I'm in Iwanai for work, about 30 minutes until the bus departs... I'll quickly visit two places for my food log activity. About a 5-minute walk from the bus terminal is "Tatsuya Kashiya," a shop with an old-fashioned atmosphere. I couldn't find much information about it, but there were two elderly customers inside, picking out various traditional sweets like Japanese confectionery, cakes, yokan, and baked goods. I bought "An Donuts (3 pieces) for 300 yen, Agemaru for 80 yen, and Unisen for 80 yen (tax included)." I took them home. The "An Donuts" are as sweet as they look, with sugar sprinkled on top, but the sweet bean paste inside is not too overpowering, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. The "Agemaru" and "Unisen" are not original products, but they have a mild flavor without the sharpness of soy sauce, and the crispy texture of the rice crackers is satisfying. The "Unisen" has a gentle sea urchin flavor that would go well with sake. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

On a certain day of the 3-day weekend, I drove to Iwanai. JIN, Road Station Rusutsu (Wald Weise), Niseko (Matsukaze), Seisushi, Kida Kinjiro Museum and Cafe Crew... After visiting these places, I searched for "Tatsuya Confectionery," which I had been curious about for a while. I have been visiting Iwanai 25-26 times a year for over 2 years, but I can't seem to find the confectionery shop. Despite the reviews from Katsuro-san and Sakura-soba-san, I missed the shop last time as well. I wonder why? Once I noticed it, I couldn't understand why I couldn't find it before. It's a proper confectionery shop. It seems they are open on Sundays as well, so it's not because they were closed. They immediately understood when I described it as "like Western senbei, with almonds or something sprinkled on top, in a pack of 3..." and said, "Ah! You mean 'Iwachan Naichan,' thank you. It's not almonds, it's pumpkin seeds." That's right, it was pumpkin seeds, not almonds. (^_^;) And the actual name seems to be "Iyaiya Iwachan Naichan" (Isn't the name too long?). I bought two "Iwachan..."s, two baked sweets with unclear names (A is labeled "Meigai Iwanai White Snow, Blue Sea," and B is labeled "Iwanai Dashi Kaze White Snow," both around 120 yen), as well as a cheesecake for 270 yen? and an apple pie (around 200 yen). The "Iwachan..." was delicious. A bit oily, crispy, with large pumpkin seeds on top, quite flavorful. It was the most delicious among the ones I bought this time. The cheesecake has three layers. The apple pie is an "Eco" apple pie, following Onikuma-san's lead. (^_^;) Meigai Iwanai White Snow, Blue Sea is a white bean paste pie bun. Iwanai Dashi Kaze White Snow was a bit dry. I was thanked about 10 times before leaving. (As a middle-aged person, I also had various conversations, so it was quite a pleasant shop.)

In May 2011, on the way to Shimamaki, I came across a shop called "Tatsuya" with walls painted in a bright orange color similar to "Iwachan Uchichan". I planned to stop by on my way back, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the shop later on. Due to my poor dynamic vision at my age, I had to reluctantly go to the Michi-no-Eki (roadside station) instead. I managed to get 3 boxes of the snacks I wanted. At the Michi-no-Eki, I saw "Taramaru" walking around as part of an event preparation. I tried talking to him, but it seemed he couldn't speak. There was also Beniko-san there. Just a heads up, "Taramaru cards" are not accepted at the Michi-no-Eki. In April 2011, I asked locals in Iwanai for souvenir recommendations and they suggested this snack. The name is fantastic, "Iyaiya Iwachan Uchichan". The packaging features a couple with pumpkin faces pulling a fishing net. I had a poor understanding of Iwanai as a fishing port, but it turned out to be a great place! I would love to visit again. Let's try the snacks inside the bag while reminiscing. Surprisingly, there are 3 thinly crispy pieces inside! Normally, this type of snack comes in one piece, so getting 3 pieces is quite a pleasant surprise. A set of 6 bags with 3 pieces each costs 770 yen, offering more value than buying 6 individual pieces. I personally like the taste, with a healthy pumpkin seed flavor and a strong sweetness that pairs well with coffee or tea. I highly recommend this as a souvenir from Iwanai. If the packaging is a bit more stylish, I feel like it would sell even better. Similar snacks can be found in various regions, but I wonder if they sell based on packaging and brand strength. Keep it up, "Iwachan Uchichan"!

Coming from the Yoichi direction, there is a large intersection in the city where the national highway turns left. There is a shop along a large street nearby that sells Japanese sweets, Western sweets, and baked goods, with cakes lined up in the front showcase. At that time, I purchased a dorayaki, which had a large sign posted. I also tried a specialty snack called "Iyaiya Iwachan Uchichan Denai Kai," which was pleasantly crispy and crunchy, so I decided to buy more. The dorayaki cost 160 yen and had a normal level of sweetness, made with ingredients like starch syrup and agar. It is sealed, so it has a good shelf life. The snack "Iyaiya Iwachan Uchichan Denai Kai" costs 110 yen per pack and is a cookie-like treat with a mild sweetness. It is slightly firm and comes in three pieces. The taste is simple, using ingredients like wheat, butter, sugar, and egg whites. It is topped with pumpkin seeds, which add a nice touch. The customer service was friendly and down-to-earth, making the shopping experience enjoyable. Thank you for the meal.

I received this as a souvenir. I usually see these kinds of items in packs of two, so I'm happy that this one has three pieces inside, making it extra crispy!

Received as a gift at work - I thought it might be a simple taste because it contains pumpkin nuts, a specialty of the village. However, it surprisingly had a strong flavor and was delicious. It seems that there was a funeral in Iwanai Town due to a misfortune at work. It was a quiet occasion due to the Bon holiday and the pandemic.

Everyone brought together for the 4289th installment of the series, right? My review count is even higher than this, huh? It's a confectionery shop in Iwanai, they say. Who brought it? The person who brought it this time... isn't even around here, right? Well, it's like playing Russian roulette, so let's start with the appearance - a glittering castella. The packaging is flashy in some way, giving off a rural vibe. When you touch it while still wrapped, it feels fluffy, but when you open it, it's quite firm. It's a bit mysterious. The texture is neither moist nor dry, just a normal castella. It's not something you'd buy aiming for, but also not something to complain about if you receive it. It's quite sweet, but the sweetness isn't overwhelming. I tried something different, but doesn't it look similar? This one is fluffy and neatly shaped in a mold, so you can eat it with chopsticks. Under the castella dough, there's... red bean paste? It looks like smooth red bean paste. I usually don't like smooth red bean paste, but this one doesn't bother me because it's thin. Overall, I think it's a delicious confectionery shop. But would I go all the way to Iwanai just to buy it? I'll leave that unsaid.