On August 14, 2023, at 10:20, we visited Asahikawa for the second time with my wife and three sons. We had a Showa Morning at Arabigo, and then we visited Jugoya to buy some wagashi, which is my grandpa's favorite, as a souvenir for our upcoming visit to my hometown the next day. Jugoya is a famous confectionery in Asahikawa. However, the taste of their sweets seems to be a bit behind compared to those in Sapporo or Obihiro. "I love these flower-shaped ones!" said my youngest son as he put a bag of them in the basket. I didn't realize he liked these sweets so much. "Grandma used to hide them in the vegetables she sent us," my wife explained. Ah, that's right. These wagashi combine white chocolate with galette, which is my son's favorite. We bought four varieties of Jugoya wagashi (230 yen each) and a bag of flower-shaped sweets. After that, we also visited the attached factory for a tour. Surprisingly, we enjoyed the "Flower Garden" tour. This also became a nice memory for us.

Flagship store of【Tsuboya Sohonten】, famous for the confectionery "Kibana" founded in 1929 in Asahikawa. The facility includes a cafe, garden, and a factory where you can see how "Kibana" is made. It seems that the number one souvenir for home is not sold at train stations or airports: the "Fragrant Red Meat Melon (8 pieces for 820 yen)" and "Kibana (160 yen)" were purchased. The individual sale of "Kibana" is only in plain flavor. When eaten at home, the melon has a pleasant aroma and tastes delicious. The plain flavor is also tasty, but I still prefer the caramel or chocolate flavors I had before. I slightly regret not getting an assortment, even if it was a bit more expensive.

This is a famous shop in Asahikawa called Tsuboya, known for their popular product "Kibana". I received a gift and wanted to share my thoughts on their limited edition product. It was developed in collaboration with the 3 o'clock bread citizens monitor, and had a unique texture that I had never tasted before. The Kibana red-fleshed melon was interesting, but the almond galette flavor was too overpowering, overshadowing the melon. I would recommend sticking to their regular menu items. Thank you for the meal!

I stopped by to buy a souvenir and decided to try the Mino Silk Soft Serve for 320 yen. Despite the heat, the gentle texture felt just like silk! It's a creamy soft serve, but with a deliciously subtle sweetness that you can easily finish in one go. And for only 320 yen, it's a great deal! Definitely a soft serve worth trying.

Sakura Mont Blanc parfait and strawberry parfait are both multi-layered and elaborately crafted with different ingredients. When asked if it was okay for the order to take about 30 minutes, I was a bit surprised, but since I wasn't in a hurry and there was wifi available, I replied, "That's fine." In the end, it was ready in about 10 minutes. Enjoyed a delicious parfait in a pleasant atmosphere. Thank you for the meal! 🌸

2022.12. When you do Tabelog, you can gain knowledge about food, right? So, this time it's "Kohana no Mori" again. Since my review of "Dessert de COLOCO" yesterday, there have been several revisits, so please bear with me. What are you bearing with?? (laughs) It's actually known as the Mamushi no Michi-san. Another revisit Michi-san, just kidding!! On this day, I visited to buy sweets to bring as a New Year's greeting gift to my wife's parents. Huh!? What about for my parents?? Unfortunately, due to various circumstances, I don't have any for my parents~♪ The reason will be revealed in a few days in the review I will post, so please wait eagerly. This is a tribute to Matsuyama Chiharu's "Nagai Yoru". The Hanabiramochi is 250 yen (tax included). The mochi has a refined sweetness. The stick is burdock root in syrup, but I don't understand why burdock root was necessary (laughs) That's what I thought when I ate it. However, when I visited my parents' house later, I saw a different confectionery's Hanabiramochi on my late father's altar, and I ate it when my mother wasn't looking (๑´ڡ`๑) Just kidding!! When I looked closely, it did have burdock root in it. So, it turns out that Hanabiramochi has burdock root in it! I googled it and found out. It was a learning experience!! Huh? How did the mochi taste? Well, it was a delicious mochi~ (laughs)

