same as curry today. The only difference was probably that the Showa curry roux was in powder form and not the blocks that many Japanese curry roux come in.

Even though it seemed like she’d be making curry like always, Aoi made sure to follow the instructions on the back of the package. The first step was to cut the ingredients into whatever size she preferred.

Then she fried up the vegetables and meat…

And poured in water, brought it to a boil, and simmered it until cooked. Then she turned off the heat and added the roux before turning the heat back on to low.

In short, the preparation steps were exactly the same as present-day curry, which was kind of a let-down. Aoi had expected something slightly more…Showa about it. Perhaps if she had one of these metal servers to put the finished product in?

Well, perhaps the Showa-ness would come out in the flavor. The finished curry did have a slightly yellower tint to it than most present-day Japanese curries. Ready to find out if it tasted any different, Aoi took her first bite…

It was very similar to a ready-made curry for kids since its spices were very faint. It wasn’t spicy at all, which made it kind of mysterious. With most curries today, the flavor and fragrance stick with you for a little bit after eating it, especially on your breath. But there was none of that with this curry. It had a very clean aftertaste, and Aoi guessed that she would be able to have a meeting with an important business client five minutes after eating a bowl of Showa curry without worrying about her breath.

While a lot of the “best curries” these days have complex spice mixes, hidden flavors, or luxury ingredients in them and are meant to stimulate all five senses, this curry is, by contrast, completely unremarkable, but in absolutely the best way possible. It’s a curry that doesn’t assert itself too strongly, which is actually a nice change, especially if you want something a little lighter on the palate. Aoi could confidently say that she’d never eaten a curry like that before; it was a very interesting experience.

The other thing that pleasantly surprised her about this curry was that, despite it being a powder, it didn’t form into clumps or have any trouble dissolving. It was very quickly and smoothly incorporated into the water. Also, the package was super easy to open, which is always a benefit. The ease of making this curry makes it fit surprisingly well into the busy lives of the people of Reiwa. Perhaps Showa Curry is as timeless as curry itself.

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Kids magazine comes with functioning ticket gate machine, makes beeping sounds when gates open

New edition of children’s magazine Youchien even has adults reaching for their wallets.

Anyone who has bought a magazine in Japan will be aware that they often come with a free gift, and sometimes they can be pretty high quality for something that’s considered an extra.

One magazine in particular that has a history of giving away cool freebies is children’s magazine Youchien. Youchien, which means “kindergarten” in Japanese, is a magazine that focuses primarily on young kids, with some parenting tips for adults included too. Despite being a children’s magazine, though, the free gifts that come with it are so sophisticated that it often causes a buzz with adults as well.

And you certainly don’t need to be in pre-school to enjoy the upcoming May edition of Youchien magazine, which comes with a fully functioning ticket machine gate.

次号はこちらです。 pic.twitter.com/Qiynw8qWgC

— 小学館『幼稚園』編集部 (@youchien_hensyu) February 22, 2022

In collaboration with Japan Railways East Mechatronics, Inc., Youchien magazine’s May edition will come with a paper-craft version of the famous JR automated ticket gates. The gates will also include a motorised door that opens and closes, and will make one of three beeping sounds when the miniature Suica IC card that’s included in the pack is swiped.

The ticket gates are the latest in the magazine’s long history of giving away incredible free paper-craft gifts — take the current edition of Youchien, which comes with moving cup ramen:

幼稚園4月号ふろくは日清食品さんとコラボした「びょんびょんカップヌードル」。麺が動いている約20秒間に、10個の具材をすべて載せられたら成功です。カップの大きさは、本物のカップヌードルと同じ。具材置き場として「ふた」も付いています。2月26日ごろ発売。1180円です。 pic.twitter.com/LOaeJAFDT9

— 小学館『幼稚園』編集部 (@youchien_hensyu) February 22, 2022

▼ Or this ATM that dispenses paper money from the December 2019 edition.

