Lotte Choco Pie: Chocolate covered nostalgia. Unfortunately not as good as I recall from my childhood. Cake is quite dry, but the marshmallow filling is satisfying, and the chocolate is thin. I appreciate that it's lightly sweetened, with 10g of sugar in a pie (much less than you would find in an equivalent American snack). 3.0/5.0

萩の月 仙台銘菓: Japanese confection consisting of custard encased in a sponge cake. The cake is light and mild, but the filling is rich. The custard tastes like a cross between asian pudding and egg custard. A surprising treat. 4.0/5.0

Jinga rice wine cake: Korean rice flour "cake" that had a glutinous yet spongy texture. Traditionally called jeungpyeon, it is similar in flavor to sake-steamed glutinous rice desserts you might have in Taiwan. Unfortunately, this version is dry and difficult to eat, and the flavor is one dimensional. 1.5/5.0

Sofra semolina and pistachio cake: Moist, not too sweet. perfect size for a small snack. 3.5/5.0

Mitsuwa Chicago mochi red bean cake: Rubbery texture outside, difficult to chew, filling ok. overall, not worth it. 1.5/5.0

E-G-Sain green tea honey cake: Excellent herbal green tea flavor, perfect level of sweetness, could be more moist. 3.0/5.0