Drinking various types of milk from all over the country at the station's ticket gate feels like a vitality terminal. You can purchase different types of milk for roughly the same price as regular Meiji milk and compare them. It's a delightful experience. Today, I bought milk from Shinshu and Hida. The Hida milk has a creamy flavor, while the Shinshu milk is rich.

There is a nostalgic shop at the exit of the central ticket gate at Ueno Station where you can drink bottled milk. It's exciting to drink fruit milk and such. After choosing your favorite bottle, the staff will open the lid for you. As for the drinking style, everyone knows it well. Hold the bottle in your right hand, place your left hand on your waist, and then... drink it all at once! Place the empty bottle on the counter with a thud and say thank you as you walk away.

Today, instead of buying seafood and dried goods at Ameyoko, I plan to head towards the area where wholesale precious metal shops line up to get my birthday present ♡ I believe that you can find good items at a cheap price without the need for brands or department stores. I did some research online and have a rough idea of what I want, but I wonder if I can decide quickly? I'm not good at shopping (except for food haha). While it's nice to have someone buy me something, it can be tricky to look around in unfamiliar stores. When I arrived at the station, I saw this milk stand with sticky notes and signs advertising the daily specials for bottled milk! How exciting ♡ Oh, look!! There's a vending machine next to it with a drink I've never seen before!! ● Rakuo Royal Milk Tea 130 yen. The "Rakuo Cafe au Lait" from Fukushima is highly praised among some people, and even has versions like soft serve ice cream and pastry bread due to its popularity. In fact, it is made with 100% Fukushima-produced raw milk, and the perfect balance of coffee's bitter taste and milk's deep richness creates a delicious sweetness. It seems like this product is its sister version?! A new product released on November 2, 2020, made with Fukushima-produced raw milk and cream. It uses carefully selected Kenyan tea leaves and has undergone a decaffeination process removing over 90% of the caffeine. A comforting choice for those concerned about caffeine ♡ No wonder it has a refreshing and elegant scent like Earl Grey tea, with a rich milkiness. It's incredibly delicious! And surprisingly, it doesn't leave a lingering aftertaste. Even my husband, who doesn't like milk tea, said it was delicious!! Ideally, I wanted to drink it from a bottle at the store, but it seems this product didn't come in a bottle. Other products are available in bottles, and as the posters say, the taste is deeper with the bottled version. Besides milk, they also sell bread and sweets, with a selection that's both tempting and hateful! Many people have their caps removed by the staff, gulp it down, and leave in a hurry. It's an oasis for busy people. Now, let's get ready for the main event and head out! ♪ Time to lift my heavy feet (even though it was a standing drink haha) and go!

Outside the Ueno-Okachimachi Station ticket gate is a store that is more like a standing bar than a takeout place. I have always been curious about the bottle of milk you can drink in one gulp! When I asked for a recommendation for milk, they asked, "Have you ever tried raw milk?" It is natural milk that has only been pasteurized, with no adjustments made to the components. I received a bottle of Hida Milk for 150 yen. I took a gulp in the single-person seating area right next to the store. The milk was very cold, which made the flavor refreshing and delicious! But, it was a little embarrassing!?

There is a milk shop located just outside the Ueno Station ticket gates. As the name suggests, it is a place where you can drink milk on the spot, similar to a juice stand. They sell milk from major manufacturers to local dairy farms, in bottles or packs of around 200ml. It is different from a kiosk and is rarely seen in Kansai. In Tokyo, it seems to only be found here and at Akihabara Station.

There is a milk stand located near the exit of Okachimachi station, which offers various types of milk from different regions. I have seen one inside Akihabara station before, but I didn't know there were other branches. They are currently offering a limited-time discount on "Kazusa Milk" (120 yen including tax). It seems to be milk produced in Chiba Prefecture, and it tastes really good. It's surprising to enjoy rich and flavorful milk from Chiba, as dairy farming is not a common image associated with the prefecture. It would be even better if they had some bread to go with it.

This is a milk stand located in front of the north exit of JR Okachimachi Station. They offer not only milk, but also drinkable yogurt, coffee milk, strawberry milk, vegetable juice, Oronamin C, green juice, and Yamazaki bread. There is a standing eat-in space for one person. I stopped by after having lunch at a Thai restaurant called Inakamura in Okachimachi. I wanted to drink milk, but felt like I needed more vegetables, so I decided to have green juice (160 yen). When I paid, they opened the bottle for me. It was the first time I saw green juice in a bottle. It was a round milk bottle type. I had it in the eat-in space. It wasn't sweet, nor bitter, but a refreshing green juice. It's not delicious, but not bad either, and easy to drink. Stayed for 10 seconds. It's a casual place to use. I will use it again.

