I visited a shop where you can get selected sweets from all over the country. It was around 4:25 pm on a weekday, and there were about 20 people inside, quite crowded. I didn't have a specific purchase in mind, but ended up buying some sweets that caught my eye at the storefront. I bought "Fuku Mitarashi" (249 yen) which had a sweet and savory Mitarashi sauce made with Daikou soy sauce, with cute dumplings inside. The taste was delicious, and the dumplings were chewy. I also bought "Innoshima Hassaku Jelly" (145 yen) with a unique and flavorful packaging. The jelly had a mild and gentle taste, with three plump and sweet-sour Hassaku inside. I chose them based on appearance, but they turned out to be surprisingly delicious. The shop had a variety of other products on display, making it enjoyable just to look around, but it was even more fun to make a purchase. I would like to visit again when I'm in the area. Thank you for the meal! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)

First floor of Hankyu Department Store, "OYATSU no Hikidashi" is a collection of famous sweets from all over Japan. The event corner, "OYATSU Event 1," featured the popular sweet potato snack shop "Yoshiimo" from Aichi Prefecture this time. They were selling their popular product "Yoshiimo Hanabi" from June 8th to 14th. The extremely thin and long sweet potato snack has a crispy texture with a satisfying crunch, and occasionally, a juicy sweetness bursts out. The "Yoshiimo Hanabi" is a half-cooked sweet potato snack made with red sweet potatoes, cut into extremely thin 4mm slices, fried until crispy in rapeseed oil, and coated in a secret syrup that does not harden, creating a half-cooked texture. I discovered this shop through a TV show, and was surprised to learn that they have been a well-known establishment for over 33 years, participating in department store events even outside of their prefecture. I thought I wouldn't have the chance to try it due to the pandemic, but they now offer online ordering, making it a perfect gift or souvenir. I look forward to enjoying it again soon.

In May 2022, I checked out the "Oyatsu no Hikidashi" on the 1st floor of Hankyu Umeda Main Store. They have a variety of sweets from all over Japan, but I decided to buy some locally made treats from Osaka for my first visit. I purchased 2 items each from popular Osaka patisseries. From Pâtisserie Rechercher, I got the Fleur (7 pieces for 594 yen) and Cake Brûlée (310 yen). From Pâtisserie Ravi,e relier, I bought the Galette Bretonne (227 yen) and Diamant Coconut (3 pieces for 238 yen). While all the treats were delicious, my favorites were the Cake Brûlée and Galette Bretonne. I plan to try sweets from other regions next time. Thank you for the delicious treats!

Opened in April, the Hankyu Umeda Main Store offers a wide variety of snacks from all over Japan at the "Oyatsu no Hikidashi" on the first floor. With around 700 types of snacks, you can encounter different snacks from around the country every day thanks to the daily calendar. It's convenient to be able to buy popular confectioneries from all over Japan. Choosing your favorite snacks is a blissful moment, and you won't get tired of visiting every day. It's great that they have Owari Matsukaze-ya's Ajisen series, with a wide variety available. My favorite is the Mixed Ajisen (540 yen), which contains 11 different ingredients such as shrimp, seaweed, small fish, crab, squid, squid roe, wasabi, and purple sweet potato. They come in different shapes, sizes, flavors, and textures, making it enjoyable to eat without getting bored.

On this day, at the Food Festival Terrace on the first floor of Hankyu Department Store, there was an event called "Pudding Holiday" where various puddings were available. At the same time, there were also various puddings available at "Oyatsu no Hikidashi," so I bought four of them: Nanpukun Pudding from Miyazaki, Gochisou Pudding from Hokkaido, Shiawase Bokujou Pudding from Hokkaido, and Nakahora Bokujou Pudding from Iwate in cute bottles. Each one had its own unique features, like being soft or using goat's milk. Pudding is really great after all!

