japanese (359)
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Kitkat Matcha Kitkat: I’ve probably had surprisingly few KitKats in Japan despite it being the dominant market for unique seasonal flavors, so I’m always grateful when they are gifted to me and I have an excuse to try one I haven’t had before. The matcha KitKat has a waxy coating that seems like it’s probably white chocolate based, rather than milk chocolate. The flavor was more nuanced than I expected - not just a standard matcha-flavor taste but a little more bitter than the typical. I think my overall take on... (read more) 3.5/5.0

recommended candy japanese kitkat matcha 3.5
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KitKat Peach KitKats: I was gifted this bag of Japanese peach KitKats from a friend, purchased originally from Berkeley Bowl (the best grocery store in the country!!). The mini KitKats are individually wrapped, and the normally chocolate coating is a pale pink color. I expected this to be really sweet, but it’s surprisingly well balanced, with a tangy and tart ripe peach candy flavor. The rest of the KitKat is the familiar wafer crisps of the iconic candy bar. Definitely worth a try! 4.0/5.0

recommended candy japanese kitkat peach kitkats 4.0
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Calbee Takoyaki Balls: Puffed corn snacks coated in a sweet and savory seasoning blend that tastes just like takoyaki sauce (sort of like Japanese Bulldog sauce or Worcestershire sauce, deep in umami). In other words, it doesn't taste like seafood but just the sauce that typically coats the normally octopus-filled balls. Undoubtedly a substantial amount of MSG. Purchased from Uwajimaya, but actually a product of Thailand. 3.0/5.0

uwajimaya japanese calbee takoyaki balls 3.0
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Yoku Moku Rolled Cigares: In Japan, there is a very strong culture of giving gifts to people you work with. There were several times when I found myself purchasing gift boxes from depachika, the underground food courts in Japanese malls, where you can find everything from boxed chocolates, rice crackers, cookies, and candies in beautifully ornate boxes. I would usually browse all the stalls before picking a few I thought looked the most delicious (which was both very hard, because there were so many options, and qu... (read more) 4.0/5.0

exception cookies japanese uwajimaya yokumoku rolled cigares 4.0
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Koikeya Polinky Corn Soup Flavored Corn Chips: These (crunchy) triangle (!!) snacks have a corn-based flavor similar to Bugles but are covered in a powdered corn potage-like seasoning blend. They mostly taste like MSG. Texturally a cross between Chex Mix and Bugles. Not my favorite corn soup flavored snack but decent. 3.0/5.0

hmart japanese koikeya polinky corn soup flavored chips 3.0
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Indigo Cow Hokkaido Milk soft serve with shiratama kuromitsu kinako: I haven't experienced many long lines in Seattle, but Indigo Cow, a soft-serve "window" adjacent to the Japanese restaurant Yoroshiku in Wallingford, had an impressive showing for their Hokkaido milk treat. The line took about 40 minutes, even right after an afternoon shower, and unfortunately they were out of mochi for their classic Japanese topping (which normally comes with soybean powder and brown sugar syrup) by the time I got to the front of the line. The humble shop is literally one... (read more) 3.5/5.0

recommended wallingford japanese indigocow hokkaido milk soft serve shiratama kuromitsu kinako 3.5