When I used the station at Okachimachi, I peeked into this place right after exiting the ticket gate ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ I used to love milk when I was a kid. People from Fukushima love Rakuou Cafe au Lait. Thanks to that, I grew up to be over 165cm tall (lol). They have various kinds of milk here, like the yogurt-flavored drink with hyaluronic acid that you see at spas. And there's also "Nomu Nomu Yogurt" (I like that too). So many types of milk! And bread!! People standing and eating here. People stopping by before heading to work or school. I imagined the various human interactions that must take place here ( ^ω^ ) I bought this item that had a sign saying the sales period had been extended! I love Funassyi ♡ It's a refreshing yogurt drink with a hint of pear juice. And then I noticed...huh? No stabilizers used? When I hear stabilizers, I immediately think of people who are mentally weaker than others, always carrying around a lot of medication and saying they can't sleep without taking it... I remembered the kind of drink they would have (lol). It's not yogurt, but a yogurt drink, so I guess it means they don't use stabilizers to keep it in a stable form like yogurt. I was a bit taken aback, so I included it as a funny anecdote (lol)

I visited Ueno National Museum to see the "Heisei Hidden Buddha Exhibition" and decided to stop by at Ameyoko for lunch before heading there. I came across Milk Shop LAC at Akihabara Station before and since then I make it a point to visit milk stands whenever I find one. The management of this stand is also related to the one in my hometown, Oosawa Milk. I tried the Toyama coffee milk on this day, which had a slightly strong coffee flavor but was delicious and easy to drink. Now, it's time to finally head to Tonhachi-tei, the restaurant I've been looking forward to.

I visited another stand operated by Oizumi Milk, the one in Okachimachi, following the same momentum as the two stands at Akihabara Station on the Sobu Line platform. The location is right outside the north exit of Okachimachi Station gate. Unlike the two stands in Akihabara, this one is smaller in scale. The storefront is about half the size of Akihabara's, and there is only one counter to place the received milk and bread, compared to two at Akihabara. The lady working there was a bit reserved, just like at the Akihabara stands. In Akihabara, I tried the Hida Milk and Azumalaito Coffee Milk from Tohmo Dairy, so this time I tried the Rauou Cafe au Lait for 130 yen from Rauou Dairy Industry Co., Ltd. in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. As indicated on the storefront, this long-selling product released in 1976 is considered a soul drink from Fukushima Prefecture. I did a bit of research and found a Facebook page called Fukushima Rauou Cafe au Lait Club, as well as collaborative products with bread and baked goods, indicating that it is quite a popular product. Although I didn't see it, it seems that it even appeared in the Fuji TV drama "When Love's Words" where Takura Kengo played a protagonist from Fukushima Prefecture. However, what I received from the lady was a bottle without a label, completely stripped of its packaging. Bottled versions are apparently quite rare, so it was a bit disappointing not to see its original appearance. When I tried it, it was slightly sweet and the coffee flavor was a bit light. I thought it was a delicious coffee milk that is refreshing and enjoyable for anyone to drink. There are still many soul drinks unique to each region across Japan, such as Hokkaido's Garana and Katugen, Chiba's Max Coffee, and Kochi's Ripple, so in the future, I would like to pay attention to this genre when traveling or visiting antenna shops.

In my countryside, during a break in the middle of farm work, we have what we call a "tobacco break" or "tobacco break" for some reason. This term might only be understood by older locals. The popular snack during this break was often "milk and bread"! Sitting in the rice paddy, taking a bite of bread and drinking milk. It's a childhood memory. This memory was brought back to me by a shop called "Milk Stand Okachimachi Store" right by the JR Okachimachi Station ticket gate. This shop specializes in milk and bread (although they also sell a few juices and other food items). It seems to be busy in the mornings, with many salarymen and women stopping by to purchase various brands of milk, dairy drinks, and bread. I noticed a flag advertising "Hot Milk" and below it, a device for heating milk in a way similar to a sake warmer. They were selling "Hot Milk" as well, a limited-time offer I assume. Such shops are not common in the countryside. I had never seen this type of shop in my hometown. I bought a bottle of "Special Rich" milk (Meiji Megmilk) and drank it hot under the cold Tokyo sky (actually under the elevated tracks). It's said that you should place your hand on your waist and drink it in one go (is this true?), but the correct way is to drink it slowly with both hands (is this true?). Hot milk is really delicious. The milk was quite rich and tasty. This Milk Stand is indeed a unique shop. It seems to play a role in providing nutrition for city dwellers in the morning. Really interesting!