幼稚園9月号ふろくは「セブン銀行ATM」。モーターユニット内蔵で、お札の出し入れが楽しめます。お札を入れるときは、なるべくまっすぐ入れてください。本物と同じサイズのお札が12枚付き。8月1日ごろ発売です。 pic.twitter.com/9uVRXkV6LN

— 小学館『幼稚園』編集部 (@youchien_hensyu) July 29, 2019

▼ Or this UFO catcher with moving arm from the February 2020 edition!

元幼稚園児が『幼稚園』2･3月号の付録でカイシャで遊ぶ図です。 pic.twitter.com/JFIuw8D75t

— セガ公式アカウント (@SEGA_OFFICIAL) December 23, 2020

Despite the fact that Youchien is a magazine for children, the papercraft freebies always generate a lot of buzz with netizens online, and this issue is no different.

“This feels less like it’s aimed at kids and more like adults who love trains.”
“I’ll have to buy this pretending I’m getting it for a young relative.”
“I hope these copies don’t get snapped up by resellers.”
“Is this really aimed at kindergarten kids?? What will the free gift be next time, ‘build your own smartphone’ or something?”
“Kids in rural areas don’t get to ride the train as often, so this is a really nice free gift.”

May’s issue of Youchien goes on sale March 31 and costs 1390 yen (US$12). Here’s hoping all kids (and big kids!) who want to get their hands on it can get a copy.

Source: Twitter@youchien_hensyu via NetLab 
Images: Twitter@youchien_hensyu
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Hey, Japanese taxi driver! Take us to a great restaurant in Utsunomiya

It’s a gyoza town, but what happens when you ask for a restaurant that’s got other great good too?

If you’ve been following our “Hey, Japanese Taxi Driver” series, in which we ask cabbies to take us to the best local restaurants around Japan, you might have noticed that we often ask for a recommendation for whatever type of food the city is famous for. That’s why we asked for the best takoyaki place in Osaka and seafood in Otaru.

On her visit to Tochigi Prefecture’s Utsunomiya, though, our reporter Ikuna Kamezawa pulled a 180 on our usual plan. Utsunomiya is famous for gyoza, and you can find restaurants specializing in the delicious dumplings all over the city.

▼ Clockwise from top left: an Utsunomiya gyoza restaurant, an Utsunomiya gyoza sticker picture booth, Ikuna posing with Utsunomiya’s gyoza statue, and the entrance to Utsunomiya’s Gyoza Road.

But when Ikuna hopped into a cab outside Utsunomiya Station, she asked the driver “Can you please take me to a good place to eat that’s not a gyoza restaurant?”

The unusual question seemed to take the driver by surprise, what with gyoza being the first thing almost everyone wants to eat once they arrive in town. He spent several moments deep in thought, before answering:

“I’m sorry, but I can’t think of any.”

This wasn’t an off-the-cuff answer just to blow Ikuna off, considering how long he’d taken before responding. But after thinking it over a little more, he said “There’s a place I can recommend, but they serve gyoza. It’s not a gyoza-main place, though.” Ikuna assured him that that would be fine, and he pulled into traffic and started driving west from the station.

“But you know, whether or not food tastes good is a matter of personal taste,” the driver said as he drove. “If you end up thinking the restaurant I’m taking you to tastes bad, then I apologize. I do get a lot of passengers who ask me to take them there, though, so I think it’s a pretty popular place.”

“That’s fine,” Ikuna said, willing to accept responsibility for however the meal turned out. “I’m sorry to make such a difficult request of you.”

“Even if you think ‘Wow, this tastes really bad,’ please don’t hold it against me,” the driver added. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t do that at all!” Ikuna promised, but the driver still seemed concerned for her. “By the way, if you think the restaurant I’m taking you to isn’t good, there’s a gyoza specialty shop next door to it called Masahi, so you can also get something to eat there. Whether a restaurant is good or not is up to the person who’s eating, so please don’t hold it against me if you don’t like it.”

