On May 7th, the flagship product "Banana Ice Cream" of the long-established Hirosaki ice cream shop "Osanai Reikaten" (Komagoe, Hirosaki City, TEL 0172-32-3856 ) overcame the crisis of discontinuation of production.

Founded in 1947 (Showa 22), this store has taken root in Hirosaki's ice cream peddling culture. It manufactures and sells popsicles and "Karankara ice". Kiyoshi Osanai, the third-generation owner of the restaurant, currently manages the restaurant.

"Banana ice cream" is a popsicle shaped like a banana, and has been a flagship product since its founding. The scene of actor Haruma Miura making banana ice cream appears in the TV commercial, so it is popular not only among locals but also among fans. Even today, there are orders from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

According to Osanai, in early April, the freezer that used to make banana ice cream suddenly stopped working. "There is no longer any manufacturer of freezers, and it is a machine that is more than 50 years old and is grounded to the floor. When I inquired with a vendor, a new one cost between 4 million and 5 million yen. I was told that it would be costly to cut it off and take it home, so I thought about discontinuing sales."

On April 8, a fan of Haruma Miura who visited to buy banana ice cream heard about the situation and spread the information on Twitter. It also reached Mr. Terukata Takamatsu of Hirosaki's manufacturing company "Matrix" (Waseda). “Banana ice cream is loved by the locals.

Takamatsu checked the freezer on April 11 and found that the motor had failed. “Many motors in those days were customized to match the shape of the machine. The motor played a role like a heart, and if the specs did not match, the machine would not fit and ice cream could not be made,” says Mr. Takamatsu. When I was desperate for repair, I remembered the existence of a motor that Mr. Osanai was not using.

“There was a basement in the store that was used as an air raid shelter, and the refrigerator motor that was no longer in use was left there,” says Osanai. Mr. Takamatsu, who found the motor, excitedly said, "It's a miracle. The motor from several decades ago is still working, and it has almost the same specs as the broken freezer motor."

The repair was to replace the motor, but the work was difficult because the grounded freezer could not be moved. The repair, which started at 10:00 on April 29, took nearly six hours. “I couldn't help but clap when the motor started,” said Takamatsu. On May 7th, we adjusted the electromagnetic switch and belt and confirmed the operation.

Mr. Osanai said, "We had to decline some orders because there were only a few banana ice cream left in stock." "I thought about closing the business, but I'm happy that I was able to fix the freezer by fate. If the freezer still works, I would like to continue the store as long as possible," he said with enthusiasm.

The price is banana ice = 100 yen, chocolate banana = 150 yen.