Yuki & Love Boba Milk Tea Mochi: A product of Taiwan, the motherland of boba milk tea, these mini individually-wrapped mochi snacks are about two inches in diameter and contain a moist, mulit-layered filling. An outer layer is lighter tan in color, resembling milk tea, while a dark brown center takes the place of boba. The inside is a gelatinous core that's pleasant in its milk tea flavor, if not accurate in texture, though the texture of the mochi itself is surprisingly intact and satisfyingly chewy. Purchased at 99 Ranch. 3.0/5.0
99ranch milktea taiwan yukilove boba milk tea mochi 3.0
Uchi Cafe Strawberry milk with tapioca and pulp: Japanese convenience stores had a wide variety of coffee beverages to chose from; one surprising offering is their packaged tea and milk drinks containing tapioca, often available in the same refrigerated section as the coffee. They come with an expandable bubble tea straw and contain boba-like spheres more akin to popping boba than chewy fresh boba. The snap of the popping boba, though, was more satisfying than I expected. Kind of like a cross between kefir, with a slightly tangy / sour ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
lawson drinks japanese uchicafe strawberry milk tapioca pulp 3.0
Meiji Horn whipped chocolate snacks: Tall chocolate treats with milk chocolate on either end, an aerated chocolate coating over the middle, and a chocolate biscuit-like interior. Some ingenuity here is in the shape itself, as the snack is meant to be paired with coffee - it's tall enough to dip into a hot beverage and get the combination of crunchy milk chocolate with a whipped chocolate center that melts in your mouth. For me, this was a theoretical exercise as I don't drink coffee and ate these individualky-wrapped snacks on... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese meiji horn whipped chocolate snacks 3.0 familymart
Hebesu Drink Citrus Beverage: I got introduced to a lot of new citrus fruits while living in Japan. Hebesu, a round lime-like fruit, comes from Miyazaki prefecture. This uncarbonated drink was pleasantly tart and sweet, kind of like kalamansi in flavor profile, though accordingly the package, it only contains 10% juice. Purchased at Coop grocery store. 3.0/5.0
drinks citrus japanese hebesudrink beverage 3.0
Lotte Koala March Shortcake Flavor: Koala March is one of those brands that many Asian people are familiar with in the states – I've seen it in groceries stores of all types, including Chinese (99 Ranch), Korean (H-Mart), and Japanese (Nijiya). I grew up eating the strawberry flavored ones, and I was curious how this limited edition shortcake flavor, purchased from Aeon in Tokyo, would compare. Like all Koala March, it features Koala-shaped biscuits with a solid icing filling - this one tasted of a neutral cream filing, like... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese aeon lotte koala march shortcake flavor 3.0
Tohato Milky Caramel Corn: To prevent the spread of COVID, all drinking fountains were disabled, and all restaurants were closed at Narita International Airport. The only place to buy food in Terminal 1 was at their Lawson convenient store, which sold a variety of packaged snacks. I hadn't seen this Milky version of Caramel Corn, based on the popular condensed-milk-flavored candies, so I got it to eat for breakfast before my flight. The puffed corn took on the flavor of milk candy remarkably well, tasting like a cr... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese tohato milky caramel corn 3.0