Kikkoman Banana Soy Milk: Kikkoman has a bunch of fruit-flavored soy milk juice boxes that come in similar packaging, but differently colored. I got the banana milk from 7-11 to try, but it was shockingly sweet, like drinking liquid banana runts. Would not again. 2.0/5.0
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Kimino Sparking Yuzu: I sift through hundreds of snacks both because I love exploring new tastes but also because I'm always looking for a hidden treasure. Sometimes it's a fresh, unexpected flavor combination, while other times it's just the most perfectly executed version of something more familiar. This Kimino sparking yuzu drink falls in the latter category. The small bottle is perfectly sized for a single serving. The bottom contains sediments of yuzu rind (they utilize the entire fruit to make the bevera... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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Kimura Yuzu cider: I think I could live in the soft drinks section of Marukai Market in Gardena, LA, with its seemingly endless array of bottles in every color of the rainbow. It was hard to pick just one, but the beautiful vintage-style label of the Kimura brand sodas stood out to me, and yuzu-flavor just felt appropriate. The fizzy drink is pretty sweet, like a tangier Sprite. Paired with the rich burger I had for lunch, it worked well, but on its own, it's a bit too sweet for my taste. Still, as an alternat... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Kimura Fukumaneki Soda: After having previously reviewed yuzu soda from Kimino (a 5.0!), I looked up other distributors of the fantastic beverage and came across Umami Mart in Oakland. I decided to pay it a visit to see what other tasty snacks it might sell. Umami Mart is a largely sake-focused store that sells a variety of barware and ceramics. In the back of the store is where the snacks are, with products like Japan’s famed KitKat flavors and bags of Umaibo. It’s basically a limited selection of what you can get... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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Kimuraya Red Bean Bun: This small but popular bakery is right near the Ginza metro station, offering a variety of Japanese / french breads and pastries. Their speciality appears to be inexpensive miniature buns that cost 150¥, under $1.50; sized like dinner rolls and coated in amaranth, its shell is slightly browned and overall tastes largely neutral in flavor with red bean filling (they also offer different types of fillings). Overall, it's more like sustenance than something to be enjoyed, given its inexpensiv... (read more) 3.0/5.0
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Kirin Sekai Kitchen Salty Litchi Drink: A surprisingly refreshing and balanced drink that's like an Asian version of salted lemonade. The salt takes a bit of the edge off of what could otherwise be very sweet litchi juice in the same way that salted lemonade doesn't taste salty. Has a milky semi-translucent color. Worth a try! 3.5/5.0
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