Pat's Blog

In part one of this 2 part series, I visited an authentic ‘dagashi’ or old fashioned candy store, sweet store and was lucky enough to meet and talk with the lovely old couple running the place and couldn’t help noticing their warmth and kindness to the kids who are their customers.



In part 2, I wanted to show they types of toys, sweets, snacks etc. that these places sell. Just the colors alone made my visit a memorable one.



I recalled an art history class given by a visiting professor on the topic of color through history. His point was of course that we now live in a world flooded with colors that were never imaginable in ancient times. A darker version of a vermillion pigment was about as bright as it got in those days and a time traveller would be stunned to see even something as mundane, to us at least, as a modern day supermarket.



Visual senses saturated, it was time for the mouth so I bought a few candies and looked around at the snacks, gum, pop-rice cakes. Pop rice is made in much the same way as popcorn), lollipops and my favorites the paper toys. The multi colored paper balloons are great. (see photo) All we have to do is blow a little air in from the mouth and we have a wonderful little toy ball to play with. Great fun to tap around in the air indeed ..



Japan is losing many of its traditional things like these and that’s a pity. I didn’t see one kid flip open a game machine in the store and that was encouraging as this country is just full of people numbing their minds with cellphones, games, etc.



That’s the modern world and there’s no escaping it but a small respite from modern mayhem into another time, place and for older people, memories, is always welcome.



I’ll be back again soon.



There some upcoming events in Takamatsu that I’m sure will be of interest, so please keep the following in mind.
Summer events:
A water & lights & music festival held at the bay area in the center of Takamatsu. Some holograms will emerge on a huge water screen made by sending up sea water in the air. We’ll show unknown fine art & dynamic displays.

Historical tales and everyone can participate in some contents using smart phones.

On the summer nights, we’ll hold the entertainment show that is located in the Inland Sea.

1.　A movie on the theme of the Genpei War in the Tale of the Heike.

2.　Fishing games playing by using a smart phone

( a fun and participatory type game )

3. Video works created by Team Labo on the water screen

Water calligraphy by Team Labo.

Also, Gokan Dining
The artists in Sanuki will entertain you in an elegant atmosphere at the important cultural asset Hiunkaku which shows you the local history.

The enjoyable collaboration of Japanese & Italian food and table wear created by artists. Together with jazz piano songs (available for only people who book the meal)

7/19th ( Sat.) ~ 27th.(Sun) 23th will be off.

Link. http://www.takumikumo.com

place : Hiunkaku in Tamamo Park

time ; 17:45 ~ 19:45 20;00 ~ 22:00

charge 8,500 yen (including tax , not including drinks)

contact [mail] info@takumikumo.com

[tell] 087-881-2933 ( 10:00 ~ 17:00 ) weekdays only.

Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:

http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp

http://ogijima.com

http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/



Where we are:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html


  

As kids, most of us all remember those good old days of dime stores, cheap candy. A time when 10 cents could buy a small bag of sweets and go a long way to making for a great time especially watching a cowboy matinee show at a cinema on a saturday afternoon. 20 cents (or 1 shilling in my day) was a blowout on chewy luxury and enough sugar intake for a month. Dentists must have had a field day.



Japan has an equivalent named ‘dagashi’ often run by kind, old and retired people selling candy drops, rice crackers, dried squid and all kinds of small toys, spinning tops, paper balloons and other wonderful stuff that coin-clutching kids would carefully select in the hope that they’d win a lucky draw for another free snack by opening the lucky bag with the number inside.



Dagashi are disappearing rapidly and along with them another part of Japan’s unique culture and history. There has been an attempt to revive dagashi in some of the major department stores offering small dagashi shops within the stores, but the atmosphere is a little different.



I was lucky enough to find an old couple who still run a store and was impressed with the lovely way they talked with the kids and taught them little things.


The original meaning of the word ‘dagashi’ was for sweets of low quality, but eventually came to mean sweets that were affordable for young kids on small allowances.


I’ll be back with part two on dagishi soon.
There some upcoming events in Takamatsu that I’m sure will be of interest, so please keep the following in mind.
Summer events:
A water & lights & music festival held at the bay area in the center of Takamatsu. Some holograms will emerge on a huge water screen made by sending up sea water in the air. We’ll show unknown fine art & dynamic displays.

Historical tales and everyone can participate in some contents using smart phones.

On the summer nights, we’ll hold the entertainment show that is located in the Inland Sea.

1.　the movie of the Genpei War in the Tale of the Heike.

2.　the fishing game playing by smart phone

( the participatory type game )

3.　the video works created by Team Labo on the water screen

Water calligraphy by Team Labo.


Gokan Dining
The artists in Sanuki will entertain you in an elegant atmosphere at the important cultural asset Hiunkaku which shows you the local history.

The enjoyable collaboration of Japanese & Italian food and table wear created by artists. Together with jazz piano songs (available for only people who book the meal)

7/19th.(Sat.) ~ 27th.(Sun) 23th will be off.

Link. http://www.takumikumo.com

place : Hiunkaku in Tamamo Park

time ; 17:45 ~ 19:45 20;00 ~ 22:00

charge 8,500 yen (including tax , not including drinks)

contact [mail] info@takumikumo.com

[tell] 087-881-2933 ( 10:00 ~ 17:00 ) weekdays only.

Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:

http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp

http://ogijima.com

http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/



Where we are:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html