On Sunday, August 6th in the 5th year of Reiwa, I purchased some souvenirs that my wife had requested at Tokyo Station on my way back from a business trip. This is the fourth souvenir that I will introduce, although the order may be a bit mixed up depending on whether I have eaten them or not. Originally, I had planned to buy Monaka from Shiose Main Store before coming here. However, to my disappointment, all Monaka from Shiose were sold out. I was really looking forward to enjoying Shiose's Monaka, which I love and haven't had in years, so it was quite disappointing. Nevertheless, I had to give up on Shiose's Monaka and came to this shop instead. At the counter, there were various boxed items available. Since I had no idea what to buy, I immediately made an emergency call to headquarters from the scene! "This is Bravo Alpha reporting from Omega Three, target destination reached! Requesting instructions on priority of objectives, over!" (=^・^=) "Oh my, not individual items~!" "Unable to confirm the size of tactical unit! Various military specialties mixed, seems to be a strategic unit larger than a brigade! Over." Shop assistant: "Dear customer~! We have individual items available here~♥" (=^・^=) "Oh, Papa, as narrow-minded as ever~!" "Ugh!" (=^・^=) "I'll tell you about each item one by one~!" So, with each name reported, I remotely purchased the following items! - Tropical Fruit Karinto x2 - Summer Vegetable Karinto - Earl Grey Karinto - Limited Summer Plum Karinto - Honey Butter Karinto - Shichimi Mayonnaise Karinto Totaling 3,402 yen! Upon returning home, on Monday the 14th, I first tried the Karinto labeled 'Summer Vegetable Karinto.' It is quite colorful, especially with the green color of the bitter melon standing out. When it comes to Tokyo Station Karinto, I used to often buy Karinto from Kinhorin, which was located inside the ticket gate, as a souvenir. While it was indeed delicious, it was quite hard and had a uniform stick-like shape. However, the Karinto here is completely different from that image. Not only does it retain the original shapes of various summer vegetables, such as circular, stick-shaped, round, etc., it is also colorful with the colors of the vegetables. What surprised me the most was its texture. Karinto is usually known for being hard and firm. However, the Karinto here is surprisingly easy to eat! It has a unique softness that crumbles easily. It is a very delicious and easy-to-eat Karinto. The next one I tried was on Wednesday the 16th, the last day of the Obon holiday. We retired to the bedroom early and enjoyed the 'Honey Butter Karinto' while resting on the bed together. The combination of honey and butter is quite dangerous. However, it is also very tempting and irresistible. As expected, the flavor of honey was rich, the scent of butter was subtly present, and the soft, crumbly texture that is unlike typical Karinto made it very delicious. There are still more left to try, so I look forward to enjoying them. Thank you for the meal.

As soon as you exit the JR Tokyo Station Yaesu North Exit ticket gate, you will find a sweets shop on the first floor of Daimaru Tokyo. Today, I bought karinto at "Azabu Karinto". I was surprised by the variety of flavors they offer. Typically, you would only find 2 or 3 types of karinto, but here they have nearly 40 different kinds including Azabu karinto, Kinpira burdock karinto, spiral karinto, matcha karinto, cappuccino karinto, curry karinto, mayonnaise karinto, apple pie karinto, caramel butter karinto, garlic salt karinto, raisin karinto, cinnamon karinto, and more. Each karinto is placed in a resealable plastic bag and wrapped in a paper package with a traditional Japanese design. The price is also reasonable at around 400 yen per piece.

Black bean kinako karinto is light. It's not as rich in flavor as it claims to be, but it's crispy and delicious. The sweet potato karinto sweet potato chips are different from the ones often sold in supermarkets. They are light. You can feel that they use good oil. The light texture may be because they are not overly sugary. It's like a healthier version of sweet potato chips.笑

■ Visit Date & Crowd Level Visited around 4:30 PM on a Friday. This area of Daimaru always seems crowded, even on weekdays. There were about 3 groups browsing products, but the checkout process was smooth. ■ Order - Honey Kinako and Black Honey Kinako: The honey kinako was quite sweet, almost like the densest part of black sugar snacks. - Vegetable Mix Kinako: Colorful and thin kinako, hard to stop eating. Overall slightly sweet with some salty kinako, so it doesn't get boring. - Black Bean Kinako: Not very sweet, more like a savory kinako with the fragrance of roasted soybean flour. ■ Dining Alone Difficulty Level: ★☆☆☆ Takeout only. *Disclaimer: The above review is based on personal impressions.

