Before heading to Shizuoka, I stopped by a shop to buy souvenirs. This area is full of souvenir shops, so you can easily find something even if you just drop by, but I had my eye on this particular shop in advance. Why? Because they have panda senbei (not senbei for pandas to eat, though ^^)! As soon as I visited the shop, the lady there gave us samples of senbei to try. And she even gave enough for the kids too! That was so nice of her. These little gestures can really change the impression of a shop, right? This shop is originally (?) a long-established shop for shrimp senbei from Nagoya (I didn't know that when I came here, haha). When I think of a long-established shrimp senbei shop in Nagoya, I remember the one I visited recently, Sakakado Souhonpo, but I wonder if shrimp senbei is actually a specialty of Nagoya... Anyway, for souvenirs to Shizuoka, it feels a bit strange to buy something from Nagoya (since Shizuoka and Aichi are neighboring prefectures, haha), but this time I'm getting the Tokyo limited edition "Panda's Journey," so no problem! I can confidently say it's a Tokyo souvenir! I got a set with a small size and two medium sizes of "Panda's Journey." Just right, it was also eligible for the "3 types of shrimp senbei trial campaign," so I also got a pack of shrimp senbei with 3 pieces in it. It was a type that was not included in the set I bought (and different from the senbei I tried), so I was happy! I gave the medium size of Panda's Journey as a souvenir in Shizuoka (the lady at the shop had never tried their shrimp senbei before and was delighted!). Now, I'm debating which one to keep for home use (or rather, where to take the remaining one, haha. In the end, both might end up being eaten at home ^^), so I decided to open the medium size one in order to review all the products. The difference between the small size and medium size is only the presence of two small bags of senbei called "Goodnight Panda," and the types and number of senbei are the same. By the way, the large size that I didn't buy seems to have the same types as the medium size but with more pieces. The medium size senbei has roughly three types: "Camera Panda," "Tower, Asakusa, Sumo," and "Goodnight Panda." The story is that the panda goes out with a camera and takes pictures (enjoying Tokyo sightseeing too much! haha), and then gets tired and says goodnight... It's a story that feels like you can see the faces of the people who planned it, and it's really heartwarming (my kids enjoyed the story too)! So, I tried them one by one. "Camera Panda" is the signature senbei of this shop, similar to the senbei I got as a trial in the campaign. It's crunchy and delicious (come to think of it, I think the one from Sakakado Souhonpo was this type too). "Tower, Asakusa, Sumo" has one piece of each, so it's a shame to eat them (haha). Each senbei has a drawing of twin pandas, and I imagine that the reason for the "Renewal New Release" was that the design of these changed (I wonder if the previous design was a panda inspired by Shan Shan. I wanted to see the previous one!). This type is what you would imagine when you hear "shrimp senbei," with the shape and taste of traditional shrimp senbei. It's delicious, of course, but it's a shame to eat them (haha). Finally, "Goodnight Panda." This one has small packs with multiple bite-sized senbei inside. Among them, there are two pieces with panda drawings (probably two to represent twin pandas), and the other colors are plum, matcha, and pumpkin, with two pieces each, for a total of eight pieces. The two pieces with sleeping pandas each have different types of senbei (the design is the same), and they are each the same type as "Camera Panda" and "Tower, Asakusa, Sumo" (the plain senbei are the different flavors of the latter type). Hmm, they put a lot of effort into this! I hope my explanations are coming across clearly ^^; I ended up eating mostly panda-themed ones ===========

<About the Shop> Established in 1866, this is a specialty shop for shrimp senbei. It was started by Keisuke Mitsuda in Onomaru, Chita Peninsula. The second generation is Shinichi Mitsuda, the son of Keisuke, and the third generation is Hanshiro Mitsuda, the grandson of the first generation. The shop name "Keishindo" was named by the third generation Hanshiro Mitsuda, combining the "kei" from the first generation Keisuke and the "shin" from the second generation Shinichi. The current owner is the 7th generation, Toshio Mitsuda. <Products> - Panda's Journey (3 bags) ... 648 yen including tax - Calories: 34.6 kcal per bag A Tokyo Station Gransta exclusive product. The packaging features an adorable panda and famous Tokyo landmarks. Each bag includes: - Tokyo Tower senbei (1 piece), Panda looking up (1 piece), Green pine leaf senbei (4 pieces), Pumpkin shrimp senbei (3 pieces) - Kaminarimon senbei (1 piece), Snack panda (1 piece), Green pine leaf senbei (4 pieces), Pumpkin shrimp senbei (3 pieces) - Zoo senbei (1 piece), Bamboo panda (1 piece), Green pine leaf senbei (4 pieces), Pumpkin shrimp senbei (3 pieces) The largest white senbei features Tokyo Tower, Kaminarimon, and Ueno Zoo (Panda House) designs. The medium-sized brown senbei has images of a panda looking up at Tokyo Tower, a panda eating a snack, and a panda eating bamboo. The smallest yellow senbei has a subtle pumpkin flavor and comes in a pack of 3. The small square senbei has barley young leaf powder and comes in a pack of 4. While some aspects are mysterious, the base is shrimp senbei, so all are delicious. They have a good shelf life and are easy to carry around. They make a great Tokyo souvenir for those who don't prefer overly sweet treats.

