Kitkat Matcha Kitkat: I’ve probably had surprisingly few KitKats in Japan despite it being the dominant market for unique seasonal flavors, so I’m always grateful when they are gifted to me and I have an excuse to try one I haven’t had before. The matcha KitKat has a waxy coating that seems like it’s probably white chocolate based, rather than milk chocolate. The flavor was more nuanced than I expected - not just a standard matcha-flavor taste but a little more bitter than the typical. I think my overall take on... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended candy japanese kitkat matcha 3.5
Omomo Tea Shop Matcha Cortado: Is bubble tea ever worth waiting an hour in line for? Maybe not, but when 90% of the line is made up of Asian customers in Irvine, it's probably a good sign. This popular bubble tea shop has two locations in Irvine, and this unassuming shop in the middle of a large strip mall, sandwiched between a Ralph's and CVS, unfortunately only takes in-person orders (the other location has an online ordering system). I went with my family and was able to sample four different drinks, but the one I o... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended irvine bubbletea greentea omomoteashop matcha cortado 4.0
Hop Shu-Kuri-Mu Matcha and red bean bread: There is a small bakery in the heart of Azabu-Juban in Tokyo that has the most delicious cream puffs – they also sell a variety of other baked goods, including fresh loaves of bread with visually striking swirls of flavor baked in, similar to what you might see for flavored milk bread loaves at Asian bakeries more generally. Their loaves tend to be about half the size of what you might see in the US. I really enjoyed the spongy, stretchy texture and faint sweetness of this loaf. If you ev... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended azabujuban japanese tokyo hopshukurimu matcha red bean bread 3.5
福どら Matcha Doriyaki: I know doriyaki from Dorameon because the Japanese pancake-sandwich is a favorite of the beloved Japanese cartoon character. There's a little Japanese confectionary shop close to me that sells many different flavors of doriyaki, from traditional anko red bean to strawberry cream. I purchased their matcha creme flavor that has a whipped matcha filling and a piece of chewy mochi, all between two soft pancakes. The creme was pleasantly bitter and not too sweet, with a fluffy texture that cont... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese hongo matcha doriyaki 4.0
Nanaya Aoyama Matcha (7) and Roasted Rice Tea Ice Cream: Nanaya Aoyama is a small ice cream shop near Omote-Sando in Tokyo and had been on my checklist of places to try for Tasty Snacking since before I arrived in Japan. Its menu features matcha ice cream at different levels of concentration, from 1-7, with 7 being the most potent (they claim it's the strongest in the world). On display, you see how matcha ice cream 1-7 goes from a light shamrock color to a dark forest green (though there isn't too much difference visually between #5-7). The ice... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional icecream tokyo japan greentea nanayaaoyama matcha (7) roasted rice tea ice cream 4.5
Hio Ice Cream Green Tea Milk Ice Cream: Even before I arrived in Japan, I had bookmarked this modern ice cream shop in Jiyugaoka to try for Tasty Snacking. Unfortunately, it's a bit far away from central Tokyo and I never got a chance to make it out there before COVID hit. I didn't realize, though, that you can actually find their ice cream at certain grocery stores. I went for the classic green tea flavor, which has specks of dark green mixed in. While I was hoping for a strong bitter matcha flavor, it actually disappointingl... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream japanese queensisetan hioicecream green tea milk ice cream 3.0 matcha