The two coolest places I've found Dagashi in Japan have been the top floor of the Super Potato retro gaming store in Akihabara and the faux alleyways inside the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. The product itself isn't really exciting, but the ambiance is just incredible.
A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
21–30 of 136 posts
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#22It's always bittersweet when I visit Japan and come across old establishments or traditions that an ageing proprietor or volunteers are trying to keep going. You can see the love and spirit they have for it, but it often looks like something too disconnected from the interests of young people and the vicissitudes of the changing economy to survive for much longer. A kissaten (old-style cafe) owner in Nagasaki who sha…
Someway along past the end of Isezaki Mall in Yokohama, there is a old Video game arcade full of 90s Street fighter machines, and also some custom ones running some arcane emulator software, full or 1000s of even more arcane titles from Japanese video game history, run by one ageing proprietor.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#23It's always bittersweet when I visit Japan and come across old establishments or traditions that an ageing proprietor or volunteers are trying to keep going. You can see the love and spirit they have for it, but it often looks like something too disconnected from the interests of young people and the vicissitudes of the changing economy to survive for much longer. A kissaten (old-style cafe) owner in Nagasaki who sha…
Meh. Dagashi are... not great. (And frankly the same is true of jazz). You can get nicer stuff from any 7-eleven, consistently, and whether the staff member cares is (thankfully) not really relevant. Stores that sell something people actually want can and do thrive (by charging a premium if necessary), and that includes a lot of traditions that people value because they're traditional, but when it comes to something…
You get jazz from a 7-eleven ?
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#24I knew about Dagashi thanks to the manga Dagashi Kashi; you can also see one of the main characters on the left of Hideyuki Akiyama.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#25Off topic - but I was quite impressed by the aerial view - the roof is covered in solar panels.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
Restaurants in the US are absurdly expensive. Not only is the food expensive, but the 25% expected tip is ridiculous. (Tipping doesn't exist in Japan, and in Europe basically consists of rounding up, if any.) It's not just Japan; western Europe is also generally much cheaper for restaurants (when comparing similar quality). One big difference I see between the two is the level of service expected. In the US, the wait…
> In the US, the waiters are constantly interrupting and bugging the customers, hoping for a bigger tip. In Europe and Japan, this doesn't happen; you need to signal to your server that you need something... There are restaurants in Seattle that I've stopped visiting for anything beyond takeaway because my wife and I can't hold a conversation for more than a few minutes without being interrupted. It is very frustrati…
>On the other hand, when we have taken friends to the places we like that are far more laid back, at least one person has commented on how the service is "poor" or "inattentive."
This is the problem. Most American diners actually want the server to act like their best friend and constantly interrupt them. People like you are a minority.
>Foodservice in Europe, broadly, is one of those amazing but unexpected things I tell people who are preparing to travel for the first time to really look at and try to enjoy. It's wonderful, in my opinion.
I love it too, and the service here in Japan, but most Americans would hate it I think.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is there any live music you like at a social establishment? With musicians. Or is it all … not great, to you?
I like plenty of live music yeah (folk, idol pop, metal, ...). That kind of "jazz cafe" doesn't usually do live music though, so I'm a bit confused by the question.
I may have misunderstood this:
> a jazz bar owner in Sasebo
Where I’m from, that implies nightly live jazz performances from relatively to extremely talented musicians. I have never been to Japan, so I was unaware that I probably am missing context.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#28It's always bittersweet when I visit Japan and come across old establishments or traditions that an ageing proprietor or volunteers are trying to keep going. You can see the love and spirit they have for it, but it often looks like something too disconnected from the interests of young people and the vicissitudes of the changing economy to survive for much longer. A kissaten (old-style cafe) owner in Nagasaki who sha…
Usually these people are financially secured enough to run their stores or bars or cafés as a hobby, to have something to do and meet some people instead of just sitting at home.
I know a guy in Tokyo whose family owns a small plot of land in the 23-ku area and he leased it to some company who built an office tower on it. They get an upper-5-figure USD amount every month for rent.
The guy runs an import streetwear store just for fun, he's in the red all the time but doesn't care.
Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#29It's incredible how much high quality restaurant food, groceries and snacks like these that Japan has had for a relatively low price as compared to other wealthy nations. It was quite noticeable for me the last 2 times I went to Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka, as a visitor from the US, that food costs were pretty much never an issue. I guess the dollar being strong has something to do with that.
Restaurants in the US are absurdly expensive. Not only is the food expensive, but the 25% expected tip is ridiculous. (Tipping doesn't exist in Japan, and in Europe basically consists of rounding up, if any.) It's not just Japan; western Europe is also generally much cheaper for restaurants (when comparing similar quality). One big difference I see between the two is the level of service expected. In the US, the wait…
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Re: A peek inside Japan's largest “Dagashi” store
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
> seeing a CEO feel actually responsible for his employees in a downsizing is refreshing Too naive. This is a Japanese way of saying "I don't give a shit."
I don't think it is, not for a business such as the one described in the article. I'm currently living in Japan, and in a relatively short amount of time I've personally met several business owners who might have acted similarly, sincerely. There is a large amount of small and niche businesses here which are not profit-driven.
I am inclined to agree with you, e.g. the number of very long-running family businesses in Japan, traditional arts being kept alive, etc.
otoh unless you've lived in Japan for a very long time it's pretty hard to tell what is sincere and what isn't in a public forum.