Panda Yaki Cakes - Panda Taiyaki?

I guess these are a variation of the Taiyaki, but panda shaped instead of fish shaped.  I've seen similar custard filled ones in the shape of bears.

They were hot and delicious.  Our children love Anpan so the taste and texture of these treats were not foreign to them.

The cool thing was that the machine that makes the cakes is located in the store and is visible through the windows of the shop.

 

 

Setsubun

Setsubun is this coming week.  At the same toy shop that I saw the Nanoblocks, I saw these Oni masks. These are definitely pricey at ¥900!  Oh well, this shop is in Azabu Juban.

Nanoblocks

These blocks were on display in a toy store window in Azabu Juban. Although expensive (¥1,554 for the Tokyo Tower), especially considering their small size, a lover of architecture may find them interesting. They are called Nanoblocks.

Seems that they are even more expensive online. The Nanoblock Tokyo Tower is available at Amazon.com for about $40.

Sakura or Ume Blossoms in January?

We were returning from Ueno Park on Saturday and noticed a photographer taking pictures of this tree. Seems that this tree is starting to bloom. The only problem is that if this is a Japanese Cherry, you wouldn't expect blossoms in January...Perhaps these are Ume but I couldn't detect any fragerance?


Typically the cherry blossoms come out in late March or early April, and Ume February or March.  These are at least a month early.

Happy 30th Anniversary Pac-Man!

It's the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man, and I'm not sure what the exact relationship other than the similar sounding words but... It seems that Pac-Man has invaded the Nikuman (meat buns) section in the neighborhood Sunkus (our local convenience store). 

According to the label, it contains some sort of cookie cream filling and it's only ¥120! What a bargain!  I haven't tried one yet, but I'd rather have the Nikuman next to it (which we did buy) or go to a bakery for an Anpan or even Anpanman-pan treat (but that would be another story).

Ultraman Garden

There's a small garden down the street from our house. It seems a little kitschy in a Japanese way.  Instead of a garden gnome you'll find Ultraman protecting the flowers, plants and pots.  Actually, there may be a dwarf or gnome hidden in grass in the lower right corner.

Kaleidoscope Shop

You wouldn't run into one of these shops very often, but there's a kaleidoscope shop in Azabu Juban. I imagine that the prices are exorbitant, but it appears that these are not just children's toys but works of art.