After going out and returning home, I happened to see this apple pie at a storefront, which seemed popular, so I bought it! When I ate it the next day, the pie crust wasn't really flaky, more like not quite like a pie... but it was still delicious! Cinnamon apple pie, 1 piece, ¥313.

I tried the croissant roll (chestnut flavor). Autumn is the season for chestnuts. It had a fluffy texture and was very delicious. However, it's a bit high in calories... 427kcal. So, I only had a small taste after my meal. Thank you for the meal.

I visited a high-end station store operated by JR East Japan inside the north concourse of the ticket gate to grab breakfast before taking the 7:44 am Yamabiko train for my business trip to Fukushima at the end of last year. I was hoping to find the Finland sandwich that I saw next to the Kino Country original German sandwich that I bought at the affiliated store inside the south ticket gate of Shinjuku Station, as the German sandwich was delicious. However, the store at this station seemed to have a smaller selection, and they didn't have the Finland sandwich. I didn't want to buy products from other brands like Takara Food Industries, so I ended up purchasing a set of sushi rolls for about 500 yen. It was a Kino Country brand, but it was actually manufactured by Gran Gourmet Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Kinoshita's Kitchen) at the Tama Central Kitchen. The company specializes in banquet, party catering, and catering services. I opened the package on the Shinkansen train past Ueno and found two futomaki rolls, one kampyo roll, one takuan roll, one shibazuke roll, and one inari sushi inside. The expiration date was midnight on that day, but the sushi rice in the rolls was a bit too hard. On the other hand, the inari sushi was juicy with a slightly sweet fried tofu pouch. It was tastier than convenience store inari sushi. Overall, I would say it was satisfactory but not exceptional. The store offers three types of products: 1) own brand and own production, 2) own brand and manufactured by another company, and 3) products from other brands. It might be better to choose products from category 1 like the German sandwich.

For lunch on the first day of the week, I always browse here and bring it to the office, which has become a routine. One of the charms here is that you can buy various "in-flight meals" at the airport. Today, I noticed something called "Kago Katsu Wo Meshi". Although it is a bit pricey for a bento, I somehow felt compelled to buy it. When I opened the elegantly wrapped package, a delicious aroma of shaved bonito filled the air. I couldn't help but wonder if I was unintentionally teasing my colleagues with the smell. The rice ball with shaved bonito was delicious, and the various side dishes were full of a rich flavor enhanced by the bonito broth. It dispelled any concerns about the small portion size and left me feeling satisfied.

Prices are high at places like Daimaru, so I can't afford to buy meals there all the time. Inari sushi is cheap, but when I want to eat salad, the prices are surprisingly high. So, for today's light meal, I got some food here. Komatsuna and thick fried tofu with ginger, the combination of ginger and thick fried tofu is great. The dried sakura shrimp is delicious but crumbly. Wasabi inari sushi, I should file a missing report for the wasabi, the fried tofu is not my favorite, it's wet and lacks the usual dry texture, with a lot of sweet broth. Hmm, there's a faint hint of wasabi...yes, very faint. Because the prices are low, but I realize once again that I prefer dry inari sushi like Mamenda.

My wife came to Osaka ahead of the 3-day weekend starting tomorrow. She bought a souffle dorayaki from Kinokuniya at Tokyo Station. It was a small dorayaki, and I was a little hungry after returning from work, so I had it before dinner. The juicy red bean paste and the Western-style dough had a sophisticated taste. It was delicious.

Before boarding the Shinkansen, I entered a restaurant to secure lunch. First, I purchased sushi rice balls from Sasahachi, which tend to sell out by evening. I got two types: conger eel and grilled mackerel. Then, I also found Inari sushi from Anamori Okowa, which I knew was a bit high in calories, but I couldn't resist as I remembered how delicious it was when I had it at Haneda Airport before. I justified it by saying that I had used a lot of energy in a morning meeting, and I thoroughly enjoyed my favorite combination menu.

First Visit 201910 (No.1468) I have been a fan of Kinokuniya since I was 18, and back then they only had regular supermarket stores in Aoyama, International, Kichijoji, etc! Now they have expanded to stations, department stores, and smaller stores... (^_^)/ Our traditional autumn trip (a trip for collecting a lot of stories) started from this small store inside Tokyo Station (laughs). Montlack Cup Wine (white & red) each 303 yen. These wines are made by Inazuma Wine from Nagano Prefecture. We had them on the Shinkansen and they were decent for the price, not bad but not outstanding either. Thank you for the meal.

