Toyosu Arare, Toyosu Co., Ltd., Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, Wagashi-na-Suchai 227, 2026.02.04
Wagashi-na-Suchai227 Osaka Prefecture > Ikeda City
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Toyosu Arare, Toyosu Co., Ltd., Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture
1. 'Arare' is also wagashi
While many people associate wagashi directly with 'high-end jo-namagashi' (fresh sweets), dagashi (cheap snacks) and everyday snacks for common people that are not just sweet are also a fine type of wagashi that inherits Japanese culture.
Setting aside the lecture, I confess that I had been eating too many sweet wagashi and was craving something like 'okaki' (rice crackers), and after I bought 'suhama dango' at 'Mamemasa' in Daimaru Kyoto Store, when I turned around, there was 'Toyosu Arare'.
2. 'Toyosu Arare'
'Toyosu Arare' is one of the tastes of Osaka that became hard to get easily after I left Osaka, and it is a snack that I could say was almost always within reach since my childhood.
On TV and radio, the commercial 'Toyosu Arare♪ Osenbei♪' played frequently, and it is still stuck in my ears, but as someone who has been away from Osaka for a long time, I don't know if that commercial is still running.
If any Osaka residents reading this text know about the existence of the commercial, please let me know in the comments.
I realized after leaving Osaka that in other regions, including Tokyo, there are no 'arare' or 'okaki' that suit my taste.
There are some that are decent, but there are no 'arare' or 'okaki' that I would keep buying and always keep by my side. I have been wandering, trying out various manufacturers, and I have reached the present without coming to a conclusion.
3. What I was looking for was 'Toyosu'!
That's when I had a flash of inspiration at the Daimaru Kyoto Store.
The 'arare' I was looking for must be 'Toyosu'.
I thought that if I bought it for the first time in decades and it turned out to be right and I liked it, I would consider ordering it from afar in the future.
That is why I bought one bag for myself.
324 yen including tax.
Even though it is a department store, the fact that they also sell snacks for personal consumption, not just for gifts, without cutting corners is typical of a department store in the Kansai region, and I was grateful that they are an ally of the common people.
Come to think of it, I remember that department stores used to sell things by weight, but I suppose they don't do that anymore.
4. Ate it
Actually, I was eating nothing but sweets in Kyoto, and even though I have a sweet tooth, I was getting a bit tired of them.
Was the "Toyosu Arare" that appeared there a savior?
Delicious!
It was more delicious than I imagined.
This is it! This is the one!
Okaki that looks very similar is sold all over the country, but "Toyosu" is definitely delicious!
The reason for that is... I have considered it below.
5. Toyosu Co., Ltd.
"Toyosu (Toyosu Co., Ltd.)", which symbolizes the arare and okaki culture of Osaka, is a long-established store that is so familiar to people in Kansai that the phrase "Arare is definitely Toyosu" comes to mind.
Currently, the head office is located in Ikeda City, but it was founded in Abeno Ward, Osaka City in 1902 (Meiji 35).
It is a specialty store for "arare" and "okaki" that has been dedicated to rice crackers since its founding.
In the past, almost every department store's "depachika" (basement food floor) had a Toyosu counter, and it supported Osaka's gift-giving culture as a staple for selling by weight and for gifts.
Although it has been a group company of Kameda Seika since 2002, the unique traditional manufacturing method of the "Toyosu" brand and the seasoning preferred by Kansai people (dashi culture) are firmly maintained.
6. Commitment of "Toyosu Arare"
The reason why Toyosu's arare has been loved for many years lies in its "texture" and "dashi".
We use carefully selected Hiyokumochi (glutinous rice) from places like Saga Prefecture to bring out the natural sweetness of the rice.
True to a Kansai company, it features an elegant and deep soy sauce flavor enhanced by the umami of kelp and bonito.
It is a mellow flavor that draws a line from the sharp, soy-forward seasoning found in the Kanto region.
In fact, Toyosu is said to be one of the first companies to manufacture and sell 'hina arare' in Japan.
Kansai-style hina arare are not puffed rice, but rather 'round arare about 1cm in diameter,' and the achievement of establishing this culture is immense.
The inclusion of chocolate-covered arare is also a pleasure unique to Toyosu.
Around the head office factory in Ikeda City (which now also includes a direct sales shop), community contribution activities and direct sales events are held, and it is cherished by local people as a 'local manufacturer to be proud of.'
7. Ordering 'Toyosu's Arare'
Having been away from Kansai for a long time, I have decided to continue ordering and eating 'Toyosu's Arare' from Osaka from now on.
Since this can resolve my dissatisfaction with not having suitable 'arare' or 'okaki' in the surrounding area, it is a small price to pay even with some shipping costs.
(End)