Denroku Okay Pea Eel Peanut Snacks: Rice cracker balls that each contain a single roasted peanut, with a squid-flavored coating that's full of umami. Uses squid from Hokkaido. The balls are slightly smaller than puffed cheese balls but are just as snackable. Kind of like how some cereals feature only granola clusters rather than a mix of flakes and sliced nuts, these peanut rice snacks are typically the best part of rice cracker mixes, so I'm happy to have a bag of the most tasty bits. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese coop ricecrackers denroku okay pea eel peanut snacks 3.5
Dean & Co Ginger ale konatsu: This carbonated Japanese beverage mixes ginger with hyuganatsu citrus (a yuzu / pomelo hybrid), and cinnamon for a uniquely refreshing, pleasant drink. It's not particularly spicy, and the carbonation is light, but it does balance the three flavors perfectly and you can easily identify each. It reminds me of the fall, like a tart citrus take on apple cider with its spiced cinnamon and clove aftertaste. Haven't had anything like it before! Purchased at National Azabu. 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks soda ginger ale japanese nationalazabu deanco ginger ale konatsu 4.0
あわしま堂 Mandarin Orange Daifuku: I've had surprisingly little mochi in Japan, even though it's one of my favorite snacks, but the orange-themed packaging of this individually-wrapped snack stood out to me, and since I had never tasted orange-flavored mochi before, I decided to give it a try. The mochi itself is dyed pale orange and is much more plump and pliable than any store-bought mochi I've had in the states. The filling is almost like an orange pulp, slightly stringy in texture, and is notably acidic, rather than tas... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended mochi tokyo daifuku mandarin orange 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
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 3.5
Le Cafe de Joel Robuchon Mediterranean Fougasse: Purchased at the Joel Robuchon cafe in Shinjuku, this twisted fougasse bread was deliciously savory, combining many flavors that I don't run into often here, including sundried tomatoes, olives, lemon, and anchovies. Those flavors could easily come off as salty but wasn't in this instance: it was impressively well balanced and made me really miss mediterranean food I could easily get in the states like hummus or falafel. The bread itself had a satisfying crust that was just chewy enough. 4.0/5.0
recommended tokyo shinjuku robuchon bakery lecafedejoelrobuchon mediterranean fougasse 4.0