I always hesitate between posting at this store or going to Sasahachi for my usual visit, but today I went with my gut feeling and chose this place. Tokyo Station was quite chaotic right after the typhoon passed, but I managed to wait in line for about 30 minutes and successfully picked up the Tohoku Shinkansen tickets I had reserved online. I hope JR East will introduce a system like the Express Card soon. Now, the next decision was what to have for lunch. The original bento at Kinokuniya was tempting, and various famous bento from different regions were also appealing. In the end, I couldn't resist the image of the soft and juicy texture of the egg and went with the Hirekatsu (breaded pork cutlet) bento. As for the taste, there's nothing more to say since it's from Sasahachi. It was delicious as always.

I had mistakenly thought that "Kinokuniya Bookstore" had started a convenience store, but I was completely wrong!! The store is actually a long-established company that operates a fresh food retail business near Tokyo, and is now under the umbrella of JR East Japan! That's why it's located in Tokyo Station! Although it is called a convenience store, it is more like a store similar to "Seijo Ishii". It may not be familiar to people from Nagoya, but I may have used it in the past somewhere in Tokyo. The location is on the north side facing the passage inside Tokyo Station. It is close to the Tohoku Shinkansen ticket gate. I purchased the following items on this day: 1) Smoked cheese for 429 yen 2) Bologna sausage for 645 yen 3) BOSE tea bottle for 172 yen 4) Mascarpone whip for 259 yen, totaling 1505 yen. The Bologna sausage seemed raw and I bought it because it was made in Mitaka City by Kinokuniya. I tried baking it with asparagus. It tasted like Bologna sausage, but it was delicious. When I eat it thinking it's from Kinokuniya, it somehow tastes elegant. The plate on which the sausage was placed is a piece of "Mashiko ware" by Takago Wakabayashi, which I obtained from the "Nukumori no Mori" shop in Hamamatsu City. The company Kinokuniya is run by President Takako Tsutsumiguchi with 1,258 employees as of April 1, 2019. They operate supermarkets, food specialty stores, food manufacturing, and wholesale sales. They are located at 3-5 Ichigaya Sunadohara-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. Currently, they are a wholly-owned subsidiary of East Japan Railway Company (JR East Japan). There is no historical or capital relationship with Kinokuniya Bookstore. Kinokuniya started as a fruit merchant in Aoyama in 1910, and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010! (Established 109 years ago in 2019)

On the day of taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, I was not happy with the unfair pricing of station bento boxes, so I decided to get some delicious food from a convenience store, Daimaru basement, Gransta, or Kino Kuniya. Since I didn't have time to go to Daimaru, I bought a tonkatsu sandwich and an egg sandwich right inside the Yaesu North Exit ticket gate. The tonkatsu sandwich had thick tonkatsu sandwiched between Kino Kuniya's famous bread. After paying, I warmed it up in the microwave in the store before taking it on the Shinkansen. The crispy tonkatsu and the soft and milky bread went well together. The egg sandwich had thick slices of egg omelette and teriyaki chicken. It had a convenient location and a reliable taste. Both sandwiches were delicious.

Inside Tokyo Station, there is a shop located within the Gransta area beyond the ticket gates. When you're in a dilemma about whether you're hungry or not, or if you want to eat something but don't want it to affect your dinner later, this is the place to visit. They offer a variety of options such as sandwiches, onigiri, side dishes, and bento boxes, all of which look delicious. Despite being a Kino Kunya shop, it's somewhat stylish and the prices are reasonable compared to station bento boxes. With a wide variety of choices, it's easy to adjust the portion size. I opted for the Nasi Goreng topped with a fried egg, along with a drink. The Nasi Goreng was made with Thai rice and had a slightly spicy kick, which was surprisingly tasty. Although I didn't have high expectations, it exceeded them. The small size was just right, but a bit more would have been even better. The staff were efficient and friendly, making the overall experience pleasant. If you're buying a bento box in Gransta, be sure to check out this place.

Checked out a fruit wine or dessert wine. It seems to be popular with MyRebi users, so I took some pictures. The orange color is particularly vivid. The manufacturing process involves various fruits and milk mixed in, so it looks promising. It's a 200ml size, which is nice. Slightly sparkling. It was described as peach mango, but I think Martini Bellini is sweeter. This one is also on the sweet side. I think it's sweeter than Asti Spumante, but it was enjoyable and delicious when paired with a sandwich. At first, I could taste a bit of the wine, but I stopped noticing it. The alcohol content is also low at 5.5%. It's from Germany. This light option is nice.

