Dagashi-Ya (駄菓子屋)

A dagashi-ya (駄菓子屋) is a traditional Japanese sweet shop, and something that holds a very special place in the hearts of many Japanese children and the young at heart. While they may be harder to find nowadays, during the Showa era (1926-1989), they were a common fixture near elementary schools to draw in their target audience. They display large collections of colorful snacks and candies at very affordable price points so kids can bring in their spare change and allowance to buy a wide variety of snacks.

SFVJLI will be hosting our very own Dagashi-ya style event on October 11th, open to registered members of the JLI community. The younger kids will act as shopkeepers and older will be customers; it’ll be a fun way to get the kids practicing their Japanese conversational skills, with the added bonus of sweet treats! Can’t wait to see you there.