A specialty shop for karinto located in Asakusa. In addition to traditional karinto, they also offer unique flavors and cute packaging, making it a great souvenir. I received some as a gift and found the yuzu-flavored karinto to be delicious with its balance of sweetness and refreshing taste, and the size was just right. The karinto manju was fluffy like a steamed bun, but the burnt black syrup flavor made it clear that it was karinto, which I found interesting and enjoyable.

During this time, I traveled to Tokyo for my nephew's wedding. I tried to stay indoors as much as possible, staying at a hotel near Tokyo Station and taking a taxi to the wedding venue in Yurakucho the next day. I planned to buy souvenirs near Tokyo Station, but the shop I wanted to visit was unexpectedly closed. So, I ended up at Daimaru Tokyo Department Store. I searched for souvenirs in the basement floor, but couldn't find what I was looking for. By 5 pm, the underground shopping area was crowded with people heading home. Since restaurants were closing early, people gathered in the department store to buy food for dinner at home. That's when I found the Azabu Karinto corner. Although it's also available in Kansai, it didn't matter to me. I bought karinto as souvenirs and karinto manju for myself. When I got home, I tried the karinto manju. It was oval-shaped, darker than I expected, and had a mature flavor with the sweetness of karinto, black syrup, and a slightly bitter, burnt taste. It was a delicious treat. Thank you for the meal.

First visit in April 2021 (No.2566) I didn't reach my daily goal for the number of topics, so before heading home, I stopped by Daimaru Tokyo at the station to replenish. This store is operated by "Kabushiki-gaisha Azabu Karinto," established in 2009, offering over 50 unique karinto varieties. Except for the main store, they have 15 stores in department store basements. Their website emphasizes the location in the Azabu-Juban shopping street with over 300 years of history, but the brand itself doesn't have that long of a history. With no expectations, I purchased the following item that caught my eye at the store: Raisin Karinto for 420 yen. It is karinto finished by simmering finely chopped raisins in honey, but the aroma and taste of raisins are not very noticeable (perhaps there are few raisins?). Thank you for the meal.

Blog "Tokyu Line, Foodie Adventures" - https://asante.blog/ I received this karinto as a souvenir from a family member. Whenever I visit Azabu-Juban, I always pick up some karinto from Azabu Karinto Azabu-Juban store, but they also have it at Daimaru Tokyo store, so I couldn't resist. When I opened the bag, a cute designed tin can appeared. It's nice to be able to enjoy both the taste and the appearance. Inside, there are various types of karinto. It's a familiar taste, but still delicious and never gets old. Modern snacks are great, but traditional sweets are truly special. It looks good enough to be a great gift too. Of course, it's also nice to enjoy it at home. Thank you for the meal.

Stop by "Azabu Karinto" at Daimaru Tokyo. The main store is located in Azabu-Juban and is famous for being recommended by celebrities in magazines and on TV as a delicious snack. Bought the "Karinto Parfait", which comes in individual bags with the following flavors: Purple (Coarse sugar karinto, Soy sauce nori karinto, Red rice cracker, Peanut rice cracker, Raisin karinto, Apple rice cracker), White (Azabu karinto, Brown sugar rice cracker, Brown sugar kinako karinto), Orange (Yuzu karinto, Maple sugar karinto, Ginger rice cracker, Spiral karinto, Strawberry umebachi karinto, Sesame umebachi karinto). The stylish packaging and unique flavors make "Azabu Karinto" a revolutionary in the world of karinto. With 50 different flavors, it's truly surprising.

