Nihonbashiya Apple Mochi: This shop adjacent to the Akihabara station has mini fruit-shaped mochi that are incredibly cute. I bought two to try: apple and persimmon. This apple one was my favorite with a surprisingly concentrated apple-flavored paste at its center. I didn't realize it would actually taste like apple, and it was well balanced and not too sweet, even though it's covered in sugar. 3.5/5.0
recommended confectionary sweets tokyo akihabara japanese nihonbashiya apple mochi 3.5
Snow Brand Almond Pudding: I've now tried every flavor of this brand of pudding, which has an exceptionally tender slippery texture, more like a panna cotta or custard than American puddings. This almond flavored one was my favorite - it had the most neutral flavor and wasn't too sweet, tasting purely of sweet almonds. 3.5/5.0
recommended Daiei japanese snowbrand almond pudding 3.5
Snow Brand Black Sesame Pudding: This is the final unique flavor I've been able to find of this brand of Japanese pudding / custard. The black sesame has a sweet flavor, lacking some of the savoriness you would get in a true black sesame dessert, but satisfying as a sweet dessert. The texture is excellent and barely set, which I am especially impressed by for a packaged product. Worth trying! 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese custard lincos snowbrand black sesame pudding 3.5
Pringles Consomme potato crisps: These are a Japanese exclusive flavor of Pringles, retaining much of the familiar taste and texture of the American classic but with an addictive onion soup-type taste. It's just as flavor-saturated as the American type and generally very tasty as far as junk food goes. Would recommend trying them if you come to Japan! 3.5/5.0
recommended chips japanese pringles consomme potato crisps 3.5
Meito Hokkaido Pumpkin Pudding: This is a pudding 3-pack from Japan, which is really more like flan or panna cotta compared to American pudding. It has a rich golden color from the pumpkin squash it's flavored from, which gives it a unique nutty flavor and takes away a bit of the guilt of eating dessert, though it's definitely sweet. It has a sweet syrupy caramel base, like traditional Japanese pudding you buy from the store. I liked it a lot, though, and would purchase it again! 3.5/5.0
recommended pudding japanese meito hokkaido pumpkin 3.5
Hakkaisan Purple Amasake: This is a sweet drink made with fermented purple rice, giving it its distinctive color. I tried the regular version made from white rice rice previously in Brooklyn (by way of Japan), but without trying both side-by-side, it's hard for me to say if the flavors are different. I can say that this beverage has a nice acidity and natural sweetness that comes from the koji rice itself (no sugar is added), and it's a fresh refreshing drink. I don't know if most people would enjoy the acidity, b... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese drinks rice koji Daiei hakkaisan purple amasake 3.5