Every weekend, it's a tradition for me to transfer from the Marunouchi Line to JR. I can't just walk past the shop on my right hand side. First, I check if there are any onigiri left at Sasahachi's. But it's rare to find any left by the evening. Feeling a bit disappointed, I spot Wakahiro's grilled mackerel sushi and that becomes today's main menu! Of course, I immediately head to the sake section and pick up SABA de SHU from Yoshikubo Shuzo. Now, what should be the next dish? While Wakahiro's persimmon leaf sushi with nodoguro fish is tempting this time of year, I feel like I need something more than just rice. And then, I see an assorted pack with both Japanese and Chinese dishes. Today, I choose the Chinese dishes - shrimp chili stir-fry, oil-drizzled chicken, and shredded pork with green peppers. As soon as I sit down, I open the lid. I thought that the freshly cooked warm dishes at the Grandsta shops after passing through the ticket gates would be more favorable, so I didn't have high expectations for our bento which had been cooked a while ago. But even when it's cold, truly delicious food is still delicious, and I was reminded of that. The grilled mackerel sushi I opened later was also consistently delicious! And of course, it paired perfectly with SABA de SHU.

I went to Tokyo at the beginning of the week and decided to get my lunch from this restaurant before heading to work. This morning, I stopped by again and picked up some sushi rice balls from Sasahachi. I wanted to get 3-4 pieces, but I've been concerned about my weight lately, so I only got one piece each of grilled mackerel and eel. I couldn't wait for lunch break and opened the package. First, I tried the grilled mackerel. The plump mackerel, perfectly seasoned rice, and the flavors of white sesame, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms mixed in filled my mouth. I was completely satisfied. Then I tried the eel. The eel, along with the flavorful sauce soaked in the rice, and the finely shredded egg and seaweed sprinkled on top, created a burst of flavors in my mouth. I had a happy time before the busy afternoon ahead.

In July 2018, I visited Tokyo and on the third day, as I was heading back home, I entered Tokyo Station. After finishing my shopping, I looked for a light snack to have on the Shinkansen. I spotted a shop near the entrance and decided to buy a Kagoshima black pork menchi katsu sandwich for 840 yen. The shop had smaller packs with 3 slices each, but I opted for the larger one since it could be shared with my family. The sandwich was soft and the pork cutlet was tender and not too greasy, making it easy to eat. The bread was also quite soft, which might be a matter of personal preference, but since it was pre-packaged, it was acceptable. The portion size was quite large and high in calories, making it more suitable for a special treat during travels rather than for everyday consumption. Although I may not visit this place again soon due to limited time, I would like to explore the shop more leisurely if I have the chance next time.

I wrapped cream cheese with prosciutto. It had a great salty taste, and went well with alcohol. Thank you for the meal.

Even though it was called strawberry, it was melon bread. It had the scent of strawberries. It turned out to be just a regular melon bread. I was drawn in by its appearance and ended up buying it. Thank you for the meal.

I headed to a standing sushi restaurant in Ichibangai from the Yaesu underground shopping street and had a few drinks in the middle of the day, feeling a bit tipsy. I wandered around as usual, passing through the north ticket gate near the first floor of Tokyo Station. I came across Kinokuniya at Tokyo Station, a high-end supermarket known as a celebrity favorite. It had been a while since I visited the north side of the station, and I was intrigued to see Kinokuniya here. The store was compact and more like a high-end convenience store, with a wide range of items from prepared foods to souvenirs, onigiri, sandwiches, bread, ham, and even alcohol. The selection was like that of a supermarket, with some high-end items, truly fitting for a celebrity clientele. I found a cheese assortment platter with Gouda, Camembert, Mimolette, and Gorgonzola, cut into bite-sized pieces, perfect for snacking, priced at around 700 yen. I also spotted a selection of German bread slices, made with whole grains, which I prefer over soft fluffy bread, priced at around 300 yen for two slices each. I decided to pair the bread with the cheese for a nice snack. I also purchased a strawberry butter as a souvenir for my wife. Each item was stylish and appetizing, making it easy to find unique products or grab a drink at Kinokuniya. It was a delicious experience.