First of all, I am not originally from Hirakata nor Osaka. I moved here for school. As soon as I got here, something got my eyes.....BICYCLES! I think Hirakata city must be one of the cities which have the largest number of bicycles....I can't remember how many times I almost got hit by them.
Anyway, I am not gonna talk about bicycles today. I am gonna write about "Neighborhood Hirakata". Hirakata is a small city; however, the location is pretty good. As it is located in between Osaka and Kyoto, we can access to two cool cities by trains easily. Other than that, there is not much to do....
Today's post will be about a small shopping mall Izumiya. It's in my neighborhood and I think it is only known in Kansai area. Izumiya is similar to AEON, just smaller than AEON though, they have its own commodity brands/lines etc. Izumiya is very crowded on the weekends. Whenever I walk pass by Izumiya, I see so many middle aged obasan coming to Izumiya by bicycle.
I always buy groceries at Izumiya after school. It has to be after school, because everyday after 6~7 PM, 10%to 40% off stickers are put on many things. No one wants to buy groceries with standard price knowing that they will be on a sale price in the evening. For example, I have bought fruits, seafood and obentou by 40% off. I always go to get some 40% off sushi though, everyone likes sushi so I don't get to buy them before obasan buy them. It is almost like a competition. Today, I went to Izumiya after school and bought some food for dinner....by 40% off, of course. Let me share what I got;
A pack of Onigiri (3), Original price ¥258 ----> 40% off
Kokusan gyumeshi (Gyu-don) Original price ¥650 -----> 40% off!
I was happy that I managed to get these two obentou. This "sale price from evening" habit is done not only in Izumiya but also in most supermarkets in Japan.
