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
Megmilk Snow Matcha Pudding: This is a delicious green tea pudding with a panna cotta-like texture (that is, much softer and looser than most store-bought pudding). It comes with a brown sugar packet so you can add as much sweetness as you'd like, but I preferred it without any additional flavoring. The matcha flavor is very distinctive, with its characteristic bitterness rounded out by the dessert's creaminess. Will definitely be purchasing again! 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese Daiei matcha megmilksnow pudding 4.0
Morinaga Moonlight Cakes: This case comes with 6 individually wrapped Moonlight cakes which resemble American whoopie pies with two cake-like layers sandwiching a creme filling. The cake-base is crumbly and slightly dry, but overall it's pretty enjoyable and not too heavy or sweet. It has more of an eggy flavor than a vanilla one, which makes it a pretty neutral sweet snack. 3.0/5.0
japanese Daiei morinaga moonlight cakes 3.0
Hokunyu Fruit Yogurt: Combining peach and pineapple with nata de coco (coconut pieces), this is sort of like a fruit cup combined with yogurt. It has a sort of tropical, Continental breakfast fruit cocktail flavor which is not really great but not bad either. Not a yogurt I would go for again, though it's not bad per se. 3.0/5.0
japanese Daiei hokunyu fruit yogurt 3.0
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 4.0
Lotte Coolish Vanilla Ice Cream: I bought this ice cream out of the novelty of the packaging, a foil pouch where you squeeze soft service ice cream through a small nozzle. It makes it very easy to eat ice cream on the go and eat just as much as you want, though to be honest I ate it at home and in a single serving. The ice cream flavor is really familiar and nostalgic, like soft serve you might get at McDonald's. It's so sweet that you can feel the texture of the ice crystals as you consume it. You have to wait a few mi... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream japanese Daiei lotte coolish vanilla ice cream 3.0