I have always wanted to visit the shaved ice shop, Mother Rich, and next to it is a shop called "Imokko Hatake." As the name suggests, they offer fried potatoes made from both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as cheese potatoes. Their "Crispy Potatoes" are extremely thin and unique, and they even offer samples. In addition to fried potatoes and franks, they also have octopus fritters, potato fritters, octopus skewers, and potato skewers. Please note that they do not offer regular fried chicken. I was intrigued by their "Koiyaki Ichigo," a taiyaki filled with plenty of whipped cream and topped with strawberries for 450 yen, but I had eaten my fill of shaved ice, so I passed on it. I tried the "Soft Octopus Fritter" for 250 yen, made with octopus from Shiranuka-cho, and it had a good chewy texture. It was freshly fried, so it was quite a workout to chew (laughs). The more you chew, the more flavorful it becomes. It's like a tasty snack. Next time, I want to try taking some home when I'm feeling hungry. Thank you for the meal!

I ordered a small red bean taiyaki. It wasn't cooked, so I took it out of the fridge and heated it up. It's hard to fully evaluate it. I hope to try a freshly cooked one next time, but I wonder if I'll go back.

On the way back from work, my senior colleague noticed a new shop next to Mother Rich when passing through Asao. Since we were in the opposite lane and the road was crowded, we decided to visit the shop another day. After going on a cafe and sweets tour with friends who love cafes and sweets, we finally stopped by the shop. The shop specializes in products made with potatoes, such as fried potatoes and fried sweet potatoes. They also offer items like octopus karaage, tsukune karaage, grilled octopus, grilled tsukune, and taiyaki. We decided to share some fried potatoes with my cafe-loving friend and also ordered octopus karaage out of curiosity. The food is freshly fried upon ordering, so we got to enjoy them hot. The fried potatoes were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a hint of sweetness from the Kitahikari potatoes used. The octopus karaage was made with octopus from Yanagidako in Shiranuka Town, and the more you chew, the more flavor comes out. However, it was slightly greasy, which was a bit disappointing. It's a good option to buy as a snack when you're feeling peckish or as a side dish for drinks.

I visited the "Imokko Hatake" with Wu-ta in the Minami Ward. It had just opened so details were unclear! It's located next to Mother Rich! I thought it would be all about sweet potatoes because of the name, but when I looked at the menu, the top recommendation was "Koiyaki Ichigo," which is like soft serve ice cream stuffed in a carp's mouth, not a sea bream. Still, I stuck to my guns and chose a sweet potato menu item! I tried the Fried Potatoes (300 yen) made with Kitakari sweet potatoes. They were sweet and fluffy inside with a crispy exterior. They were tasty, but if asked if I would buy them again for 300 yen... Wu-ta's Octopus Karaage was also delicious, but considering the price... I also found out that it's a sister store to a shop inside a Michinoeki in Shiranuka Town. They also had big fried sweet potatoes like the ones at Nakayama Pass. When you suddenly crave a big fried sweet potato but don't feel like going all the way to Nakayama Pass... it might be a good option (lol). Overall, the menu seemed like something you'd find at a festival.