Driving around the ‘Boso the other day, I decided to stop by Miyoshi’s michi-no-eki (it’s like a super rest-stop with souvenirs, food, and local products), Hina no Sato.
Why?
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| It's limited edition! You can only get it this month! |
…because they have LIMITED EDITION MANGO-YOGURT ICE CREAM. ‘Nuff said.
So I rolled up to the front of the café and said “Hey woman! Get me some ice cream NOW!” But it might have sounded more like, “One mango-yogurt ice cream, please.” I also picked up this salad dressing produced by Opa Café. They had it in the refrigerator case with the locally produced dairy products. This stuff is DELICIOUS, I buy it every time I see it because it tastes great on salads that have Japanese ingredients like daikon. (I mean, who puts ranch dressing on daikon, really?)
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| the front of the ice cream and coffee cafe |
Back to the mango-yogurt ice cream: it BLEW MY MIND. I hate artificial mango tastes, but this was the natural taste of mango with a little bit of pulp left in the ice cream. The locally-made yogurt had just the right level of sour and sweet tastes to accent the mango. The harmony of favors was perfect! The only thing I can say was that I felt the waffle cone was a bit too sweet, that it was getting in the way of me and frozen yogurt’s sordid love affair. 邪魔者！
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| happiness (...until now that I have realized how huge my forehead is. don't look directly at it, as you may be blinded by the glare) |
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| this month's schedule for cooking classes |
I really liked the laid back atmosphere of Hina-no-Sato, though. The lamps looked like something that should be in a dorm in Harry Potter. Plus, they have cooking classes there in the “open kitchen”. How cute is that?
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| the open kitchen |
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| the restaurant next to the cafe |
I also took a look around the sales floor and I was psyched to find a case full of local beer! You can’t get this stuff at just any supermarket, so I made a mental note. Next to it was something I’d never seen before: local yogurt sake! The bottle design is really nice, it looks like something you’d see at a fancy bar or something. I’m dying to try it, and would’ve bought a bottle, but it has to be refrigerated, and I still had miles to go before I sleep went home.
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| Awa Beer! |
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| yogurt sake! drool |
Next to Hina-no-Sato is a shop that sells local produce. This stuff is CHEAP. I didn’t even need groceries, but the veggies there were so stupid-cheap that I couldn’t help myself. I bought red bell peppers and mini tomatoes, which are both nearly impossible to find for 100 yen anywhere else. They also sold fruit, meat, fish, honey, and flowers. It was a bargain shopper’s playground. “Mark my words, I will return!” I said, turning back from the exit and shaking my fist.
(I am so lucky most people don’t understand what I’m saying in English most of the time. I think I might be committed.)
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| the sales floor |
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| giant green eggplants! 4 in a pack at this price?!?! |
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| these went home with me... |
Before hitting the road, I stopped by the bathroom, and was so pleasantly surprised by how clean and pretty it was I decided to take a picture. They even had a tiny toilet in the front for little kids, so the kid can have privacy but the mom can watch them from over the top. Man, they thought of it all.
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| the ladies' restroom was pretty~ |
I noticed a sign on the way out saying that if anyone finds a 4 or 5 leaf clover on the grounds they win a special prize. Way to occupy the kids, and for free at that!
Unfortunately, I had already eaten lunch, or I would have stopped at the infamous Bingo Burger, a yummy burger stand also on the grounds of Hina-no-Sato. Yet another reason to go back!
I can’t wait for my next visit…
Liz
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