Oshidori Milk Cake: I bought this candy because of the cute but somewhat dated-looking packaging, which made me think it was probably an older classic snack. Inside the bag are individually wrapped milk cakes, hard sticks about 2x in length as a stick of gum. They are completely opaque in color but have some air holes in them. Each stick is fairly brittle so that they snap when you bite into it. Flavor-wise, this was definitely one of the worse things I've eaten in Japan. It tastes kind of like I'd imagine... (read more) 1.0/5.0
avoid japanese candy oshidori milk cake 1.0
Otabe Otabe of Kuro: Black sesame yatsuhashi (triangular mochi dessert) from Kyoto. Terrific, soft texture with a faintly sweet filling with real black sesame seeds. A very special treat. 5.0/5.0
mochi kuro otabe sesame blacksesame japanese desserts kyoto yatsuhashi exceptional of 5.0
Otafuku x Medetai Red Bean Taiyaki: Otafuku x Medetai is a small Japanese to-go street food shop in the East Village specializing in okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and taiyaki. Taiyaki is a classic Japanese dessert with a fish-shaped waffle exterior and different fillings inside (traditionally red bean). They make all their taiyaki from scratch here, filling their detailed custom molds with batter and producing 6 fishies at a time, all of which you can watch. This was probably the freshest taiyaki I've had -- it came out pipping h... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional nyc japanese otafukuxmedetai red bean taiyaki 4.5
Otsuka Match Jelly: Match Jelly is a popular citrus soda that's the color of electric yellow Gatorade and is similarly fortified with "nutrition" like Vitamin B6, Niacin, and Vitamin C. I haven't actually had Match soda before, but it's a standard vending machine staple. While vending machines have full-sized bottles, they also usually have a small selection of half-size containers, which I like to buy when I'm thirsty but not wanting more than a single serving. I purchased this "jelly" version of Match f... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks japanese vendingmachine otsuka match jelly 4.0
Pocky Matcha: Crunchy biscuit sticks coated with creamy and floral green tea icing. Surprisingly flavorful for its size though artificially flavored. 3.0/5.0
greentea japanese hmart pocky matcha 3.0
Pocky Cookies and Cream: Creamy coating with bits of chocolate cookie. Cookie bits add texture. Coating had a waxy feel. Flavor overall is reminiscent of Hershey's cookies and cream bars. Sweeter than most Japanese snacks, but not as sweet as American candy. Decent. 3.0/5.0
pocky cookiesandcream japanese hmart cookies 3.0 glico cream