While wandering around Daimaru, I stumbled upon some delicious-looking Karinto manju with yuzu! As a big fan of yuzu (I was once called Yuzu Princess for hoarding Rokkatei's yuzu manju), I couldn't pass this up and bought it. First, I tried the Karinto manju (red bean paste). The outer layer was crispy, but the dough inside was soft and chewy, really delicious! The red bean paste was super smooth and quite sweet. Maybe it felt sweeter because of the brown sugar dough. Next, the yuzu paste had a lot of yuzu flavor in it! While the balance with the Karinto manju was better with the red bean paste, the yuzu paste alone was to my liking. Hmm, I think I'd prefer to eat them as regular manju, even though it's a Karinto shop (lol). Both were in a small rectangular shape, easy to eat in one bite, and cost less than 100 yen, so it's convenient to buy. I think they sell Karinto manju at specific locations in Azabu, so if you come across it, I recommend trying the red bean paste one!

This time, when I went to Tokyo, my parents asked me to buy some souvenir snacks like "karinto" for them, so I bought three types here (although you can also buy them at Daimaru in Osaka). I tried them at home and the thickest black honey karinto, the Japanese sugar karinto, and the gold leaf Azabu karinto. As my parents mentioned, the slightly thicker karinto had a more satisfying texture, and the thickest black honey karinto was the most fitting in terms of taste.

Famous Karinto shop's Karinto Manju. Every time I go, I end up just buying the Manju without even looking at the Karinto, I feel bad. The skin of this Karinto Manju is soft. It's a deep-fried Karinto Manju with a crispy skin, but the soft skin here is also quite good. The filling is tightly packed with carefully strained red bean paste. The faint aroma of oil is also irresistible.

It's been a while since I visited this shop. Although before it was a shop in Azabu-Juban. A few years ago, or was it a dozen years ago? I can't remember it was so long ago... This time, I purchased it as a gift for someone I am grateful for. Of course, I also bought the same thing as a reward for myself. When it comes to karinto, my personal favorite is that shop in Ginza, but here there are many different types of karinto to choose from, making it enjoyable to select. That means it would also be a delightful gift to receive. A foolproof gift. I wish there was a shop closer to me.

I can't help but eat them. They are just the right size, easy to eat, and I never get tired of them. There are many different varieties to choose from, and it's fun to choose. I purchased a great value set.

Winter fruit mix of strawberry, apple, and yuzu - a delicious taste with no mistake.

■ Visit Date & Crowd Level Visited on Sunday at 1:00 PM. Two groups of customers were already there. ■ Order I wanted to buy the boxed roasted black honey kari-mom from here, but they were out of stock, so I bought the freshly fried ones in the store. Since the expiration date is short, I bought them for home use. The kari-mom here has a moist skin. Even when warmed in a toaster, it doesn't get crispy, it stays moist. It's delicious enough, but personally, I prefer the crispy type like the kari-mom from "Taiyaki Kanda Daruma" shop. ■ Solo Dining Difficulty Level ★☆☆☆ Solo dining is possible, as it is a takeout-only place. *Please note that the above review is just one person's opinion. * Solo Dining Difficulty Level ★☆☆☆ ... Even those who don't usually dine alone should be able to go without any problem ★★☆☆ ... Regular solo diners can go without feeling uncomfortable ★★★☆ ... Even regular solo diners may need a little courage to go ★★★★ ... Unless you are completely comfortable dining alone, it might be a bit challenging, whether it's for yakiniku or a full-course French meal.

Visited around 3:30 pm on a weekend in November. Did not leave a comment, so only have the image. Thank you for the delicious meal!

When it comes to Hanabayashi sugar, my grandfather loves it. He often received treats like Nakamuraya's Kikanbo, Kokuto Karinto, and more. Recently, a modern Hanabayashi sugar shop opened on the first floor of Daimaru. They have a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and different types of Hanabayashi sugar lined up. You can try the items you're interested in. It's like a boutique for Hanabayashi sugar. My grandfather would be surprised if he saw this. The Hanabayashi sugar with raisin rum flavor is surprisingly delicious. Each piece has a raisin attached to it. It's so tasty. The other item, Hanabayashi sugar donuts, are soft and well-received by elderly customers. The price range is around 400 to 550 yen. Perfect for gifts.

It has a high-class feel and is reasonably priced, making it convenient for small souvenirs. It is a traditional Karinto.

I also often use this as a souvenir. The size is just right, there are various types, and the packaging is cute, so it's really good! I personally like the traditional black sugar flavor, but the matcha and chocolate flavors are also delicious. I often buy karinto as a snack.