Mont Thabor Ohina-sama Pastry: This week, I moved to a new part of Tokyo and left Azabu-Juban, the neighborhood I was living in for 3 months. One of my favorite parts of Azabu-Juban was its variety of small historic businesses: there was the original taiyaki shop, a nuts and beans shop that's over 100 years old, and this bakery, Mont Thabor, that opened in the neighborhood 40 years ago and has since expanded to several locations. The bakery overall was a solid neighborhood bakery - the prices are reasonable, and the pro... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Fujiya Lemon Squash Soda: This is a classic lemon soda that can be purchased in Japanese vending machines. From what I understand, Fujiya is a food conglomerate that makes many popular, long-standing snacks and drinks. This lemon soda tastes a little bit like sprite but with a more pungent citrus flavor. It's definitely really sweet, but it's well carbonated and refreshing. I'd get it again! 3.5/5.0
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Koikeya スコーン Barbecue Corn Snacks: These snacks are available everywhere in Japan and are like the Japanese-equivalent of crunchy Cheetos, but with bolder flavors. The barbecue flavor has more of a charred than smoky flavor and tastes more strongly of beef specifically (whereas in the US, chips taste more like the glaze you apply to meat). A solid savory flavor that is quite addictive. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese junkfood koikeya スコーン barbecue corn snacks 3.5 inegeya
Mont Thabor Hokkaido Milk Bread: I found the picture I took of the Hokkaido Milk Bread from Mont Thabor, a neighborhood bakery in Azabu Juban in Tokyo. One characteristic I've noticed of most bakeries in Tokyo that aren't chains like Starbucks is that they don't normally have any seating, with the idea that customers purchase items to eat at home. Unlike America, where it is normal for people to eat or drink while walking, in Japan, this is considered rude, so even if you purchase say a soft drink at a convenience store, ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Lotte Suika Ba: This is an ice cream bar you can find anywhere in Japan, in convenience stores (individually wrapped) or in grocery stores in multi-packs. The package comes with two flavors (3 of each): half watermelon and half honeydew. They're extremely cute and have a candy taste that's definitely sweet but not really as artificial tasting as the Jolly Rancher equivalent taste. And the bars themselves are pretty substantial and have a consistency that's less watery than a typical fruit popsicle in the... (read more) 3.5/5.0
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Tokyo Milk Cheese Strawberry Cream Puff: Catching up on some reviews I never wrote back when shops were still open. This is a cream puff shop right outside of the Akihabara train station in Tokyo. They have regular cream, chocolate, and strawberry flavored cream puffs, as well as some seasonal flavors. I purchased the strawberry one, and it was quite good - the pastry was flaky and dusted in powdered sugar, and the strawberry cream inside was smooth and pleasantly sweet. Definitely decent for a chain shop and a quick snack. 3.5/5.0
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