Mysterious warehouse is a secret destination that’s yet to be discovered by overseas tourists. 

The rise of social media continues to funnel overseas visitors to the same tourist sites time and time again, but locals tend to have different places on their travel itineraries. One such hidden gem is a warehouse in Shirai City, in Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture of Chiba, where you’ll find the “Dagashiya Ahiru Shop“, which specialises in an all-time Japanese favourite – dagashi.

Dagashi gets its name from the words “trivial” or “low-grade” (“da”) and “sweets” or “snacks” (“kashi”). Known for being relatively small, with equally small price points, these cheap sweet and savoury snacks were traditionally designed for children, who could easily use their pocket money to buy them at dagashiya (dagashi shops). With a strong association to childhood, dagashi are also popular with adults, who remember them fondly from their younger years.

▼ A sample of Japanese dagashi sweets

This off-the-beaten-path dagashiya adds the word “ahiru” (“duck”) to its name for an extra dash of sweetness, and although the place has become popular through Japanese social media accounts, where people have been raving about the cheap prices and cool self-service stall-style games, the warehouse remains yet to be discovered by overseas tourists.

When our reporter Natsuno Futon arrived to check out the scene, she found the place was so popular there was a queue of cars waiting to park, with many bearing license plates from outside the prefecture, proving how far word had spread about the store.

As the car park was full, a member of staff came out and asked her to park at a nearby convenience store and then walk from there.

▼ So that’s what she did, with her three excited children in tow.

It was hard to believe that a site as rural as this was attracting people from around the country, but after a five-minute walk from the convenience store parking lot, Natsuno found that the place was indeed bustling with people.

Searching for the entrance, she found the kanji characters for it (入口) at the side of the warehouse, crudely written in paint like something you’d see in a horror movie rather than the doorway to the Cheap Candy Duck Shop.

Stepping inside revealed there was no need to worry about monsters lurking about, because the place was filled with candy, and cute retro ways to display them.

The cool vibe of the warehouse actually makes it feel like you’ve wandered into a secret hideout, where dagashi are lined up alongside expired and soon-to-be-expired products, all at bargain prices.

▼ There were even packs of Kewpie brand quick-cook vegetables, priced at just 50 yen (US$0.32) each.

For Natsuno, the best display was the retired UFO Catcher, which had its front panel removed, making it a display case for soon-to-be-expired packs of Pocky.

With no claw needed to obtain the products inside, you simply pluck out what you need with your hands, making this a dream claw machine.

Moving on, Natsuno found some surprises, with packs of Curl corn puff snacks actually priced slightly more expensive than a supermarket, at 230 yen a bag.

Lovers of Peyoung-brand instant yakisoba won’t mind picking up a pack or ten of these out-of-date varieties for 100 yen each.

In addition to all the sweets and snacks, there were also a lot of baking-related ingredients. With Christmas fast approaching, the cake mixes seemed like they would be in high demand.

▼ Natsuno was tempted by this Sumikko Gurashi chocolate cake set, which lets you bake a cake in just two minutes in the microwave.

After checking out the warehouse, her next move was to head on over to the candy area opposite.

Here, she gave each of her children 300 yen so they could buy whatever they wanted. The store provides tubs, so children can literally feel like kids in a candy store.

If Natsuno had been to a place like this as a child, she would’ve lost her mind, because the selection was vast, with colourful packs of sweets and snacks lining the store.

With prices listed in rounded numbers like 100 yen and 50 yen, it’s easy for children to calculate what they can get with their pocket money.

Dagashiya Ahiru Shop really is like paradise for kids, but it’s also a place where they can develop valuable skills, as indicated by the store’s request for parents pegged to the storefront.

▼ The note reads, “This is a place where children can develop ‘independent thinking skills’ so please watch over them kindly“.

As Natsuno let her kids develop their skills in decision-making and restraint, she lined up the things that she herself had bought, which came to a grand total of 1,550 yen.

The 12 items worked out to an average of roughly 129 yen each, which was a great deal, especially considering she got a couple of packs of biscuits and two cake mixes. With tables and chairs on site, you can easily eat any snacks you bought straight away if you so desire, but one thing to note is that payment is cash only.

After about 30 minutes of waiting, Natsuno’s children returned with their candy hauls, and their squeals of excitement continued as they all made their way together to the self-service food stall zone.

Here, you’ll find stalls stocked with cotton candy, sweet potatoes, and games like yo-yo fishing and candy scooping, giving it the vibe of a little summer festival.

Natsunuo’s children immediately ran over to the cotton candy stall which, like the other stalls, was unstaffed.

After popping 300 yen into the money box, Natsuno read the instructions on the table before adding the granulated sugar, and turning a stick inside the tub to create…

▼… cotton candy!

▼ Natsuno, working the machine like a professional food stall worker.

As she made the cotton candy, Natsuno began to worry that anyone passing by might not realise this a was a self-service setup and mistake her for an actual staff member.

Hurriedly making the creations, she didn’t do a bad job of it, and the smiles on her children’s faces was all the reward she needed for her efforts.

Next up, they headed over to try their hand at “yo-yo fishing”, where you first obtain a fishing line from a capsule machine and then use it to try and catch one of the items floating in the pool.

You can take home up to three items, and even if you don’t catch any, the purchase of the fishing line permits you to take one item home with you, so there are no losers here.

Another popular stall was dedicated to target shooting, with 300 yen giving you three shots and 500 yen giving you six. Natsuno tried it out and was a little disappointed with her skills as she only managed to shoot a packet of pretzels, but it was still better than nothing.

▼ There are also unstaffed sales areas where you can tally up your items and pay for them using the honour system.

With so much to see, do and eat, Dagashiya Ahiru Shop is a fun day out for children and adults alike.

You won’t find sites like this in travel guides, or on social media accounts run by overseas influencers, so if you’re looking to explore off the beaten path and rub shoulders with the locals, you now know where to go. And if you’d like to check out another sweet wonderland, this hidden dagashiya nearby, where a Japanese grandma manually operates the vending machines with a hand puppet, is waiting to welcome you.

Shop information
Dagashiya Ahiru Shop / 駄菓子屋あひるショップ
Address: Chiba-ken, Shiroi-shi, Tomitsuka 1127-6
千葉県白井市富塚1127－6
Open 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (weekends and public holidays only)
Website

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