Yifang Matcha Brown Sugar Bubble Tea: I was delighted to come across the Taiwanese bubble tea shop Yifang in Shin Okubo, the Koreatown of Shinuku in Tokyo. I wish I were able to read the menu of fruit tea options, but I had to go by the pictures and decided to try their matcha latte with brown sugar, a drink that has a fixed amount of sugar (unlike some other menu items, where you can adjust how sweet you'd like it to be). I did find the drink to be sweet for my taste, but the combination of bitter matcha with sweet brown suga... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks tokyo taiwanese boba bubbletea yifang matcha brown sugar bubble tea 4.0
Yotsuba Orange and Yuzu Yogurt: A limited-edition flavor, this yogurt contains zest from Japanese yuzu and oranges, giving it a uniquely tart citrus flavor that's balanced with the creamy Hokkaido-milk-based yogurt. The yogurt is fairly loose but I find that most Japanese yogurt is. While lemon flavored yogurt is pretty common in the states, I can't think of many brands that sell orange yogurt, so I'm especially glad to come across this Japanese take. 4.0/5.0
recommended yogurt seijoishi yotsuba orange yuzu 4.0
Häagen-Dazs Soybean Flour Brown Sugar Mochi Ice Cream (Hanamochi): The ice cream aisle in Japan consists largely of individual single-serving sized portions (kiddie-sized), whether for popsicles or regular ice cream. The most ubiquitous ice cream brand seems to be Häagen-Dazs, which has many exclusive Japanese flavors. Their Hanamochi series, originally introduced in 2015, features mochi-topped ice cream. The brown sugar soybean flour flavor I purchased has a peanut-colored powder that often coats traditional mochi treats. You ideally wait about 5 minut... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream japanese coop hagendazs soybean flour brown sugar mochi ice cream (hanamochi) 4.0
Tou Lan Tea Strawberry Latte with Boba: I had some bad experiences with several bubble tea shops when I first came to Japan (ones I didn't bother to review), but there was a highly rated spot not too far from the university that I decided to check out. They feature a handful of classic herbal teas along with a wider menu of fruit teas, smoothies, as well as a whole section of banana lattes (I'm not sure why!). The strawberry latte was excellent, like a milder and less sweet version of strawberry ice cream (I had it at their "les... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks tokyo toulantea strawberry latte boba 4.0
Trader Joe's PB&J Sack Duo Packs: This is another hand-picked snack selected by my sister and sent to Japan for me to review. It's a welcome reimagining of the classic sticks + dip combo but with novel components: cylindrical peanut butter wafer sticks similar to Pirouline paired with a raspberry jam dip. I really like the peanut butter wafers, which I would buy on their own – they have a definite peanut butter flavor, but not enough peanut butter texture to stick to your mouth, and it's also not so saturated in peanut but... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended traderjoes pb&j sack duo packs 4.0
Coop Ginger Ale: This small single-serving can comes from my local grocery store, Coop. From what I've experienced of ginger soda offerings in Japan, they tend to have a spicier ginger flavor and are less sweet than what you'd find on American supermarket shelves (like Canada Dry or Seagram's). That's perfect for me, as I like very gingery sodas. Even as a store-brand offering, this is a great quality ginger soda. According to Tasty Snacking archives, this is the 40th ginger soda that I've had, and it's d... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended coop japanese ginger ale 4.0