Hokunyu Mandarin Orange Yogurt: This is one of my favorite yogurts that I've tried in Japan. Available in normal grocery stores, it is a tart and creamy yogurt containing whole mandarin orange slices. A very interesting combination of soft yogurt with juicy fruit that I hadn't had before. Highly recommend! 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese Daiei hokunyu mandarin orange yogurt 4.0Shiro-Hige Cream Puff Factory Totoro Cream Puff: Shiro-Hige Cream Puff Factory is a small, quaint shop / cafe about a 10 minute walk from the Odakyu Line in Tokyo. I'm not positive of its official affiliation with Studio Ghibli, but it has so much tasteful Ghibli decor, including original watercolors and sketches, that I would imagine it has been sanctioned by the studio. Their speciality is Totoro cream puffs ranging in flavor from strawberry, chocolate, banana, and regular, each with their own adorable decoration; for example, the stra... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended japan totoro studioghibli cute japanese shirohigecreampufffactory cream puff 4.0KitKat Yuzu kitkat: There's a small KitKat shop in Ginza. I'm not sure if it's the main one because I've seen more KitKats in a room in most malls here, but they did have them individually packaged in nice collector cases. They were pretty pricey, a $3 for a single KitKat (not even the type you break in two, which I thought was a defining characteristic given the jingle but apparently not in Japan). I purchased the most interesting looking one: Yuzu. It's actually very good: sour and tart, like a lemon flavore... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese citrus chocolate kitkat yuzu 4.0Ginza Ginger Kiwi ginger kakigori: Ginza Ginger is a kakigori shaved ice shop in downtown Ginza. They specialize in ginger-milk-flavored syrups that are served alongside fruit computer that you add to the shaved ice to your taste. I shared the kiwi kakigori (I think it would be too much to eat on your own and could possibly serve 3-4 people even). It came in an impressive mound with the ginger syrup already added and a small jar of kiwi fruit compote. The shaved ice was airy and light and impressively held its texture until ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese shavedice dessert ginza fruit ginzaginger kiwi ginger kakigori 4.0Coca-Cola Strawberry Coke: I saw this bottle at Family Mart, and while I typically drink diet soda, I decided this was too interesting to pass on. Strawberry coke is a Japan-only product introduced only earlier this year in January. Since I enjoy cherry coke, I was interested in the soda giant’s take on a beloved fruit, particularly in Japan (I’ve seen several boxes of light pink strawberries going for an inordinate sum here). In color, the coke looks exactly the same as regular Coca-Cola, but the taste is undeniab... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended soda drinks japanese familymart cocacola strawberry coke 4.0Vivit's Peach Mix Soda: This was a vending machine purchase made out of dehydration. In the US, I had solely associated Ito En with calorie-free bottles of ice tea, but they own a wide variety of brands of sweet drinks in Japan. This one is extremely sweet and reminds me a lot of ramune, but tasting of peach instead of pear. It's also very fizzy and one of the more carbonated drinks I've had here. Maybe it's the nostalgia of drinking ramune as a kid, but I really liked this one, even though I could tell it was ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
drinks recommended vendingmachine itoen vivits peach mix soda 4.0 japanese