Snow Brand Mango Pudding: The texture of this Japanese pudding is really something else - it's just set, so much lighter than American puddings and buckles a bit under the pressure of a normal-weight spoon. It's definitely the best store-bought pudding texture I've had, but I have a feeling as I try more things in Japan, that may change. The flavor of the pudding is very similar to Chinese mango-flavored gelatin cups, which is very sweet and kind of artificial tasting. I mostly like it because of the texture. 3.0/5.0
japanese snowbrand mango pudding 3.0
Gomaya Kuki Sesame Ice Cream: This is a rare spot I had actually bookmarked before arriving in Japan in my search for top ice cream shops. At Gomaya Kuki, off of a side street in Shibuya, you have only the choice between black and white sesame ice cream, but each comes in three varieties. For the black sesame, you can choose between triple rich, rich, and salted, while for the white sesame, they have triple rich, rich, and chunky multigrain. I decided to try the triple rich black and chunky multigrain. On the side ar... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream shibuya japanese blacksesame tokyo gomayakuki sesame ice cream 3.0
Hori Milk Soriflora Soy Yogurt: This probiotic yogurt is soybean based and has a definite non-dairy texture (slightly more set and a little grainy compared to normal yogurt). It does have a pleasantly sweet soy milk flavor and is on the sweet side but fairly neutral otherwise. 3.0/5.0
Daiei japanese soymilk horimilk soriflora soy yogurt 3.0
Usagiya Dorayaki: I first learned of the Japanese snack Dorayaki from Doraemon, a cartoon for kids about a robot cat whose favorite snack is the red-bean filled pancake. Since watching Doraemon as a child, I've enjoyed eating Dorayaki in the states mostly from the refrigerated aisle of grocery stores, where the packets always contain silica gel to maintain freshness. I was excited to try freshly made ones at Usagiya, a famous confectionary shop in Ueno specializing in this dessert. For a little under two d... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese ueno desserts redbean usagiya dorayaki 3.0
Chichiyasu Setouchi Mandarin Orange Yogurt: I purchased this pack of yogurt from the grocery store because the package is super cute. They're have a mild sherbert orange flavor and are inspired by mandarin oranges grown in the Setouchi region of Japan. They aren't as smooth as American kid's yogurt, with a little bit of graininess, but it gives it character. A little more sour than creamy. 3.0/5.0
japanese chichiyasu setouchi mandarin orange yogurt 3.0
Pokemon Sweets Pikachu Crackle Juice: I purchased this beverage from the Pikachu Sweets shop in Sunshine City, a mall in Tokyo featuring many Pokemon shops. The juice was pretty pricy, at $6, and tasted strongly of sweet pineapple. It had an ice cube in a shape of a round Pikachu head and contained pop-rocks so that it literally crackles. I like the creativity of the drink and think it's fitting for the game; it was too sweet for me to ever want to have again, though, and was priced for tourism. 3.0/5.0
drinks pokemon juice pineapple pokemonsweets pikachu crackle 3.0