Matcha Man Ice Cream and Taiyaki Black sesame taiyaki ice cream: This taiyaki ice cream shop in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood is the first to serve taiyaki in Seattle and proved popular on a Saturday evening, taking about 25 min from line to ice-cream in hand. They feature classic flavors like matcha and black sesame as well as Thai iced tea and dole whip. Being a big black sesame fan, I had to go for the classic in a fish-shaped waffle cone. The waffle is more western than taiyaki you would get in Japan, which is very crispy. This one instead was mor... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream blacksesame seattle matchamanicecreamandtaiyaki black sesame taiyaki ice cream 3.0
Nezu No Pan Black Sesame Raisin Bread: I loved the bread I was gifted from this bakery in Nezu so much that I wanted to see all the flavors they had to offer. I bought two more mini-loaves to try. The first was sliced black sesame raisin bread, with a thin crust and chewy stretch interior mixing a healthy amount of black sesame and plump raisins. I really liked the savory taste of the black sesame, but I found the raisins to be overpoweringly sweet – about half the quantity would have been better balanced in my eyes. The quali... (read more) 3.0/5.0
bread tokyo nezu nezunopan black sesame raisin 3.0
Shake Shack Black sesame milkshake: I hadn't been to a Shake Shack in Japan and stumbled upon one near Meiji Jingu, where I went to see the yellow autumn ginko trees. I stopped in to see if they had any exclusives, and their menu features a Japan-only black sesame shake. It was super satisfying on multiple levels: thicker than anything I've found in Japan, with a nutty and savory black sesame flavor that didn't taste at all artificial. Black sesame is one of my favorite flavors; I've had a lot of black sesame snacks over the ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
exceptional japanese drinks blacksesame shakeshack black sesame milkshake 4.0
Nico Black Sesame Donut: This was a donut I purchased about two months ago in the Azabu-Juban neighborhood of Tokyo. The small stand, selling donuts to go, has a menu of small soybean-flour-based donuts dusted in flavored sugar. The soybean flour gives it a uniquely texture more similar steamed bread than American fried donuts. Flavored sugar is also not overly sweet but also easily identifiable as black sesame. A little bit pricy for the size, at least by Japanese standards (a little over $3 for the donut), but... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended azabu azabujuban japanese nico black sesame donut 3.5
Snow Brand Black Sesame Pudding: This is the final unique flavor I've been able to find of this brand of Japanese pudding / custard. The black sesame has a sweet flavor, lacking some of the savoriness you would get in a true black sesame dessert, but satisfying as a sweet dessert. The texture is excellent and barely set, which I am especially impressed by for a packaged product. Worth trying! 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese custard lincos snowbrand black sesame pudding 3.5
Gomaya Kuki Sesame Ice Cream: This is a rare spot I had actually bookmarked before arriving in Japan in my search for top ice cream shops. At Gomaya Kuki, off of a side street in Shibuya, you have only the choice between black and white sesame ice cream, but each comes in three varieties. For the black sesame, you can choose between triple rich, rich, and salted, while for the white sesame, they have triple rich, rich, and chunky multigrain. I decided to try the triple rich black and chunky multigrain. On the side ar... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream shibuya japanese blacksesame tokyo gomayakuki sesame ice cream 3.0