Uchi Cafe Sakura Dacquoise ice cream sandwich: I am going to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow so I got an ice cream sandwich from the Lawson convenience store to celebrate. This is a Sakura ice cream sandwich that's meant to resemble a French pastry (Dacquoise); it consists of sakura-flavored ice cream with a thin layer of strawberry jam sandwiched between two flaky biscuits that have a crumbly costing almost like a glazed sugar cookie. I had the dessert about 10 minutes after getting it from the freezer, which seemed like the pe... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream japanese lawson icecreamsandwich dessert ichicafe sakura dacquoise ice cream sandwich 4.0
Morinaga もちっコリヨーグルト: Today was the first day I was able to walk without a walker for an extended period of time. To test my abilities, I walked to the Lawson convenience store on the ground floor and bought a snack of my choice, this yogurt cup containing both tapioca and nata de coco coconut cubes. The yogurt was mildly creamy and tart, a standard plain yogurt in Japan which I prefer to American plain yogurt (it seems a bit lighter). The tapioca had a juicy consistency, which makes it crunchy rather than chewy ... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese lawson morinaga もちっコリヨーグルト 3.5
Yamada Bee Factory 塩とシークヮーサーはちみつ: A second beverage I had from the hospital vending machine is this salted citrus beverage with organic honey. Its color, an electric yellow-green, makes me naturally think of lemon Gatorade, which it has a similar flavor to except the sweetness has a little more depth, and the consistency is a slightly thicker on the tongue. A decent sweet beverage good for the impending summer heat. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks citrus vendingmachine yamadabeefactory 塩とシークヮーサーはちみつ 3.5
Sweet Box Japanese black beef potato chips: A common potato-based junk food I see here in Japan but not in the states is french-fry-shaped chips, thickly cut like the British type you get with fish and chips but crunchy: extruded fried potato sticks. The most popular is Calbee Jagabee, though I actually have not yet tried it (you can get it easily in the states), but the bag I purchase is substantial and hearty in comparison, at least in terms of the diameter of each piece. The chips have a strong garlic flavor that tastes slightly sm... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese sweetbox black beef potato chips 3.5
Excel Bottling Lucky Cola Club: Over the years, I've developed an unfortunate dependency on diet sodas, particular Coke Zeros, which always seem to be around offices that offer free beverages. I wouldn't say I like the taste, but there's something comforting about getting the same flavor no matter where you are in the world. I've gotten used to the sugar substitute aftertaste that dominates beverages from large corporates like Coca Cola. But this bottle, from 80-year-old independent bottler Excel Bottling, is different. ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks soda excelbottling lucky cola club 4.0
Meiji Tsujiri Matcha Cone: It's been a long while since I had packaged ice cream like this in the states, with its familiar waffle cone base lined with chocolate that's a favorite at summer camps. The Japanese version if different in a few ways: first, the ice cream is level with the top of the cone, rather than overflowing in a round scoop topping the cone; second, the entire ice cream treat itself features a narrower cone, giving the snack an overall smaller footprint. I actually liked this ice cream a lot - the i... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese Daiei icecream meiji tsujiri matcha cone 3.5