YBC Noir Cocoa Cookies: These are the Japanese equivalent of Oreo cookies, which I tend to have about once a year at the MIT Mystery Hunt competition. Since Mystery Hunt was completely remote this year, I wasn't able to partake in the normal consumption of college-dorm junk food normally shared in person to fuel late-night puzzling, but I still wanted to capture the spirit, which led me to purchase this snack. The YBC snack packs are ubiquitous and can be found at basically all convenience and grocery stores. Ov... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended cookies japanese coop ybc noir cocoa 3.5Calbee 大人の ポテリッチ カマンベールベーコン味 Camembert Bacon Flavor Potato Chips: According to the press release for this limited edition flavor, Calbee introduced a line of ポテリッチ "Potato Rich" chips for adults in October 2020 partially in response to the trend of increased drinking at home due to the pandemic – these chips are meant to pair well with alcohol. The combination of meat with cheese was surprising to me, and as far as I know is not actually something that's done here in Japan. The actual flavor is a combination of bacon and camembert, and you can definitely... (read more) 3.0/5.0
chips japanese camembert bacon lawson calbee 大人の ポテリッチ カマンベールベーコン味 flavor potato 3.0Koikeya Mozzarella and lemon potato chips: In theory, this unexpected mozzarella and lemon combination seems like it would be a bit odd, but it's actually surprisingly good, like a more creamy and mild sour cream and onion flavor with a lemon kick. The acidic lemon seasoning is the first taste you get, but the chips have a milky and tangy finish, almost like a sour yogurt. I'm generally not a big fan of the cheese flavored snacks I've had here in Japan, but this is definitely an exception. Purchased at Lawson 100. 4.0/5.0
lawson japanese recommended cheese potatochips koikeya mozzarella lemon potato chips 4.0Happy Pocket Zackey Strawberry Wafer: Purchased this box of square, individually-wrapped wafers from the 100¥ Lawson convenience store. It consists of two different layers: a thicker strawberry icing filling, with bits of freeze dried fruit, and a thinner chocolate layer. The dried fruit was refreshingly tart, the wafers crispy but otherwise fairly ordinary. I haven't seen it elsewhere than the 100¥ store, which makes me think it's probably on the low end of the junk food totem pole. 3.0/5.0
japanese lawson happypocket zackey strawberry wafer 3.0今川焼千駄木 Imagawayaki red been wheel cake : I took a detour on my daily walk and came across this small shop with a decently sized line. Since there are no tourists in Japan right now, lines are for sure signs of a local favorite. The little stand only sells imagawayaki, which are enclosed wheel-shaped pancakes filled with red bean. They have three flavors on the menu: red bean, custard, and one other that I couldn't figure out through direct translation (しるあん), and all of them are made to order using a traditional Japanese mold. They... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional sendagi japanese dessert tokyo imagawayaki red been wheel cake 4.5Sunny Mart まじめなおかし Yuzu Biscuits: Purchased from Natural Lawson, a popualar convenience store, these round biscuits with scallop edges are thick and crunchy, rather than flaky like Ritz crackers. They have a glazed coating that has a sweet tangy citrus flavor. But they are also heavily seasoned, probably the saltiest snack I've had in Japan, so I never wanted to eat much of it. Not recommended. 2.0/5.0
japanese avoid crackers biscuit naturallawson lawson sunnymart まじめなおかし yuzu biscuits 2.0