On my way to Kyoto Station for another business trip to Tokyo, I stopped by "Seijo Ishii" at Kintetsu Tambabashi Station and bought a meal to eat on the Shinkansen. I had chilled udon with plum paste, followed by a "Navel Orange and Passion Fruit Rare Cheesecake." The balance of acidity and sweetness was exquisite. A delicious dessert is a must-have companion for a journey, isn't it?

On December 12th (Thursday), after enjoying some drinks with my former subordinates in Kyoto, we arrived at Tanbabashi Station around 8:30 pm. Today's souvenir for my wife is almond jelly. It was topped with fresh melon and citrus fruits, and looked beautiful! The almond jelly was also delicious. My wife always loves the sweets from this place.

On Tuesday, returning from a business trip to Tokyo. When I used to live with my children, the souvenirs from Tokyo were often "Shumai from Sakai Han". But recently, since it's just me and my wife, we often come here. We visited around 9:50 pm, just before closing time. The glow of fireflies is flowing. This place has a wide variety of stylish sweets. Today, I bought a "Mango Pudding". Not only sweets, but they also have an interesting selection of various food products. They have nearly 10 types of pho alone. If I have time, I would like to take a leisurely look around.

There is a page for a store like this, haha. Well, even convenience stores like Lawson have their own pages, so it's not surprising that this place has one too. I occasionally, very occasionally, go there. Last year (2018), there was a lot of buzz about the strawberry butter that kept selling out. When I heard about the restock on July 20 this year, I eagerly rode my electric mama chari to visit around 10 in the morning. But wait, what? There was a huge line! I walked around the store once and it extended outside the store! There were like 50 to 60 people waiting! Everyone only bought one of these. As for the taste, honestly, I don't think it's worth waiting in line for or paying the price (755 yen including tax). Don't be fooled by the hype from L〇M〇A or Mar〇ni's lantern articles. It's not that it's bad, but it's like a refined strawberry jam. Of course, tastes vary, but even my mom said, "This isn't that tasty." After one bite, I just left it there. I think apple butter is much tastier than this. I won't be buying this again next year.

I stopped by here to buy beer to go with my bento box. I was looking for a place to buy a bento box as well, but they only had side dishes that needed to be heated at home. This station is a transfer station between Kintetsu and Keihan lines, and a stop for Kintetsu limited express trains, but it seems that very few travelers pass through here. It's probably more convenient for commuters to stop by this high-end supermarket.

I am at Tanbabashi. I am transferring from the Keihan train to the Kintetsu train. On the way, there is a Seijo Ishii store. It is convenient here. Let's buy a little something this time. As I walk through the narrow store... Oh, there are Arnott's biscuits! There are three types: Tim Tam White, Tim Tam Original, and Tim Tam Double Coat. Now, which one should I choose? I decided to go with the Original, which has a chocolate-colored package. When I tried it, the chocolate flavor was really nice. The chocolate cream sandwich biscuit is also delicious. It has a different taste from Japanese-made biscuits, which is refreshing.

Today is the weekend, but we both had errands to run and ended up meeting at home in uncertain times. My companion's schedule was significantly delayed, so I bought only two salads at the Takashimaya store. However, my companion ended up buying a considerable amount of items, including salads, especially weak to the 30% discount. Well, we don't use any social media, so these things happen (I only peek at my companion's account, and we don't use Twitter or Instagram, and I can't believe it about LinkedIn. Are you okay giving so much personal information to a Korean company?) Our only means of communication at home, the Galapagos mobile phone rang, but I couldn't hear it over the noise of the department store basement. Anyway, what I bought here was: two types of cheese - Bleu d'Auvergne 599 yen, Rustique Petit Mansour 990 yen, two types of side dishes - a whole scallop steamed bun from Mutsu Bay 880 yen (30% off), shrimp tartare dish salad 359 yen (30% off), dessert - orange and mango parfait 299 yen (30% off), special baked pudding 238 yen. I will now try the salads and other items my companion purchased. After all, they are for work, so we have to eat them today. What I bought will be for tomorrow. The salad is a bit difficult to eat, or rather, I'm not sure how to eat it. I reluctantly removed the top and poured dressing over it. The tartare is too solid and not very usable. Well, the rest is delicious. Maybe that's why it's 30% off. The scallop steamed bun tastes pretty good. And the cheese. Petit Mansour is a Washed Cheese from the Vosges Mountains in the Alsace region of France. The rind, washed with salt water, has an orange color and a slightly stimulating aroma. The cheese inside is sticky and full of the flavor of milk. I only took one bite of the dessert. It's just average. As we console each other's tiredness, the weekend night passes by casually with wine.

I usually get takeout food from the shop near the ticket gate at Kintetsu Tambabashi Station, LAWSON. I tried their Basque cheesecake and it was delicious, so I couldn't resist buying one from Seijo Ishii as well. I wanted to compare LAWSON, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, and Seijo Ishii, but it seems like 7-Eleven and FamilyMart no longer carry the product. Perhaps they realized they couldn't compete with LAWSON or the trend has passed. Comparing LAWSON and Seijo Ishii: 1) Seijo Ishii is almost twice as expensive. 2) Seijo Ishii uses natural cheese with an aging process, while LAWSON uses cream cheese. The additives are similar in both. 3) I tried Seijo Ishii first and it was indeed gentle and delicious. Then I tried LAWSON, which was also delicious. The caramel flavor was stronger in LAWSON. As someone who loves sweets, I found them all delicious. LAWSON's strength is impressive, as they have improved their product twice to stay competitive. Thank you for the meal!

Danba Bridge Station is not often used, but it is a transfer station between Kintetsu/Kyoto Municipal Subway and Keihan Electric Railway. As soon as you exit the ticket gate of the Kintetsu station, you will find this chain supermarket right in front of you. It's quite unexpected, but it seems like a smart choice to have it there. Let's take a look inside and do some shopping. I'll get the Italian series with Ratatouille and Truffle Miligatoni, as well as a pasta salad with short pasta. I'll also grab some smoked salmon, a unique snack from Seijo Ishii. To balance out the Western dishes, I'll also add some addictive shrimp dumplings. Having a room drink session with goodies from Seijo Ishii always makes me feel quite luxurious.