Reignited by a Solo Activity Drama! The Desire for Factory Tours That Starts with a Scent

It all started with "Solo Katsu Joshi no Susume"

I don't usually watch dramas.

When it comes to young actors, I only know those who came from tokusatsu shows. I've lived my life watching only tokusatsu and comedy. My daughter's mother-in-law, who is also a drama master, recommended "

Solo Katsu Joshi no Susume 5" to my daughter, who had recently started watching dramas, as a lighthearted series. Since it was a drama recommended to a beginner, there must be something special about it. I watched it too—and it was surprisingly interesting.

In particular, the
JAL SKY MUSEUM factory tour episode was so appealing that I wanted to book a visit right away! And so, my "factory tour fever" was reignited.

Factory tours in the back of my memory

I tried to recall my own past factory tours—
That was over 40 years ago, when I was in the lower grades of elementary school.

I have a faint memory of touring a bread factory. But what I remember clearly is singing in a chorus on the bus to and from the factory, and the bread I received as a souvenir.

I think I might have gone to a natto factory too. But I don't remember the smell of natto.
Did I even really go?
Actually, my memories of "Hataraku Ojisan" and "Quiz Sekai wa SHOW by Shobai!!" might just be mixed up in my brain.

Even so, the excitement of "seeing something being made" has remained somewhere in my heart.

Memories of 'scent-seeing'

During my college days, I would sometimes ride on the back of my then-boyfriend's bicycle (note: riding double is prohibited) to get to his place. On the way, there was a section lined only with factories, and I loved that scenery.

Above all, the smell was amazing. When we entered the industrial zone, a sweet fragrance would suddenly fill the air. Yes, there was the "Meiji Seika factory" there.

Just the smell of sweets got me excited. I wanted to go inside, but I couldn't...
In the end, that was just a "tour of the scent," which I named "Shiko" (scent-seeing)—but I looked it up recently, and that factory now has a tour course!

I have to go.

My factory tour wish list (tentative)

I don't drink alcohol, so beer factories are excluded.
Since I'm the type who wants to properly see the process of something being produced, I'm more drawn to "process-oriented" tours than "experience-oriented" ones.

Below is a list of places I'm interested in visiting now.

1. JAL SKY MUSEUM (Haneda)
   Maintenance hangar. I want to see real airplanes up close!

2. Meiji Naruhodo Factory (Sakado)
   You can see the chocolate and dairy product lines!

3. Nakamuraya Chukaman Museum (Sagamihara)
   Watch the process of making red bean buns and meat buns carefully.

4. Glico Pia East (Saitama)

5. Lotte Urawa Factory (Saitama)

6. Kamakura Beniya Kurumicco Factory (Yokohama)
   The beauty of sweets meets craftsmanship.

7. Kiyoken Yokohama Factory(Kanagawa)
   Shumai! The goods shop also looks fun.

8. Coca-Cola Tama Plant(Tokyo)

9. Nippon Steel East Nippon Works Kashima District(Ibaraki)
   A large-scale iron production site. I want to be overwhelmed.

10. Yamato Group Haneda Chronogate Tour(Tokyo)

11. Fancl Biken Chiba Factory(Chiba)

Extra edition (not a factory, but I want to go):
Mayoterrace(Chofu)
Kewpie's "Mayonnaise Museum" has such a cute worldview.

Factory tours are not just "sightseeing."

It is a time to encounter all kinds of "manufacturing" that are continuous with my own life.
That is why I want to continue searching for "everyday life that can be toured".

I hear JAL is hard to book. I'll aim for within this year first!

I am a web developer who likes tokusatsu and boxing.
If you like this, following me would be encouraging ☺️
On note, I write about my "bucket list" and daily records.
I am currently watching about 20 episodes of tokusatsu a week.
On X, I tweet about tokusatsu and daily life under the name "Yuge".