Saturday 29 August 2015

Yajima Maimi 'YajiMap Sweets Shugyou no Tabi' Special Making DVD

YajiMap Sweets Shugyou no Tabi (YajiMap Sweets Study Trip) was a serialisation in the idol magazine UTB (and its sister magazine UTB+), where the lovely Yajima Maimi would introduce stores dealing in delicacies. A hand-drawn map would also be included, hence 'YajiMap'.

The editors must have had high expectations for this serialisation - they didn't just stop at compiling the articles into a book, they even made recordings of her trips. Those recordings would later be packaged into a 'Special Making' DVD, where today's picspam comes from.


So without further ado, let's go on a sweets study trip, with Maimi as the main dish.

1st location: Daikanyama (Shooting done January 2014)

Maimi's outfit for the day was coordinated by MaiMai.

She starts with waffles with ice cream and fruits from Waffle'S beulah

And drops by Sebastien Huber for macarons

And here's Maimi's hand-drawn map!

Waffle'S beulah: Japan, 〒150-0034 Tokyo, Shibuya, Daikanyamacho, 10-3 (Website, Location page)
Sebastien Huber: 〒150-0034 Tokyo, Shibuya, Daikanyamacho, 18-6 Vogue Daikanyama 1F (Website, Location page, Yelp)

2nd location: Azabu Juban (Shooting done February 2014)

Maimi drew her fortune at the temple - 'great luck'
It's what she always gets, so she considers herself a lucky girl

Beans at Mamegen

Daifuku and cake at Shiroikuro
They make white (Shiro) daifuku with black (kuro) soybeans, hence the name ShiroiKuro

Rice crackers from Agemochiya


Mamegen (豆源): 1-8-12 Azabujuban, Minato 106-0045, Tokyo Prefecture
 (Website, English informationTripAdvisor)
Shiroikuro (しろいくろ): 2 Chome-8-1 Azabujuban, Minato, Tokyo 106-0045, Japan (Website, Yelp)
Agemochiya (あげもち屋): 2 Chome-38 Azabujuban, Minato, Tokyo 106-0045, Japan (Website)

3rd location: Kichijoji (Shooting done March 2014)

Maimi in front of the store Hattifnatt
There wasn't any video footage of her in the store

Cream puff from Maple House


Hattifnatt(ハティフナット):  1-38-4 Kichijoji-Honcho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo (Website)
Maple House (メープルハウス): 1-1-6 Kichijoji-Honcho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo (Website)

4th location: Yanesen (Shooting done April 2014)

It's Maimi's first time here. Unusually for a photo shoot involving Maimi, the weather's good
She's here for dango and taiyaki, though this will mark the first time she'll be visiting the stores she'd be going to

Dango from Habutae Dango

Taiyaki from Kasenke


Habutae Dango Head Office (羽二重団子本店): 〒116-0014 Higashi Nippori 5-54-3, Arakawaku, Tokyo (Website)
Ougon Taiyaki Kasenke (黄金たいやき 果川家): 2-13-1 Sendagi Bunkyo Tokyo

5th location: Yokohama Chinatown (Shooting done May 2014)

Maimi starts with some tapioca
It reminds her of their trip to Taiwan, where she drank lots of tapioca milk tea
A temple she spots there also reminds her of the architecture she'd seen in Taiwan.

I'm not sure what this is, but she bought it while walking around

Gomadango at Saikoushinkan 


Saikoushinkan (菜香新館): 192, Yamashitacho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa, 231-0023 (Website, Gurunavi)

6th location: Jiyugaoka (Shooting done June 2014)

Maimi's goal for the day is mont blanc.
It's starting to drizzle at the start of the shooting
Maimi finds the buildings in Jiyugaoka stylish - 'It's like, am I really in Japan?'

She gets a bite at Jiyugaoka Sweets Forest

Picked up a drink from a chocolate store that she happened to pass by as she was walking

Mont blanc from Mont-Blanc


Jiyugaoka Sweets Forest (事由が置かスイーツフォレスト): 2-25-7 Midorigaoka, Meguro, Tokyo 152-0034, Japan (Website)
Mont-Blanc (モンブラン): 1 Chome-293 Jiyugaoka, Meguro, Tokyo 152-0035, Japan (Website)

7th location: Kamakura (Shooting done July 2014)

She's wearing yukata, as it's summer! Her mother helped her put it on, while Maimi tried her best with her hair.

Warabi mochi at Hato-Koji tearoom 

The ice-cubes in her coffee are made of coffee rather than water, reducing the diluting effect as the ice melts

To Yuigahama beach after a change of clothes
Maimi also remarks that this area is where the Otodama Sea Studio event is held

Bacon with pancakes at Quick Silver

Nothing was mentioned concerning this orange ice cream, but Maimi's nomming on something, so it's deemed relevant

Another change of clothes, this time for a photo shoot in Kamakura Kaihin Kouen

Finishing off with ramune ice cream


Toshimayakaryou Hato Kouji (豊島屋菓寮 八十小路): 2 Chome-9-20 Komachi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (Website)
Quick Silver Kamakura: 4 Yuigahama, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (Website)

8th location: Around Tokyo Station (Shooting done Sept 2014)

Senbikiya Souhonten Nipponbashi Main Store
Maimi remembers having received gifts from Senbikiya before
Today she's here for fruits parfait and melon juice

Taking photos in front of Tokyo Station

Blood orange drink and a fruits sandwich from Senbikiya


Senbikiya (千疋屋): Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower 2-1-2 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022 (Website, English website)

9th location: Asakusa (Shooting done Nov 2014)

Weather is gloomy
She mentions that she's come to Asakusa with Chinami before, and they had karinto-manju
She finds it difficult to walk along Asakusa as there's just so many eateries tempting her

She tries drawing her fortune at Sensoji

Looks like she isn't so fortunate over here in Tokyo
It also starts to rain

Agemanju from Kokonoe

Red bean soup and dango at Yohei


Kokonoe (九重): 2 Chome-3-1 Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
Yohei (よ兵衛) : 2-2-7 Asakusa, Taito, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan (Website)

10th location: Ikebukuro (Shooting done Jan 2015)

Fruit tarts and strawberry tarts from a la campagne
 And that's the end of Maimi's sweets trip!

A la campagne: Japan 〒171-0021 Tokyo, Toshima, Nishiikebukuro, 3−28−13 Marui City Ikebukuro 1F (Website)

Going on a Sweets Trip
Most of these locations are in the Tokyo area, so if you're in Tokyo, have time to kill, and have a craving for something almost as sweet as Maimi, why not give some of these stores a try?

Yokohama and Kamakura are a bit out of the way, but they're worth a day-trip each, and not just for the sweet shops
Note that Quick Silver in Kamakura is only open during the summer, as I understand it - summer's probably the best time anyway, as you'll get to enjoy the beach, and if you time it right, the annual Otodama Sea Studio event

If you're on a schedule and can only hit tourist spots, you can still probably get to the stores at Asakusa - Kokonoe's right in front of Sensoji, a fairly major tourist attraction

Personally, I've only been to Kokonoe in Asakusa and Senbikiya in Tokyo

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