I found this cute panda senbei inside the unfamiliar JR Tokyo Station ticket gate, while wandering around. I stopped to try it out. I got the following: - Panda's Journey 3 bags for 648 yen There are 5 different designs of the Tokyo Station limited edition Panda's Journey, and they also have 5-bag and 10-bag options. The 3-bag set includes 'Tokyo Tower, Kaminarimon, and Zoo' designs. The white senbei features famous spots in Tokyo, with panda senbei posing next to them. There are two intricate designs, 'Sumo' in a sumo wrestler's outfit and 'Traditional Performing Arts' striking a pose, not included in this set, which seems like a clever marketing strategy by the store... or is it just my imagination? I enjoyed them with some sake at home. The orange one had a pumpkin flavor, which was quite interesting. They were all tasty senbei, not too oily. I will buy them again next time as a gift for my panda-loving friend.

First visit in April 2021 (No.2568) I hadn't reached my daily target number of topics yet, so I stopped by Gransta Tokyo before heading home to replenish. This is a shop operated by Kaishindo Co., Ltd., which specializes in the production and sale of high-quality shrimp snacks, with its main store located in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The shop was established in 1866, so it has quite a long history. When it comes to shrimp snacks (ebisenbei), "Yukari" from Sakakado Sohonpo Honpo, founded in 1889 in Aichi Prefecture, is well-known nationwide. Aichi Prefecture has the highest production volume in Japan, with a domestic market share of about 95%. Although nowadays a lot of the shrimp used as raw materials are imported, in the past, shrimp were plentiful in the nearby Ise Bay and Mikawa Bay, which must have been the case (laughs). I purchased "Ebi Senbei" at the Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Main Store, but it was quite expensive at 540 yen for half a shrimp, so I bought the following product here: Tokyo Ebi Fly (5 bags) 540 yen. It is a shrimp senbei that is fried in oil, the only product in this shop that is fried in oil. It is made with plenty of shrimp paste and has a crispy texture. It tastes very similar to "Yukari" from Sakakado Sohonpo. Thank you for the meal.

When I contacted my daughter from Tokyo Station, she asked me to buy the limited edition shrimp senbei "Panda's Journey" only available at Tokyo Station. Katsushindo is located inside Gransta on the Marunouchi side. Since I was on the Yaesu side where the Shinkansen is, I walked through the underground passage of the station and moved towards the area below the Station Hotel. When I found the shop and was looking at the products, I was encouraged to try a sample. The taste was nostalgic. I had completely forgotten, but Katsushindo is the other leading brand of shrimp senbei along with Sakakado, a famous shrimp senbei from Nagoya. I have been using Sakakado more often lately, seen at airports and stations, so I had drifted away from Katsushindo. However, I have always thought that the taste of shrimp senbei is on par with each other since my childhood. I purchased the smallest box with 3 bags for 648 yen for home use. When I opened it at home, it contained a variety of senbei with panda illustrations. Although it is sold exclusively at Tokyo Station, the contents are shrimp senbei, a famous snack from Nagoya. It is a firm baked senbei with a distinct shrimp flavor. I enjoyed the shrimp-flavored senbei, which has remained unchanged from the past, after a long time. Thank you for the meal.

I bought it because the panda design was cute at Tokyo Station. It looks cute, but the taste is so-so. Enjoy!

Today, I explored an unlisted store at Gransta. I found a shop selling my favorite shrimp senbei and decided to register it as "Keishindo Tokyo Station Gransta Store". They had a very enticing option of shrimp senbei with half a shrimp on top, but it was too big and expensive at 2,160 yen. So, I asked if they had a smaller option and ended up buying "Panda's Journey for 648 yen". It contained four different types of shrimp senbei, including a panda, Tokyo Tower, Kaminarimon, and Ueno Zoo. They were all delicious and crispy, making it a great souvenir recommendation.