Aomori's rice ball izakaya "Musubiya Showa" (1 Furukawa, Aomori City, TEL 080-1653-3661 ) relocated and opened on September 1st.

This restaurant offers a la carte dishes, mainly rice balls. The owner, Shinobu, opened the restaurant in 2009, saying, ``I love rice balls so much that I always say ``Sujiko rice balls for my last dinner''. The name of the store is a combination of "lol" for a smile and "wa" to create a place where customers can relax. Shinobu says, "The name 'Musubiya' reflects the meaning of 'onigiri' as well as the desire to create a place that 'connects' people."

The relocation destination is the site of the izakaya "Yoshi". Regarding the reason for the move, Shinobu said, ``Since the number of regular customers has increased, it has become cramped, so I wanted to expand the kitchen to make it easier to work and increase the number of seats.'' It is said that it is just the right size for one person.

The store area of the new store is about 12 tsubo. The number of seats has increased from 11 seats in the old store to 13. There are also 12 tatami rooms that are used only for banquets, for a total of 25 seats. The interior of the store is based on white, dark brown, and green, and the menu is all handwritten to create a warm and soothing atmosphere. Shinobu says with a smile, "The relocation work didn't go as planned, and I was depressed at times, but regular customers helped me out. The store turned out to be exactly what I wanted, so I'm satisfied."

Their signature menu item, the "Evening drink set" (2 drinks, 3 small dishes, 2 pieces of sashimi, 1 rice ball = 1,950 yen) is made by considering the balance of meat, fish, vegetables, etc., listening to the customer's preferences, and selecting the type of small dish. Decide and provide As much as possible, the vegetables are particular about local products that are delivered directly from farmers. We also use Masshigura rice from Aomori Prefecture. Since its founding, he says, "I hope you can cook deliciously," while turning on the switch of the rice cooker.

The a la carte dishes are "taradama" (450 yen), which is dried codfish soaked in beaten eggs and seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil, and "sujiko natto", which is a mixture of natto and sujiko, which is said to have been a favorite of Aomori-born writer Osamu Dazai. (480 yen).

Since the first day of the relocation, the number of regular customers and new customers who have visited through SNS has increased. Shinobu says, "Like the name of the store, I want to make it a place where people can smile and where people can connect with each other."

Business hours are from 17:30 to 23:00. Closed Sundays and Mondays.