This is a store of Kihachisui located within a 1-minute walk from Hankyu Shonai Station East Exit. I received red rice as a gift from my parents. The appearance of the red rice is not very strong in color. The rice is slightly grainy rather than sticky, and it is a plump red rice. It's not necessarily worth going specifically for the red rice, but it's a nice addition to buy while purchasing traditional Japanese sweets.

As a souvenir from a business trip to Kansai, I bought some Sakura mochi from Kihachisouhonpo. I had some Sakura mochi last week, but this week's version is completely different. The color of the Sakura leaf is vibrant, and it's properly salted. Made with mochi rice flour and sweet red bean paste, this combination is considered the standard for Sakura mochi in the Kansai region. The style of showing the cross-section is impressive. Kihachisouhonpo is known for their incredibly sweet treats, and this was my first time trying them. They seem to be a unique confectionery shop only found in Kansai. I don't visit Kansai often, but I would like to go to Kobe and Osaka this year. Kihachisouhonpo Shonai Branch 06-6331-2302 1-8-8 Shonai Higashi-cho, Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture.

This is a traditional Japanese confectionery shop with its main store in Juso, and branches in various locations in Osaka Prefecture. The shop has a solid, old-fashioned appearance resembling a warehouse. Their famous items include round-shaped mitarashi dango and kintsuba. When I bought the mitarashi dango to take home, I was happy to see that they were generously coated with sauce. The main store at Juso Station's west exit offers exclusive items like azuki bean soft serve ice cream and freshly boiled Abekawa mochi.

I have used Kihachisou in front of Shichigo station several times, and I also found it in front of Shonai station. Even though I had already bought some tea snacks from another shop in the morning and was full, I decided to try their specialty mitarashi. You can order just one skewer. The sauce was not too sweet, and the aroma of soy sauce was amazing. The dumplings were also chewy. It was a quality that was completely different from what I used to eat at the supermarket stands when I was a child.

I will have a steamed bun with alcohol in it as a snack while on the move. It's so soothing, I feel refreshed. This will give me the energy to tackle another task.

I stopped by "Naniwa Tendon Tenki" near "Kihachizushi Sohonten Shonai Store" in Toyonaka City for a meal. This shop is located right by Shonai station on the Hankyu Takarazuka line. The main store is located at Juso station in Yodogawa ward, Osaka City, and they have stores in department stores as well. I purchased "10 pieces of Mitarashi Dango for 920 yen". When ordering, they asked about the level of char you prefer, so I requested it to be normal. The Mitarashi Dango here is grilled after taking the order. After waiting a few minutes, I received the freshly made product. I took it home and enjoyed it right away. The freshly grilled dango is warm, soft, and delicious. I usually buy ready-made ones from the supermarket, but it's nice to have freshly made ones once in a while. I would like to stop by again when I have the chance.

Delicious. This is the last of three posts about eating and walking in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture. I bought a take-out only Mitarashi dango. It's a chain store, but it's great that you can buy popular products in Shonai. It's Mitarashi dango from Kihasu Sohonten Shonai store. You can also order the grilled rice cakes to your liking, and regular customers seem to order various ways. The unique stick-shaped rice cake. I like this shape because the Mitarashi bean paste sticks well. It's easy to eat and the bean paste doesn't spill easily. The perfect balance of soy sauce and sugar is refreshing without being too sweet. It really is the best expression. The rice cake melts when it's freshly made. Even when it cools down, if you heat it in the microwave, the freshness of the freshly made one will be revived. It's also perfect as a gift. The bean paste always remains, but it's amazing when topped on soft serve ice cream. I recommend this way of eating. Pour the remaining bean paste over vanilla ice cream. It's a gift that will be appreciated, but I pretty much ate it all myself. It's that good.

This is the Shonai branch of the famous Kihachizushi, known for its sake manju and mitarashi. Compared to the main store, it's smaller and lacks the same lively atmosphere. I'm not usually a fan of sweet things, but the anko in the Hatsushimo here goes against the current trend of less sweetness - it's seriously sweet and firm. On top of that, there's a crunchy sugar coating. I admire how they stick to their traditional ways. Today, my goal was to try the last warabimochi of the summer. They pour the warabimochi and you cut it with the provided spatula. This one has a normal level of sweetness. (laughs) Thank you for the meal.

On Saturday evening, customers were coming in one after another. I have tried the mitarashi dango from the main store in Juso before, so this time I decided to buy some here as I was passing by. They ask you how you want your dango cooked (more cooked, normal, less cooked) and I chose normal. After ordering, they lightly grilled the dango and dipped it in sauce for me. It costs 80 yen per stick. I ate it after taking it home. The dango was chewy but slightly hard, and the sauce had a good balance of soy sauce and sweetness. It might have been better if I had reheated it before eating, as the dango was a bit hard. The sake manju comes in a pack of 6 for 450 yen, which might be a bit much for a small group. The manju had a fluffy, thick dough with plenty of sweet bean paste and a hint of sake aroma. I found that it tasted much better when reheated the next day compared to eating it on the day of purchase. Overall, it was a delicious and affordable treat.

This is a wagashi shop. They have a big shop in front of Hankyu Railway's Shonai Station. They are famous for their sake manju and mitarashi dango. They have other shops as well. You can also buy their products at the Hankyu Railway's Juso Station. I have only tried their mitarashi dango, but it is delicious. They ask you how you want it cooked on the spot. Since I am a beginner and don't really know, I always just say "normal." The dango is not round, but rectangular in shape. I have never had mitarashi dango in this shape before... If the dango gets hard, you can microwave it.

I bought mitarashi dango. It looks cute and appetizing. The taste is delicious with a crispy outside. I would love to go again. It would make a great gift that will be appreciated.

※This is a review specifically for mitarashi dango. Kihachisou can be found in major areas of Osaka such as Umeda Station, Juso Station (main store), Itami Airport, Shin-Osaka, Abeno Harukas, etc. My mother bought it for me while she was out running errands. The mitarashi dango is long and thin, with a sweet mitarashi sauce generously applied. Even though my hands get sticky, I always end up eating a whole box of 5 by myself. They bake it in-store, and the slightly burnt parts on the mochi are irresistible. The size of the mochi in a bale shape is just right for me, not too big or too small. This is truly THE Osaka mitarashi dango!! I always wish they would come to Kanto region!!

★Mitarashi Dango★