By this time they were in the suburbs, and about 20 minutes after Ikuna had gotten into the taxi they arrived at the restaurant, called Wa no Naka. Even though it was past the lunch rush, there was still a line of people waiting to get in, but in Japan that’s usually a sign that the food is really tasty, so Ikuna didn’t mind the wait.

After 20 minutes of waiting, Ikuna was led inside Wa no Naka’s eclectic interior, with its charming wooden fixtures and furniture, rustic tableware, and order touch screens tablets.

Ikuna was now starving, and so when she asked her server what they recommended and got back three answers, she decided to try them all, even if two of them either were or contained gyoza. Starting with the non-gyoza item, she got herself a bowl of shio (salt broth) ramen, for 768 yen (US$6.70).

The flavor was elegant and refined, with each sip of the rich broth ending with a crisp saltiness free of excessive oiliness in the aftertaste. Really, it reminded Ikuna of the local ramen shop she’d loved eating at in the neighborhood she grew up in. It also came with a thick, tender cut of chashu pork, a much more generous portion than you usually get for ramen at his price point in Japan.

Ikuna did, also, try Wa no Naka’s gyoza (363 yen), since the staff recommended them and she didn’t know when, if ever, she’d be dining out in the suburbs of Utsunomiya again.

The dumplings were adorably plump, with a noticeable chewiness and wheaty flavor to their skin. The ingredients were fantastically flavorful and juicy, with the vegetables in particular having a noticeable sweetness to them.

▼ Ikuna recommends dipping them in Wa no Naka’s special garlic soy sauce (にんにく醤油).

Finally, the server’s third recommendation was the ishiyaki gyoza fried rice (878 yen).

Ishiyaki means “stone-grilled,” and the ingredients are served inside a heated earthenware bowl, so that they cook at the table while you’re eating. Maybe because she was eating slower since she’d ordered three things at once, Ikuna’s fried rice get especially fried, acquiring a cracker-like crispness. It tasted great, though, especially with a splash of the gyoza dipping sauce mixed in.

But as amazing as everything was, Ikuna couldn’t help noticing how many other customers’ tables also had plates of pork niku dango (meatballs) on them.

“Ah, maybe I should have ordered some of those,” thought Ikuna, and apparently the staff noticed her interest in the dish, because suddenly they brought over a free plate for her!

For Ikuna, the niku dango (which ordinarily cost 1,098 yen) were the true stars of the meal, even better than the other three dishes she’d ordered. The flavoring here is kurozu subuta, sweet and sour pork with black vinegar, and they’re so big that many customers eat them with a knife and fork instead of chopsticks.

Really, the only complaint that Ikuna had was that she only had one stomach, and so she couldn’t fit all of this great food inside of it.

She was in luck, though, because unlike many Japanese restaurants, Wa no Naka is very accommodating in packing up customers’ leftovers so they can take them home. This allowed Ikuna to stretch her feast out over two days, and also to enjoy the almond tofu dessert and coffee that came as part of her meal.

▼ By the way, if you’re not taking a taxi to Wa no Naka, it’s close to the Komanyumachi bus stop.

As she lingered over dessert, Ikuna realized that this was one of the most satisfying meals she can remember having in the last few years. She almost chuckled thinking back about how unsure her taxi driver had seemed about the recommendation, and wondered if Tochigi and its neighboring prefectures consistently ranking near the bottom in prefectural popularity polls might be shaking the local confidence.

So if you’re reading this, Utsunomiya taxi driver, thanks for the recommendation, and for giving us yet another glimpse of how Tochigi really is an awesome place.

Restaurant information
Wa no Naka / 和の中
Address: Tochigi-ken, Utsunomiya-shi, Komanyumachi 1296-33
栃木県宇都宮市駒生町1296-33
Open 11:30 a.m,-2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
Closed Mondays

Photos ©SoraNews24
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