Tohato All Osatsu Sweet Potato Cookies: A classic snack in Japan is yakiimo, purple Japanese sweet potatoes roasted over hot stones and served from street carts. This beloved snack makes its way into seasonal flavors of grocery store products, including biscuits, cookies, and even ice cream (I've seen Haagan Dazs sweet potato ice cream, for example). These cookies from Tohato are almost like mini pies, with a glazed puffed crust and chewy interior containing bits of roasted sweet potato flavored with honey. The bag contains indivi... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Morinaga Mango yogurt with aloe cubes: Pieces of aloe in creamy yogurt did not seem appealing to me when I first moved to Japan, but now having it for breakfast or a small snack feels like a daily routine. Generally, the Morinaga yogurt is runny and has a slightly tart flavor, and the cubes of aloe add a burst of juicy sweetness. The aloe yogurts come in a variety of fruit flavors a nd have bits of fruit inside on top of the aloe; the mango version is a nice tropical treat. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese morinaga mango yogurt aloe cubes 3.5
Kabaya Pureral Pear Gummies: This Japanese gummy features an unexpected cross between a marshmallow and gummy candy. Each cube has a fluffy texture and is embedded with fruit gummy flavor and texture, providing two different levels of chewiness. I haven't had anything quite like it and enjoyed it overall. The flavor reminds me of a very concentrated ramune, or like those popular individually-wrapped hemispherical fruit gummies from Japan that are ubiquitous in Chinese grocery stores. Purchased from Lawson. 3.5/5.0
recommended candy japanese kabaya pureral pear gummies 3.5
Asahi Mitsuya Apple Cider Soda: This Japanese apple soda tastes really similar to one of my favorite Taiwanese sodas, Apple Sidra. It has a crisp and refreshing apple juice flavor, is well carbonated, cheap, and readily available at convenience stores. Solid staple. 3.5/5.0
recommended sodas japanese asahi mitsuya apple cider soda 3.5
Seijo Ishii Extra Spicy Ginger Ale: Ginger ale is my favorite soda, and I love ginger drinks that are particularly spicy, so I was excited to try this version claiming to be extra spicy. The bottle was a bit thicker than normal, which made me hopeful that it would contain especially carbonated soda. Overall, I found the ginger flavor to definitely be above average, probably in the top 40% of ginger ales I've had, but comparatively, it was just a bit spicier than Reed's Ginger Beer, which isn't as spicy as I would hope. On t... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Tohato Chestnut Mont Blanc Caramel Corn: I honestly had no idea what flavor this snack was – the leaves on the rim of the packaging seem to indicate a seasonal fall snack, but the illustration of a pie topped with what I thought were strips of bacon and a fried egg made me think I was in for something breakfast-like. It turns out it is supposed to be a chestnut mont blanc, a dessert I haven't had before but consists of chestnut puree piped into vermicelli shaped threads, topped with whipped cream. Tohato caramel corn comes in lot... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese tohato chesnut mont blanc caramel corn 3.5