Tohato Milky Caramel Corn: To prevent the spread of COVID, all drinking fountains were disabled, and all restaurants were closed at Narita International Airport. The only place to buy food in Terminal 1 was at their Lawson convenient store, which sold a variety of packaged snacks. I hadn't seen this Milky version of Caramel Corn, based on the popular condensed-milk-flavored candies, so I got it to eat for breakfast before my flight. The puffed corn took on the flavor of milk candy remarkably well, tasting like a cr... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese tohato milky caramel corn 3.0
Nichirei Cheese waffles: Probably meant for kids, I was nonetheless intrigued by the idea of cheese-filled waffle sticks and grabbed this bag from the frozen aisle as I was waiting in line at Aeon. They're a bit bigger than fish sticks but definitely portable and easy to heat up in the microwave. Surprisingly, the texture of the waffles is pretty decent, and it has a fluffier, softer consistency than the crispy waffles you might make in an iron, but the same familiar eggy flavor. The cheese is very minimal and mild,... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese frozen aeon nichirei cheese waffles 3.5
Doraemon Cafe Grapefruit and peach cream soda: I had planned to go to the “Doraemon” museum from before I came to Japan (technically the Fujiko Fujio museum, the artist who created Doraemon) since the robot cat is a favorite from my childhood. Last weekend, I finally got a solo ticket from Lawson after accepting I wouldn’t be able to convince any of my friends to go all the way out to Kanagawa, about an hour from Tokyo. I ended my trip at the small yet lovely museum with a trip to their cafe, ordering their Doraemon grapefruit and peach ... (read more) 2.5/5.0
Kanagawa japanese drinks doraemoncafe grapefruit peach cream soda 2.5 novelty
Gari Gari Kun Kyushu Mikan mandarin orange popsicle : I am a fan of Kumamon, a popular black bear mascot representing Kumamoto prefecture in Japan. He's kind of everywhere, so I wasn't surprised to find him on ice cream packaging for this mandarin flavored popsicle with citrus from Kyushu . The rectangular ice brick reminds me of Sunkist, with a tangy slightly too-concentrated-to-be-natural orange flavor, though it is enjoyable for what it is. Purchased from Family Mart. 3.0/5.0
familymart japanese garigarikun kyushu mikan mandarin orange popsicle 3.0
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
cereal japanese kelloggs hershey's strawberry chocobits 3.0
Tohato Poteko Seaweed Flavored Potato Rings: Potato rings sized for small hands, dusted with a seaweed powder. Texturally, somewhere between a cracker and chip (less crispy than Fritos but more dense than a normal cracker). Overall, a bit bland. 2.5/5.0
japanese tohato poteko seaweed flavored potato rings 2.5