2022.2 "Hanano Mori" is a stylish facility operated by a modest potter. I visited on my way back from shopping at the neighboring Western store. Reviewers from Asahikawa have recommended it, but since the Spring Light Ion is closing, I am looking for new places to shop. Right now, I am using both Western and Daiei. The supermarkets in Asahikawa are really helpful with their price competition. My father's 7th memorial is approaching, but due to the COVID-19 and heavy snow, I am avoiding visiting Sapporo so I decided to send sweets to my hometown. I will visit Sapporo eventually. The "Oonatsumono Daibanbuzai" costs 160 yen (tax included). The filling is very fluffy and has a straight sweetness. It goes well with the slightly bitter skin. The "Hiramanju with Local Sake" costs 160 yen (tax included). As soon as you open it, the scent of Japanese sake spreads. The solid sweetness of the filling and the flavor of the sake go really well together. It's delicious!

When I visited Hananomori, I purchased the "Mori no Purin" (Forest Pudding). Since I was young, I have been familiar with regular pudding, so I often hesitate to buy high-end pudding. However, this time, I decided to purchase it as it was a factory festival and they offered a taste test. As I took a bite, I thought to myself that modern pudding is almost like cream. The taste has definitely evolved, but the essence of pudding itself seems to have evolved too. It is white and soft, a deliciousness that everyone can appreciate. Hmm, I still have a special love for regular pudding.

I visited Asahikawa before the third wave hit. It had been a while since I last visited Asahikawa! I decided to stop by the long-established store "Tsuboya" to buy some souvenirs, and ended up at Hananomori. There, I found a very stylish chocolate corner in the store. Upon researching, I found out that the son of Tsuboya is actually a chocolatier. It seems like they have a designer chocolate brand called "RAMS CHOCOLATE". I decided to buy souvenirs from here this time, which can also be a good conversation starter. I also bought some for myself. The chocolate chip cookie (350 yen) had a strong sweetness and a crunchy texture. I wished for a bit more chocolate flavor, but it was delicious. The price was reasonable, and the packaging was cute, making it perfect for souvenirs. By the way, I found out that Hananomori offers factory tours as well. (I love factory tours!) I would like to visit for a factory tour next time!

At 3 o'clock, I stopped by a souvenir shop called Hiramamjuu Ki Hana, which is the main store in an area where the buildings have changed. It was interesting to see the collaboration products, even though there were few customers due to the timing. I like to stop by occasionally.

In 2020.2, I visited "Hanano Mori" in Sapporo to buy souvenirs before heading back. The store opens at 9:30 am, so I arrived around 9:20 am and waited in the car for about 10 minutes. The store inside is like a department store for Japanese and Western sweets, very exciting to look at. I tried the sake manju for 150 yen (tax included). As soon as I put it in my mouth, the scent of sake gently spread. The sweet bean paste is also elegantly sweet and easy to eat. Although Tsuboya may seem plain, the quality of their sweets is surprisingly high. This is delicious!

When it comes to Tsuboya-san, I usually use the one near my house, Ion Nishi, or if I go a little further, there's "Nanohana Soukan" that I always go to. But the other day, I happened to stop by here. It's Tsuboya "Kihana no Mori". It's been a while, about 4 years. I went in the evening around 5 pm. It always seems crowded, but at this time, it was quite calm. The atmosphere is still nice. Just being here makes you feel relaxed. And when I came after a long time, I found out they also have bread! It was tagged as "Hoshizora Bakery". A brand for bread? There weren't many types, but there was something that looked delicious, so I bought it for breakfast the next day. Anko Shokupan for 480 yen tax included. It's a bread with red bean paste inside. I've never seen anything like it. It looks like a panda. I toasted it and tried it. The red bean paste is not too strong, so even with butter, it's easy to eat. It's interesting as a slight flavor accent. By the way, the word "Kakushoku" is apparently only used in Hokkaido...

