Lotte Cookies and Cream Crunky Chocolate Balls: I bought this bag of candy from the Lawson convenience store, and it instantly brought me back to Hershey's Cookies and Cream chocolate bars, with their waxy white chocolate and dominant vanilla flavor. The form factor of this chocolate are bite-sized balls, and the interior has a crunchy cookie-like texture. Flavor-wise, it was neither good nor bad, but health-wise it was definitely not worth the calories. 2.5/5.0
japanese lawson lotte cookies cream crunky chocolate balls 2.5 cookiesandcream
Koikeya Strong Grilled Seafood Potato Chips: Koikeya has a line of STRONG potato chips, I guess indicating that they're bolder than regular potato chips. The ridged style is thinner than Ruffles, and more generally, I find that Japanese potato chips don't have the same substantial bite that American potato chips tends to have. This flavor reminded me a little bit of shrimp chips but it definitely had a slightly richer flavor, the type you get from imitation crab sticks. It was pretty decent but not one I find myself drawn to purchasi... (read more) 3.0/5.0
potatochips junkfood japanese lawson koikeya strong grilled seafood potato chips 3.0
Luna Vanilla Yogurt with Summer Hyuganatsu Citrus: This brand of yogurt comes in 3-packs, all with a different primary-colored label. Unfortunately, my inability to read Japanese made it impossible to know what those colored labels meant, but this particular yellow one shows a bear hugging a large yellow-colored fruit resembling a pomelo, which I assumed to be the flavor. Only after doing some research after I got home did I find that the fruit is a Hyuganatsu, which is a type of Japanese citrus hybrid between a yuzu and pomelo. I was sur... (read more) 3.0/5.0
yogurt japanese inegaya luna vanilla summer hyuganatsu citrus 3.0
Suntory Melon Pop Soda: I'm not sure what I expected from this atomic green soda, somehow even more neon green than Surge, the height of artificial soda in America. But I think I was craving some variety after not drinking any interesting beverages for some time. I purchased the bottle from a 100¥ discount vending machine. It tastes just as you would expect: super sweet, but not actually tasting that much of melon; more like liquid fruit gummy candy. I've actually just realized that I believe this is the melon ... (read more) 1.5/5.0
avoid drinks japanese suntory melon pop soda 1.5
Oreo Crispy Matcha Rollcake-flavored cookies: I like Oreo Crispy cookies more than regular Oreos - their thinness makes them more snackable and less overwhelming sweet, and I think they have a better ratio of filling to cookie. I wasn't sure what to expect from this Matcha Rollcake flavor, wondering specifically what would make them different than just matcha-flavored Oreos. Buying them did not give me that answer, but I can say that they are enjoyable; the slight bitterness of the matcha filling is a nice complement to the also-bitte... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese cookies oreo crispy matcha rollcake-flavored 3.5
Lotte Crunky Crunch Chocolate: I had been curious about what this popular milk chocolate bar tastes like. Most Japanese chocolate bars are thinner than American bars; Crunky comes in a simple cardboard packaging with the chocolate wrapped in silver foil. The milk chocolate has puffed rice inside that is less crispy than a Crunch bar but has a slightly nuttier taste to it, almost like it's flavored with almonds. It's fairly unremarkable - kind of exactly what you expect it to taste like, which is neither particularly go... (read more) 2.5/5.0
chocolate japanese lotte crunky crunch 2.5