At Takashimaya's Chionosha, I tried the cold noodle sauce. It's getting hot, and it's a limited-time offer, so I was curious about it. I bought scallop and shiitake mushrooms, and black pork and bamboo shoots. Each costs around 500 yen including tax. I boiled a bundle of somen noodles, chilled them, and poured the sauce over them. It's easy. The scallop and shiitake mushrooms have a strong scallop flavor. It feels luxurious. For those who like dried shiitake mushrooms, it might be a bit questionable. The black pork and bamboo shoots have a sesame broth. It's a refreshing type. Both are definitely delicious. I had the scallop and shiitake mushrooms for breakfast, and the black pork and bamboo shoots for brunch or as a drink to finish off the day. Personally, I think it's a suitable product for a moderate self-restraint lifestyle.

When you visit Maenoya, you can look forward to tasting their "dashi" broth. They offer 9 different types of dashi, all without any artificial flavors or preservatives. The most delicious one is the "Gokumi Dashi" (648 yen), which is made with dried bonito flakes, tuna flakes, and Rishiri kombu, giving it a refined taste with a rich bonito aroma. It also comes with a recipe book called "Cooking Guide." I also bought the "Jako Takikomi Gohan" rice seasoning (540 yen), made with domestic dried baby sardines, carrots, and fried tofu. There are many other tempting items to try, making it a delightful experience just to browse through their selection.

I stopped by this shop after buying meat and beef cutlets at Kakiyasu, which is located in the basement of Namba Takashimaya. It was the day of the tasting event, and I tried various products, all of which were honestly delicious. They use only natural dashi and seasonings without any chemical seasonings or preservatives. They even have freeze-dried products, snacks, and drinks. Among the choices, I picked the udon dashi and dipping sauce for 486 yen (4 packs). The dashi and sauce are separate, so I decided to make udon at home with them. With this dashi, anyone can make delicious udon easily. I was impressed once again by the quality of the popular dashi, which can rival that of a restaurant.

In the basement of Takashimaya in Namba, there is a shop called Kayanoya. As you walk from the deli area towards the fresh food area, you will come across this shop. Just before Gochakou. When passing by the shop, you will be encouraged to try the dashi, just like the coffee tasting at KALDI. I myself stopped to try this tasting and ended up buying it. It was the right decision. The taste of the whole dish changes when the dashi is different. The staff recommended the low-salt dashi, but when I compared the two, I still preferred the regular dashi. The low-salt one may be better for your health, but I prefer the regular one.

This month, I purchased the last hot pot from Chanoya for this winter as they will be taking a break until autumn. I used to enjoy their hot pot at home about once a week during the autumn and winter seasons, so it is one of my favorites! I had the spring new dish shabu-shabu hot pot with two dipping sauces, ponzu and sesame sauce, along with pork loin and plenty of vegetables. I am looking forward to trying their new hot pot in the autumn.

I received freeze-dried soups from Kayanoya. Mushroom onion soup. No chemical seasonings or preservatives added. Uses domestic ingredients (onions, maitake mushrooms, bunashimeji mushrooms, enoki mushrooms). Instant soups sometimes have separate ingredients, but this one just needs to add one pack. When hot water is added, it quickly rehydrates. And the ingredients are so fresh that you wouldn't believe it's freeze-dried! This is delicious. Vegetable and egg soup. Ingredients include bunashimeji mushrooms, spinach, carrots, cabbage, and eggs. The spinach is vibrant in color. It's amazing how well freeze-dried ingredients can be preserved. The mushroom onion soup was my favorite. The "Umino Nanakusa" miso soup was the best, with plenty of wheat gluten and wakame seaweed, and it has a nice sea aroma. Technological advancements are incredible. It was a satisfying freeze-dried soup. Overall 4.0, Food 4.0. Kayanoya Osaka Takashimaya Store, Osaka, Japan.