I love Royal Milk Tea so much that I even attended an event for it in Tokyo. A colleague had been recommending me to try the milk stand at Ueno's north exit gate, so after a meeting, I decided to check it out. There were two people there, one in a suit and apron, offering a taste test with four different milk teas, including Royal Milk Tea. I tried them all and, sure enough, Royal Milk Tea was my favorite by far. I regret not trying it sooner. As someone who prefers savory foods, I found it more comforting than having sweets. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Do you know about Rakuno Cafe au Lait? It is a popular cafe au lait in Fukushima that has been loved by the locals since childhood. It is sold at JR's kiosks "NEW DAYS" and high-end supermarket "The Garden," and it is so beloved that there are gatherings of fans in Akihabara by Fukushima residents living in Tokyo. I discovered this fact through reviews by fellow reviewers and couldn't resist buying it at "NEW DAYS." The cafe au lait is very milky and when compared to the popular "G**ko" cafe au lait, the gentle flavor of the Rakuno Cafe au Lait stood out, making me an instant fan. I found out that the packaging is different for Fukushima residents and I longed for the local version, which I finally found at a vending machine next to the Naka-Okachimachi Milk Stand. I also discovered a "High Cafe au Lait" with a stronger coffee flavor. I bought both and enjoyed them at home. The cafe au lait was delicious and milky, just as I like it. The High Cafe au Lait had a more coffee-like taste, but I prefer the regular cafe au lait. Next, I want to try the bottled cafe au lait at the Milk Stand. Thank you for the meal!

I came to Ueno, and since there is no Milk Stand in Osaka, I couldn't resist stopping by. It's a hot season, so my throat gets dry quickly when I go outside, making the cold Oozeki Amazake for 120 yen including tax very much appreciated. It's tastier and you can enjoy it slowly compared to milk. Unfortunately, the person working today was not very friendly. It's a shame that you can't choose who you interact with as a customer. I also saw this person at the Akihabara station store, and they were unfriendly there too. August 2015. Nankaihawks1's gourmet guide. Nankaihawks1's blog.

I'm sorry, it's impossible to do it in 200 characters, but just as a memo... These kinds of shops used to be quite common in the station area, but lately, they are only found in specific places. When I see them, I feel nostalgic and buy a drink. The yogurt is delicious, so I usually go for the plain flavor.

In front of the Ameyoko side exit of Ueno, there is a milk stand that has become less common recently. It's a standing bar like in the old days, offering milk, coffee milk, strawberry milk, and other similar drinks. I ordered a coffee milk and watched as the lady peeled off the plastic and used a needle to open the paper cap. I took a few photos holding the bottle. Then, a tired-looking regular customer in a suit came in, grabbed a bread and said, "The usual, please!" It turned out he was ordering milk. Another customer came in and also said, "The usual!" and ordered milk. In this strange atmosphere, I quickly drank the coffee milk in one go and felt a nostalgic taste from my childhood. It was like a time slip. I decided to try ordering bread next time and say, "The usual!" and see what happens.

I visited around 10 o'clock on this day. I wanted to replenish my fluids before walking around Ameyoko and Asakusa. When I exited Ueno station, there it was. There were so many options that I got a little lost, but when I ordered the basic milk (white), they asked if I wanted it hot? I replied that I wanted it cold! Then they asked if I wanted it regular? I said yes to regular. I was surprised that they asked so many questions just for one bottle of milk. I paid 120 yen, received the milk, took a sip, and casually glanced at the menu where I saw a listing for "special rich milk" for 130 yen. Maybe I should have gotten that instead? Next time, I'll try the special rich milk that I didn't get to try this time. Oh, but the regular milk was still delicious. It may not have felt special, but it was perfect for quenching my thirst! Now that I've recharged with some fluids, maybe I should go explore Ameyoko.

Today, I visited Ameyoko for some shopping as the year-end approaches. I got off at JR Okachimachi Station, and right outside the north exit of JR Okachimachi station, I found a milk stand. It's a place that I don't see often anymore, so I decided to have breakfast there. I bought a hot milk (110 yen) and an anpan (100 yen) and enjoyed them at a table in front of the shop. I remember not liking the film that forms on hot milk from my nursery school days, but the hot milk here is heated slowly in a double boiler, so there was no film forming. It was sweet and delicious. Eating the anpan standing up made me feel like a detective, and I really enjoyed it. Sometimes, having breakfast like this feels good.

This is a milk bar located in Okachimachi. It was still hot in September when I visited. The lighting was off due to the earthquake, but in my memory, it was a bright and relaxing space. My memories of Okachimachi station area are of Ameyoko and drinking. Whenever I visited this shop, it was usually when I had a hangover. Walking was tough and I would go shopping at Takoya or buy shoes. When I think of this milk stand, it's like a refreshing drink for when I'm tired. I ordered the usual "Minna no Gyunyu" for 140 yen. The milk here in Okachimachi has a special taste because of the memories associated with it. As someone who has been transferred to a different region, these ordinary scenes feel nostalgic and taste delicious. Note: In addition to milk, this place also sells fruit juice, sandwiches, and sweet sake. I highly recommend the sandwich and milk combo when you're in a hurry. It feels like it can replenish your energy.

Bread and pork buns are from Yamazaki, common items. Average quality. Drinks are from Meiji or Snow Brand, retro-style common brands. Are they delicious? No clear answer. Is the atmosphere nice? It's under a bridge. Is it charming? Yes. Do you gulp down when thirsty? It's possible, but there are better options. Regular customers communicate with the staff on a daily basis. It has a friendly atmosphere like meeting an acquaintance. There is a slight vibe that might make non-regulars want to stop by, but the revisit rate is likely low. I don't find meaning in evaluations or criticisms.