Saturday, December 20, 2025

takaya marche

Takaya Marche is a shop in Ashiya, Hyogo

My host sister recently sent us their salt sable (cookies), financiers and caneles for Christmas

She said the salt sables are really popular.

We appreciate her kindness and look forward to enjoying these during the nenmatsu nenshi (year end and beginning of the new year)

Thank you T!

Takaya Marche

5-26 Funato-cho

Ashiya, Hyogo

Closed: Sundays & Mondays

Hours: 10:00-18:00

Friday, December 19, 2025

this and that

lately my oatmeal has 1/4 apple, dried cherries, chocolate chips, kinako and cinnamon
 

Himmel’s krapfen. I think this is my first time trying it. The doughnut is supposed to be hollow so that you can fill it with jam or chocolate

Himmel has a plain version and I tried their cinnamon version but there is no filling in either one. 

There are some raisins in the dough, so airy! love!

Satoshi saw Dr Yellow, I did too but never got a photo of it

Satoshi said the train was leaving the station so everyone was trying to get a photo, which is why he had someone’s elbow in his shot

yangnyeom chicken from origin bento...538 yen (tax included)

I like this version better than omma's.  

The chicken is fried and is still quite crisp even with the spicy sauce on it.

We finally saw "Perfect Days" and loved this movie

If you remember we went to check out all the public toilets that were in the movie...here, here & here

After seeing the movie, I realized that not all the toilets were in the movie.

tried the honey, nut and butter streusel kuchen from Himmel.  

Since I didn’t eat it right away, I froze it then reheated it, the texture wasn't too good after doing that

Will try it again without freezing...hoping it will be tasty 

It was the memorial day of my Grandma's passing yesterday...bought her some chrysanthemums...miss you Gma!

Tokyo has been cold, though the next couple of days are supposed to be warm...we need rain, it’s so dry here

Have a safe weekend!

Thursday, December 18, 2025

romi-unie

When I learned that Romi-Unie would be selling stollen, I reserved one for us to try

Unlike most stollen we have had in the past, this one is kugelhopf style (looks like bundt shape)

This one is quite heavy!

We look forward to trying this one too in the coming days.


Wednesday, December 17, 2025

roca bake

When I saw Roca Bake’s stollen box, I thought it was a place in Osaka that I had been wanting to try, so I ordered it...

Well, it wasn’t, it turned out to be a tiny bakery in Hakodate Hokkaido that has been around for 19 years...boy was I surprised!

The box was supposed to arrive on Monday, but because of the snow in Hokkaido, it arrived today

Love the packaging!

"when it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile"
mini chocolate chestnut stollen (top left),  orange tea cookies (top right), slices of lemon poundcake and caramel nuts poundcake (bottom right), financier (bottom left)
close up of lemon poundcake and caramel nuts poundcake
cute magnet
"bread is better than the songs of birds"

I'm glad I ordered this and look forward sharing these with Satoshi in the coming days.

Roca 
3-6-20 Tomioka-cho
Hakodate, Hokkaido
*online sales only

Monday, December 15, 2025

reconnect

Reconnected with Omma Foods’ yangnyeom chicken

This bento was 580 yen (tax included) 

The price has gone up a little since the last time I posted about it on the blog

I think this time the chicken was just cooked instead of deep frying then coated with the sauce

I prefer K-sozai’s version but since they are no longer in business, this version will have to do

The sides of the bento were hijiki & I think spinach

I'll try to walk out this way more often while the weather is cooler

Friday, December 12, 2025

this and that

Sunday, Satoshi went to the 100th anniversary of the Tokyo Big 6's baseball clubs (Keio, Meiji, Hosei, Tokyo, Waseda and Rikkyo).

Waseda, Meiji and Keio started back in 1914.

I think 1925 was the year that Tokyo University joined in.

He said there were so many people even people from the NPB, Japan's pro baseball.

He sent me some photos of their cute desserts, I thought this one was the cutest. 

You may have heard that on Monday, Aomori had a big earthquake that triggered a tsunami watch.

The alarm on my phone counts down until the earthquake is about to affect the area you are at, it was kinda scary to see the area widen out from Hokkaido

Some people in Tokyo actually felt it but I didn't.

Hoping everyone can get back to their normal routines soon. 

Tokyo People: parking patrol
This granola that V's friend, M gave me...so ono! love that it has lots of nuts & coconut in it
all cinnamon rolls should have puff pastry around it...

There is talk that there might be sleet this weekend...brr

Have a safe weekend.

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

grateful

Sometime during the ending part of November, friend Mayumi sent me several photos of her persimmon drying project.

She said she was drying 200 of them!

Today, she sent me 25 of them!

I put most of these into the freezer...and will eat some in the the coming days!

Thank you Mayumi!