Oiwake Dango Strawberry mochi: Before I moved, I tried looking up in advance all the best specialty snack shops in Tokyo, but since arriving, I've found a better strategy is just wandering around and seeing where the lines are. This small confectionary shop in Shinjuku specializes in various types of dango, or mochi. I purchased a pale pink one that unexpectedly contained a whole strawberry as well as red bean. The mochi was very pillowy yet chewy, the strawberry a little tart and not particularly sweet. Overall, I enjoye... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese shinjuku oiwakedango strawberry mochi 3.5
Tohato Peanut Caramel Corn: Tohato Caramel Corn is a standard Japanese snack, available at most convenience stores. I believe this is special packaging (perhaps for valentines day) for a peanut flavor that is normally available (i.e., it's not a special edition seasonal flavor). Nonetheless, I did find the glazed corn snacks to be flavorful, and there are roasted peanuts in the bag too. A nice, satisfying sweet snack. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese tohato peanut caramel corn 3.5
Bake Cheese Tart Original Cheese Tart: While walking through Tokyo station, I came across this small shop with a sizeable, but not intimidatingly-so, line and the aroma of baked goods. They specialize in cheese tarts, some flavored with chocolate or seasonally with strawberry, but I went for the original, which is a little smaller than a typical Portguese / Chinese egg tart. The pastry base is twice baked, and the interior is largely cream cheese that has a baked browned crust of brueleed cheese. The texture of the cheese unde... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended tokyo tokyostation dessert tart creamcheese bakecheesetart original cheese 3.5
Fanta Socata Soda: This is a limited edition vending-machine exclusive in Japan from Fanta, the first in a series they're calling 'Delicious Flavours of the World,' where they introduce flavors only available in other regions of the world to the Japanese market. I found out about it because I was intrigued by the name SOCATA?! on the label, with the universal white and blue color scheme of mystery flavors (e.g. White Air Heads, Mystery Oreo, etc.) The label also features a castle in the background, hinting a... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks soda japanese vendingmachine fanta socata 3.5
The Penny Ice Creamery Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream with Blackberry Compote: Waited in line for about 20 minutes to enter this small ice cream shop in downtown Santa Cruz. Entire clientele was student-aged. They make all their ice cream in house, and they had some interesting flavors like celery and raisin sorbet (which I sampled but found did not taste as much of celery as I would like). I got a mini scoop of their lemon poppy seed ice cream with fresh made blackberry compote, which cost a little more than $4. You can tell from the texture of the ice cream that ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended pennyicecreamery santacruz icecream dessert thepennyicecreamery lemon poppy seed ice cream blackberry compote 3.5
Emial Tapiocatime Royal Latte: My sleep has been terrible, with jetlag and the world burning down, so I've been relying on caffeinated beverages more than normal. On my way to lab, I purchased this tapioca drink from 7-11. It's an iced coffee, very sweet, that contains gelatinous balls that aren't quite like normal starchy and chewy tapioca but have a unique texture all its own that I surprisingly enjoyed. It reminds me a little bit of a more chewy jellyfish, which I know is not the most appetizing comparison but the cl... (read more) 3.5/5.0
drinks coffee japanese 711 emial tapiocatime royal latte 3.5 recommended