Sun Fruits Apple Juice: In the basement of the swanky Tokyo Midtown department store is a speciality fruit shop called Sun Fruits, the type of shop where sumo oranges (dekopan) are individually wrapped in a form-fitting web of styrofoam and boxes of pale white strawberries go for 8,000¥ ($73 USD). The one item I felt I could afford, and also I was most interested in trying, was a bottle of what I presumed to be a barely-pink fruit soda, which cost $3.50. It turns out that it was a bottle of apple juice, with frui... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Hakkaisan Amazake Sweet Rice Drink: I purchased this fermented rice drink (that's from Japan) at The Market in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. While Amazake is generally a sweet sake, this drink is alcohol-free. Koji rice, the basis of this drink, is rice that has been affected with a fungus named Aspergillus oryzae that's commonly used for making familiar ingredients like soy sauce and bean paste. The drink is kept frozen for freshness and needs to be defrosted before consuming. It has a thick milky consistency and a distinct whi... (read more) 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
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Rabbit Rabbit Tea Japanese buckwheat milk tea with almond pudding: A caffeine-free option at bubble tea shop Rabbit Rabbit Tea, located at the edge of Union Square. It tasted more of milk than buckwheat, but it did have a familiar Asian breakfast porridge vibe to it, reminiscent of powdered grain packs you mix with hot water. The tea was so so, but the almond pudding was quite good - it had a distinctly non-dairy-milk nutty quality and a soft, slick texture. Overall, though, I probably wouldn't come back to Rabbit Rabbit gven the quality of this drink alone. 3.0/5.0
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Mito Yuzu Cider: This bottle of citrus soda from Shimane Prefecture, Japan, was purchased from Japan Village's Sunrise Mart in Brooklyn. The soda tastes like a citrus-leaning ramune; quite sweet, but the acidic yuzu flavor helps balance it out. Half a bottle was the perfect amount for me, which is also oddly the serving size listed on the nutrition facts. Would probably pair really well with savory food. As far as citrus sodas I've had, this is definitely above average. 3.5/5.0
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Tohato Strawberry Caramel Corn: Tohato is a Japanese puffed corn snack line with unmistakable cartoon packaging. The puffs are irregularly curled, about 2/3 the size of Cheetos, and with a thin sugar coating that gives it a crisp texture. The strawberry flavor is not too sweet and just a little bitter ultimately artificial-tasting but not in an unpleasant way. This brand is commonly found in Japanese grocery stores; this particular bag was purchased at Sunrise Mart in Japan Village, Brooklyn. 3.5/5.0
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