Kasugai's ramune flavored gummy candy: Surprisingly faithful to the original Japanese soda, even down to the teal blue color of the gummies. Definitely on the sweet side, but good in small quantities. If you are a fan of ramune, this candy will make you very happy. 3.5/5.0
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Keki Matcha cheesecake: My company lets us pick our birthday-treat-of-choice. I learned my lesson last year, when I requested my favorite dessert (mochi) but found there weren't good ways to order it fresh in NYC. This year I went for a local favorite instead: Keki cheesecake, which was introduced to me by my RC Food Club friends. My indoctrination to Keki was through their original Japanese cheesecake, which has an excellent light and fluffy texture, but we also ordered their matcha 'fancy' cake to try. It costs ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
cake dessert japanese nyc keki matcha cheesecake 3.0
Keki Bakery Ube cheesecake : I purchased this "bouncy" ube Japanese cheesecake from Keki bakery in K-town after having tried their classic cheesecake at their Chinatown shop. Stated to serve 3-4, it easily could serve 5-6 if you're mainly in for a small taste. At $15, it's a great deal for the quality; combining the best of a rich cheesecake with a light and airy texture that I'd describe as more fluffy than bouncy (though we ate it the day after it was purchased, so the texture might have changed a bit). Its intense pu... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Kellogg's New Ontani Cereal: There are a few familiar American brands of cereal in Japan, but their offerings are slightly different. This cereal was made in collaboration with the chef at a famous hotel in Tokyo called The New Otani. It consists of 1/2 flakes and 1/2 granola, almost like muesli without the oats, and contains ingredients like sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, and puffed amaranth. It has a honey flavor that's reminiscent of Honey Bunches of Oats. Definitely sweet, but as sweet as American breakfast cere... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended cereal japanese kelloggs new ontani 3.5
Kellogg's Hershey Matcha ChocoBIts: It's fun to discover new products and brands in Japan, but there are also a lot of familiar brands offering different items especially for the Japanese market. You can find Kellogg's cereal, for example, but I've never heard of ChocoBits in the states, and I've definitely never had matcha-flavored cereal. The product photography is pretty misleading for this one. The square chocolate nuggets have a more muted tan-ish brown color and are unglazed; the matcha inside is more like a hardened i... (read more) 2.0/5.0
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Kellogg's Hershey's Strawberry Chocobits: Strawberry milk was a guilty pleasure of mine growing up. We weren't allowed to buy chocolate or strawberry syrup at home, so I would covet Nesquik powder every time I visited a friend's house. I haven't seen this brand of Hershey's cereal outside of Japan, but it normally comes in a chocolate flavor featuring cereal nuggets with a cream filling. It definitely leans more towards the taste of cereal than say an Oreo cookie, but it's also certainly engineered for a kid's palette. The straw... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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