Gentle and Lasting: Fluffy and Addictive, a Famous Confectionery in Chino, Shinshu. Visit Shinshu Daikokuya for the New Year.
To visit a friend hospitalized for rehabilitation
I brought along cookies and other treats from Shinshu Daikokuya
They were so delighted by them
They even sent me a LINE message from the hospital saying how delicious they were
When I told them it was a flavor from a shop I've loved for a long time
They said it wasn't just the cookies, but the sweet potato galette and caramel macadamia were also addictive!
They asked, 'I saw the shop's address says Chino City, Nagano Prefecture, but...'
'Do you go all the way to Chino just to buy them?'
I said, 'Yes, I go with my daughter driving'
'All that way?' they asked
I said, 'Yes, I go specifically for that'
'But that's over two hours from Tokyo, isn't it?'
I replied, 'But I love the atmosphere of the shop, so I end up going anyway'
Going to the hospital is an all-day job from morning until afternoon, isn't it?
Since we spend so much time going to hospitals, a round trip to Nagano in my daughter's car is nothing, right?
My friend is currently in rehabilitation for spinal stenosis, but they said all of these baked goods are delicious
They said it cheered them up. I'm so happy!
I've lived a life unrelated to mid-year or year-end gifts
But because I truly think they are delicious, I want to give them to others
It's true... convenience store sweets are also...
It's so delicious. I've tried almost all of the new products without missing any, and they are just as good as those from specialty shops.
Each and every one of them really packs a punch.
They have a strength of flavor that your palate remembers.
If the real thrill of convenience store sweets is being strong and rich,
then the baked goods and cakes from Shinshu Daikokuya are...
How should I put it? They linger? They remain gently and for a long time. There is a richness to the flavor.
I can feel the passage of time at Shinshu Daikokuya, which was once known as a famous Japanese confectionery shop in Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture.
At the end of the year and the beginning of the new one, Shinshu Daikokuya's baked goods are truly indispensable for precious time with your precious family.
And besides,
My friend who is hospitalized for rehabilitation also says they are working hard at rehab while eating Shinshu Daikokuya's baked goods.
Somehow, that makes me happier than winning the lottery!!
Not that I've ever won it, though...
A gift that can make a friend feel better is just...
I'll send you more, okay? Get even better with Shinshu Daikokuya's baked goods.
When you get discharged, let's go together.
To Shinshu Daikokuya's cafe, too.
It's only a four-hour round trip.
It's a drive that gives you much more energy than spending a whole day going to the hospital.❤️
But I always stop by here.
In 2012, there was an accident where the ceiling panels collapsed in the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway, and nine young people lost their lives.
There is a monument in a corner of the emergency parking area just before the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway heading down from Tokyo.
If you don't know about it, of course, you would just drive right past it.
Please, make sure to pull your car over.
Close your eyes.
Say, 'Thank you for letting us pass through safely.'
Say, 'Thank you for watching over us.'
For those who use the Chuo Expressway, if you happen to notice it...
It makes me reflect on how the joy and peace of today are built upon precious time...
I wonder if the same can be said for the deliciousness of cakes and baked goods.
Culture is spun continuously, transcending time.
Because of the deliciousness that has existed until now,
the new deliciousness of the future is being spun.
The refined sensibility of pâtissier Toshinori Itami.
The hospitality overflowing with the personality of the late Yukio Itami's wife, Kayo Itami.
And it is all thanks to the warm consideration from the staff, which never changes.
Furthermore, there are also staff members who, even if they never stand in the shop, create deliciousness behind the scenes.
Thanks to everyone, this year again, I was able to enjoy a flavor like no other, with 'extra' delight.
Recently, you often hear things like "staff should remain anonymous" or "use initials" in public.
Before you can even feel the personality of a shop, all you see are notices about "measures against customer harassment."
Honestly, it feels a bit lonely.
But at Shinshu Daikokuya, because trust is nurtured between the staff and the customers, the flavor is truly "extra special."