This shop is like a dream come true, with a variety of famous sweets and souvenirs from all over the country gathered in one place. Located on the newly renovated first floor of the second phase of a 7-year reconstruction project, this shop offers limited edition products and a cafe where you can enjoy different sweets each time you visit. Adjacent to the shop is the Food Festival Terrace, where weekly food-related events are held, adding to the rich culinary experience. Here are some of the featured items from different regions: Yokohama Harbor Double Marron (1 piece / 179 yen), Dou Sha Mooncake from Chongqing Restaurant (1 piece / 270 yen), Black Sesame Mooncake from Chongqing Restaurant (1 piece / 270 yen), Chestnut Mooncake from Chongqing Restaurant (1 piece / 270 yen), Peanut Butter Senbei from Nagomi no Komeya (8 pieces / 1,300 yen), Vizitantine from Chez Shibata (1 piece / 216 yen), Maeda's Crackers from Osaka (110g / 119 yen), and Chirorian Short Assortment from Chidori Manju Sohonten in Fukuoka (18 pieces / 864 yen).

Thanks to the TV commercials, when I went on Sunday afternoon, many popular items were sold out. But I was able to buy one by one, and I want to go again. I bought the cookies I was curious about, Kamakura New German? It was a sweet treat with the taste of eggs, like a bolo, and it was delicious!

When I casually visited Hankyu Department Store, I was surprised to see that it had been renovated and looked incredibly clean, with the floors having changed quite a bit. Among them, there was a section called "Oyatsu no Hikidashi" that gathered sweets from all over the country, and the selection was amazing! The variety and quality of the products were impressive! I enjoy visiting department store events and stores that gather famous sweets from all over the country, but this one really amazed me! What I noticed was that the number of products, the wide and easy-to-browse layout, and the many rare sweets available were different from other stores I had visited before. Personally, I was delighted to find Morimoto's tomato jelly, Iga Katayaki, and deluxe cakes that are not easily found elsewhere. While some classic items may not be available here, I think it's fun to come here and try some new items based on their packaging. I have found a new place to visit every time I come to Umeda now (laughs).

There is a snack drawer on the first floor of Hankyu Department Store. They sell famous sweets from all over the country. When autumn comes, I always crave for the chestnut sweets from the Higashi-Mino region in Gifu Prefecture, but they are hard to find in Kansai. I heard that they are sold at Hankyu Department Store in Umeda, Osaka, so I hurried there. After several failed attempts, I finally managed to purchase "Suya's chestnut sweets". You have to go in the morning or they will be sold out. The chestnut sweets from the Higashi-Mino region in Gifu Prefecture are completely different from the ones that are included in New Year's dishes, which are made by mixing sweet potatoes and chestnuts. These are made only with chestnuts and sugar. The taste of chestnuts is overwhelming. Oh, there are small chestnuts mixed in. I thought it was just the mashed chestnut flesh after repeated sieving, so it was a pleasant surprise.

I haven't eaten yet, but I bought various things ^ ^ Usually I just look around and don't buy, but today I bought ^ ^ Looking forward to it!!

There is a shop where you can buy sweets from all over the country. I happened to find "Kurumikko" there, and there were still some left. They also sell various other items, so it could be useful for when you need a small gift, snack, or souvenir.

This is a space where national famous sweets are gathered for sale. It is a take-out only space, and paper bags are provided for free. The first time I attended this event, I was determined to buy the set "Kurikinton Meguri" from a shop in Nakatsugawa, Gifu at the "Kurikinton Festival". It was a limited-time offer with 2 different sets, each limited to 50 sets per day. Tickets were distributed before 10 am, so I lined up at the front entrance on a Saturday morning at 8:30 am and was the 8th in line. By 9:30 am, the ticket distribution was over. I would have named it something simple like "Kurikinton Set A" or B, but the names "Kurikinton Meguri Momiji" and "Kurikinton Meguri Ichou" had a certain elegance to them that I fell in love with. I purchased both sets, so I could compare Kurikinton from 12 different shops. I also bought Kurikinton from Suya-san, which was not included in the set. They were all basically made of chestnuts and sugar (some contained trehalose). The expiration date was within a day or two. The color, shape, moisture level, sweetness, and chestnut texture were all completely different. It was such a fun experience! Along with the "Kurikinton-exclusive tea" that I bought, it made the taste even more enjoyable. I personally preferred the ones with a moist and fine texture, but I also found the ones with a chunky chestnut texture or a hint of astringency to be deep in flavor. Overall, they were all very delicious, and I thoroughly enjoyed savoring the seasonal chestnuts in the birthplace of Kurikinton. I wish they were sold in larger quantities online, and I also hoped for smoother operations such as ticket distribution, product display, and checkout lines. But for me, it was a fantastic event. Thank you very much! ✨

She Shibata "Pleasure 8 varieties"