On my day off, I bought my usual cheesecake for 908 yen and a limited edition cheese-flavored cookie for 834 yen at the well-established confectionery shop "Tsuboya" in Asahikawa. The shop also has a factory, and today was a special "factory festival." Despite the crowds, I managed to get what I wanted and left quickly. When I got home, my family and I enjoyed the cheesecake, which had a nice cheese flavor with a hint of bitterness, perfect with coffee or tea. The limited edition cheese-flavored cookie was a new experience for me, and it was a thin shortbread filled with cheese cream - a cheese lover's delight! My wife and daughter also enjoyed it. I did a good job today. Mission accomplished. Ah, it was delicious!

At an event held in April, a new flavor of "Kika" was tasted and voted on to determine the Grand Prix, which will be sold annually for a limited time. The candidates this time were mango, Chardonnay flavor, hojicha rum, honey & cheese, and corn. The chosen one is "Awakening Adult Palate Blissful Rum". I bought it in advance and it will be available to the public from the 20th. It had a sweet aroma at first, but then a faint alcohol scent of rum came through. Kika has turned 37 years old. It has become an adult.

I was alone in Asahikawa last night, so I went out to eat at 9 different places to escape from the upcoming changes in my environment starting tomorrow. Today, I will head home early as my wife gets up early and I have things to do from tomorrow. I started my day early by visiting "Kohana no Mori." In the past, there were many workers on site, relying on manual labor. When it got cold, the old men with runny noses would suddenly wipe their noses with their hands. Their actions were quite impressive. Anyway, it seems unrelated to flowers. I have been here before but didn't write about it. Is that weird? I only had soft serve ice cream last time. I thought about buying a cake to take home, but it was crowded, so I decided to grab something to eat and bring it to the register. It was crowded, but the staff were very polite and likeable. Maybe too polite, making the service slower. I don't have any complaints about that. My wife ate something and shared it with me, knowing that I couldn't write about it. Jellies were not something I used to eat in the past, but since starting a food log, I have become more open to trying new things. I still wouldn't pick them up myself, though. The jelly had a soft texture and a nice fruit fragrance. The steamed dorayaki was not like a regular dorayaki, it was more like "Hagi no Tsuki." It was delicious. The madeleines were also perfect. Overall, all the sweets were delicious.

I went out to do some shopping for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I picked up my pre-ordered "osechi" and bought groceries at the supermarket. I also stopped by this store to buy some sweets for gifts. The trees next to the store were covered in snow and looked beautiful, despite the cold weather. The store was big and bustling with customers buying items for themselves and for gifts. I bought a set of sweets for gifts and then looked around for something to enjoy at home during New Year's. There were many sweets with zodiac animal packaging and traditional Japanese New Year sweets on display. I ended up buying a set that included "kanoko matcha pudding," "shishimai monaka," and "geishun castella." They didn't feel particularly special, just regular sweets with New Year packaging. But being from a reputable confectionery, they were delicious. The "kanoko matcha pudding" had plenty of red bean paste which was nice. The "geishun castella" was just a regular castella with a pig illustration on the package. However, I really liked the "shishimai monaka" as it came with a separate pack of red bean paste that you could squeeze onto the monaka. The monaka shell was crispy and the red bean paste was not too sweet. It may just be regular sweets once you take them out of the package, but enjoying them while looking at the pig illustration made them feel special for the New Year.

I went to "Kihanomori" in Asahikawa to purchase my favorite sweets (❁´∀`❁)ﾉ It was my first time buying here, and the shop was very beautiful and stylish ✿*❀٭✿*❀٭

When you go inside, you can also observe the process of making sweets. The cookie flower is famous, but the Golden Apple Kamui was also delicious. The sweet bean paste sweets are recommended for their moderate sweetness.

The area near the entrance was beautiful with flowers. The inside of the shop was a lovely building with a lot of wood used. I bought various things and tried the delicious cake called "Brick Footsteps." I would like to visit again next time and maybe even take a factory tour.

Soft serve ice cream with berry sauce that has a tangy and delicious taste. You can also enjoy a factory tour, and there are picture books and books available to make your visit more enjoyable.