Chanmery Peach Soda: Chanmery is like the Japanese equivalent of Martinelli's, meant to be a celebratory champagne-equivalent drink for kids. Its main innovation is a "twist and pop cap" that's both threaded and depressed such that opening it leads the built-up pressure of the bottle to push the cap upward, emitting a satisfying pop sound not unliking uncorking a bottle of champagne. The bottle has just enough for about 2 servings, which is to say quite small. The peach soda has a strong fruit flavor that is ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks japanese pokmeon chanmery peach soda 3.0
Hokkaido Sapporo Roast Corn Taste Potato Chips: These potato chips have a sweet and savory roasted corn flavor, almost like a corn chowder. I did like the overall flavor, but the chips were a bit lackluster, saturated oil and thin to the point of flimsy - if you held it up to the light, you could see through them. Overall, I would not purchase them again though the flavor was unique. 3.0/5.0
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Hop Shu-Kuri-Mu Matcha Cream Puff: I randomly passed this pastry shop in Azabu Juban and made a mental note to return based on the quality of bread in their window. I'm glad I did, because their cream puffs are insane. The exterior has a crispy baked texture, similar in some ways to dutch crunch bread from San Francisco, and the filling is of the highest quality I've had in any bakery, with a creamy and not too sweet flavor and ideal matcha bitterness. The most interesting part to me was a bruleed base that resembled a nor... (read more) 5.0/5.0
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Meiji Ginger Ale up Gummi: These are similar in shape and texture to Harbibo cola gummies but flavored like ginger ale. It does have a citrus + pear flavor similar to Sprite with a hint of ginger. Overall, I was hoping for more ginger flavor, or for the snack to capture some of the sharp fizziness of a can of ginger ale. But it was just ok. 3.0/5.0
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Nihonbashiya Persimmon Mochi: This is the second flavor mochi I bought from Nihonbashiya, the Japanese confectionary shop in Akihabara station. It features a very cute gelatin leaf. This flavor was a bit more neutral, with a dark brown taste interior that taste sweet and faintly floral but was not particularly reminiscent of persimmon. Texture was decent but not extremely fresh. 3.0/5.0
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Nihonbashiya Apple Mochi: This shop adjacent to the Akihabara station has mini fruit-shaped mochi that are incredibly cute. I bought two to try: apple and persimmon. This apple one was my favorite with a surprisingly concentrated apple-flavored paste at its center. I didn't realize it would actually taste like apple, and it was well balanced and not too sweet, even though it's covered in sugar. 3.5/5.0
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