Chelsea Too!? Pastry Shop Punk Rocker Reflects on Various Farewells

Chelsea too?

The news of the March discontinuation of Meiji’s “CHELSEA ” candy may have come as a shock to many consumers. The long-selling confectionary that has been popular throughout the ages has disappeared from our lives once again.

Among the popular long-selling confections that have been discontinued in recent years are the same Meiji company’s ” Dice Caramels ” (discontinued nationwide in 2004), “Watapachi” ( discontinued in 2004), “String Q ” (discontinued in 2007), ” Kisirish (discontinued in ’19), Petit Gum, and Mogimogi Fruits Gummi (discontinued in ’23) .Carmine,” a refreshing snack that had been sold since the Taisho Era (1912-1926), was also discontinued in 2003. The discontinuation of the “Curl ” snack in eastern Japan in 2005 also attracted a great deal of attention at the time.

Of course, Meiji was not alone.

• Kiss Mint Gum (Ezaki Glico, discontinued in 2006)
• Morinaga Choco Flake (Morinaga Seika, discontinued in 2007)
• Ramen Babaa (Yotchan Shokuhin Kogyo, discontinued in 2008)
• Sakuma Style Drops (Sakuma Seika, discontinued in 2011)
• Thomas and His Friends Chewing Candy (Lotte, discontinued in 2011)

etc. ……

It is also worth remembering that the ” original plum jam ” (Ume-no-hana Honpo), a major long-seller in the candy world, was discontinued in 2005 due to the aging of the founder, and was featured in the news.

The company was featured in the news in 2005 when it discontinued production for the last generation due to the aging of the founder. However, I am sure that among those who regret the discontinuation of Chelsea, there are many who have not eaten it for many years.

In the future, there may be another confectionery like Chelsea that will one day suddenly have to say goodbye. The phrase, “Don’t let regrets stand in the way,” and “guess while you can,” also comes to mind. Perhaps I should be more aware of the importance of nostalgic sweets to me.

Dice Caramels were missed.

How about the feelings of those who have watched over these many “farewells” from the sales floor?

Hachioji, Tokyo. Atsushi Inoue, aka “A-chan,” the third-generation owner, said goodbye to his long-selling confectionery,

I feel sad every time I say goodbye to such a long-selling confectionery,” he said with a gentle gaze inside the store.

he says, looking around the store with a gentle gaze. Recently, he was particularly sad to see the end of sales of the “Dice Caramels.

We would make an assortment of sweets and give them out to the children at local festivals. The dice caramels were always included, and they were very popular among the children.

The Fujiya store is overflowing with a variety of items, including figurines, CDs, LP records, snapshots, posters, and live concert flyers (……), in addition to a large assortment of old-fashioned and newest popular sweets and candy. In addition to being the third generation of Fujiya, Acchan is also famous as the vocalist of the popular punk band Neurotica, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.

For fans of New Rotica, Fujiya, “Acchan’s store,” is also a sacred place visited by fans from all over the country. There is a song by Neurotica, “Okao Okao Okao Okao Sweets Shop Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and the song “Fujiya Museum” is also included in the latest album “Clownism. He is truly a punk rocker selling sweets.

As a band member, Acchan performs as a clown on stage. The starting point for this was the nostalgic sweets sold at the store.

Acha’s first encounter with the clown was in a pastry sold in a store, “They don’t sell them anymore, but there used to be a triangular pastry called ‘Tongari Hats’ that had cream inside.

When I was a teenager, I was helping to display them in the store, and I thought, ‘Oh, this looks fun!　I was helping out at the store when I was a teenager, and I thought, “Oh, this looks fun!

The origin of the band that is loved by many people can be found in the packages of sweets that have been familiar to many people for many years.

Many of Neurotica’s fans now include both parents and children. The band’s popularity can be clearly seen in the many “drawings” of the band’s children that have been pasted inside the store.

Sometimes the joy of re-releases and reunions comes to the store!

There is also the trend of the times, as the demand for gum and candy is being pushed aside in favor of gummies and tablet confections. There are also problems for their successors, such as plum jam and Sakuma-style drops. Acchan accepts the goodbyes to these beloved confections, saying, “I’m sure each company has its own circumstances and the times are changing.

After all, when news of the end of sales is announced, the number of customers who come to buy them suddenly increases.

It might be the same for a restaurant going out of business or a local train line closing down. I wish people would come and buy the products before then, but that can’t be helped. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t look back!”

In the 40-year history of Neurotica, he has seen many of his band mates break up, go on hiatus, and say goodbye to many of them.

Each band has its own circumstances (laughs).

(Laughs.) Sometimes sweets are revived, and that makes me happy because it’s like a band reunion. Basically, consumers, band fans, and the band members themselves are all selfish (laughs).

But that’s fine. I think it’s best if people are happy when they see the re-release, reunion, or reunion again. The best thing is to see them coming to the store as fans of Neurotica, and seeing them happy to see sweets that they had forgotten about but had missed.”

Miyako Kelp, Bontan candy, Kuppy Ramune, Tyrol Chocolate, Umaibo, Marukawa’s Fusen Gum, Moroccan Yogurt, Cherry Cake, Orion Cola, Cocoa Cigarette ……

Even sweets that have been there since we were little can disappear one day in the same way. Even if the series itself remains, there is a pattern of favorite flavors disappearing. Even major makers’ signature confections will probably see the likes of Chelsea and Choco Flakes in the future.

I feel that there should be a “Red Data Book” of confectioneries, and that they should be designated as a protected species.

What are the confections that confectionery rocker Acchan would like to leave behind in the future? ……

When asked what products he would like to preserve as the third generation owner of a long-established confectionery store, what are his “confectionery legacies”? He pointed to several very simple sweets, such as “Fujiya’s Kuzuyu” (Emu Keisu), which is manufactured by a fan of Neurotica and has a picture of a clown on the package.

They are not sold in convenience stores or supermarkets, and they are not made by major manufacturers, but they are very tasty, and grandmothers in the neighborhood look forward to buying them. I would be happy if such sweets continue to be sold.

I felt the same kindness and warmth in her eyes that I sometimes feel at Lotica’s live performances.

Sweets are never eternal. I will stop by the sweets counter from time to time so that I will not be sad when I have to say goodbye to them someday. I thought about this while listening to “Fujiya Museum.