Hyperlocal Tokyo

Iwate Prefecture's Antenna Shop! 📡 While strolling through Ginza, I sought refuge from the heat and entered the shop. When you think of "Iwate," the Chuson-ji Temple's Golden Hall comes to mind. Jjejeje!😲 And let's not forget about the two-way star, Shohei Ohtani, ⚾️ and the Koiwai Farm's Makiba Garden. 🐄 Here, they offer soft serve ice cream 🍦 at an incredibly affordable price of 350 yen for a small size. It's rich and delicious! 😋 I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are also many local products and specialties on display, making for an enjoyable experience. 🎵 How about visiting after watching a Kabuki performance? 😀

I visited Sasa-cho Jozo for the second time after trying their limited-edition mentsuyu soft serve for the first time, which I heard Kame-chan (KAT-TUN) uses. I thought they were out of it, but they still had some! Last time I had it in a cone and couldn't get enough of the sauce, so this time I got it in a cup. I was able to enjoy the sweet and savory flavors even more.

Located just a minute's walk from Higashi-Ginza Station, directly across from the Kabuki-za Theatre, is the Iwate Antenna Shop, 'Iwate Ginga Plaza'. My partner is a regular customer here, so I've enjoyed many of their products at home, but this was my first time visiting the shop in person. We went as a couple on a Sunday afternoon, around 5 pm. We had a sushi reservation nearby at 5 pm, but arrived in Higashi-Ginza early, so we decided to pop into the shop to kill some time. And that's when I stumbled upon something truly amazing! Since it was fresh seafood, we left the shop and enjoyed our sushi dinner. Then, we rushed back right before closing time at 7 pm. What did I buy? ● Fresh Sea Urchin in a Milk Bottle: ¥4,860 (10% off the original price of ¥5,400) This is a seasonal delicacy of the Sanriku region, fresh sea urchin in a milk bottle. It's a common sight in seafood stores and supermarkets along the coast of Iwate. The highest quality 'uni' (sea urchin) is carefully selected, raised on the finest Sanriku seaweed, and packed by hand in a milk bottle with UV-sterilized seawater. It was close to its expiration date, so it was discounted, and I snapped it up immediately. Once you open the bottle, you need to strain the contents through a sieve. Never wash fresh sea urchin with tap water or anything else. Let it drain in the sieve for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator, and you'll have the most exquisite fresh sea urchin. This was the first time I've ever had such delicious fresh sea urchin at home! It was completely free of any fishy smell or unpleasant taste, just a rich, creamy sweetness and depth of flavor. I enjoyed it as a uni-don (sea urchin bowl) with freshly cooked white rice, roast beef, egg yolk, and white sesame seeds. Of course, it's delicious on its own, but the roast beef's subtle fatiness was a perfect match. This is a seasonal, limited-quantity product, typically available from Golden Week to the end of July. You can reserve or order online through the 'Iwate Ginga Plaza' website. ● Yamato Luxury Miso Soup with Spinach: ¥203 ● Yamato Luxury Miso Soup with Eggplant: ¥203 These are instant miso soups made with Kaga miso. While they're from Ishikawa, not Iwate, there's a special section dedicated to Ishikawa products, and these were displayed there. I bought them to enjoy with my uni-don. They were packed with ingredients and very tasty. ● Blueberries: ¥756 I tried a sample and loved them, so I bought them on impulse. (No photo, but they were large and delicious.) ● Small Plastic Bag: ¥3 Bags are sold separately. The location is fantastic, right near the station, so it's easy to pop in before a meal or a meeting. But be warned, once you go in, you're likely to leave with a lot of stuff! Thank you for reading! If you're on Instagram, please follow me! Food account: @516kizokuneko516 Home cooking account: @kizokuneko0516

I thought there wouldn't be much to see since it's a small prefecture, but I was pleasantly surprised by the top-notch selection and affordable prices. This time, I bought two walnut mochi for 150 yen, apple crackers, yubeshi, and jajangmyeon. I also wanted to buy Magic Pearl and margarine sandwiches, but I decided to save them for next time due to my stomach capacity.

I had a soy sauce flavored soft cream at the shop where Kame-chan, who loves his "demon wife", filmed a location shoot. It's definitely something you could get used to. I bought blueberry jam and curry. The blueberry jam is a low-sugar type with lots of fruit chunks. The curry has a sweet flavor that hits your palate first, followed by a spicy kick. Both were delicious!