Doraemon Cafe Grapefruit and peach cream soda: I had planned to go to the “Doraemon” museum from before I came to Japan (technically the Fujiko Fujio museum, the artist who created Doraemon) since the robot cat is a favorite from my childhood. Last weekend, I finally got a solo ticket from Lawson after accepting I wouldn’t be able to convince any of my friends to go all the way out to Kanagawa, about an hour from Tokyo. I ended my trip at the small yet lovely museum with a trip to their cafe, ordering their Doraemon grapefruit and peach ... (read more) 2.5/5.0
Kanagawa japanese drinks doraemoncafe grapefruit peach cream soda 2.5 novelty
Wanpo Tea Shop Black Rice & Taro with Coconut Milk: This is my second time getting a drink from this Taiwanese bubble tea shop, this time at their Shibuya location. Both times, the employees seemed to identify that I was Chinese and spoke to me in Mandarin, but I could barely cobble enough Chinese together to say that I didn't want the drink to be too sweet. This particular drink is almost like eating a dessert rather than a drink, containing more solid ingredients than liquid and reminding me of eating Taiwanese shaved ice, with its mix of... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks wanpoteashop black rice taro coconut milk 2.5
Capi Blood Orange Soda: When visiting National Azabu, a grocery store known for its international selection, I purchased two bottles of this Australian brand of soda: their spicy ginger ale and the blood orange flavors. The spicy ginger ale wasn't particularly good, so I didn't have the highest expectations for the blood orange kind. The soda itself is a little cloudy, a sign of it being made with real fruit, and the taste is definitely distinct from regular orange soda or grapefruit soda – a little more tart but... (read more) 3.0/5.0
soda drinks nationalazabu australian citrus bloodorange capi blood orange 3.0
JA Foods Kabosu Juice: This small aluminum bottle contains a non-carbonated citrus juice with pulp from kabosu, a relative to yuzu that's popular in Japan. The fruit looks like a round lime and is green on the outside but orangish-yellow inside. The juice tastes a little bit like calamansi and generally is more concentrated in flavor than regular lime juice, while smelling of a mix of tangerine and lime. Enjoyable overall and unique - I'm glad to be getting to taste different types of citrus-flavored food here! 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks japanese citrus jafoods kabosu juice 3.5
酢屋亀 Amazake: While they tend to be quite sweet, I do enjoy drinking amazake, a fermented rice drink made with koji that has a milky consistency and softened grains of rice mixed in. It's a little bit tangy and sweet, sort of like a yogurt drink but less thick and a little boozy (though this one has 0% alcohol). Even in small bottles, I tend not to drink the whole thing in one go since the flavor is quite potent and definitely on the sugary side. Purchased from Santouka. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks japanese amazake 3.5 rice
Dean & Co Ginger ale konatsu: This carbonated Japanese beverage mixes ginger with hyuganatsu citrus (a yuzu / pomelo hybrid), and cinnamon for a uniquely refreshing, pleasant drink. It's not particularly spicy, and the carbonation is light, but it does balance the three flavors perfectly and you can easily identify each. It reminds me of the fall, like a tart citrus take on apple cider with its spiced cinnamon and clove aftertaste. Haven't had anything like it before! Purchased at National Azabu. 4.0/5.0
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