Muji Chai: I had to go shopping for some shoes and realized that all department stores here are extremely high-end, where Theory seems to be the most affordable recognizable brand besides Muji or Uniqlo. The Muji at the top of the Akomeya mall in Shinjuku had a vending machine and I decided to give it a try. My top choice, a lychee drink with konjac nata de coco, was sold out, so I opted for a can of chai, which comes in an aluminum bottle with a twist-off cap. I liked the minimalism of the packagin... (read more) 2.5/5.0
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Sun Fruits Apple Juice: In the basement of the swanky Tokyo Midtown department store is a speciality fruit shop called Sun Fruits, the type of shop where sumo oranges (dekopan) are individually wrapped in a form-fitting web of styrofoam and boxes of pale white strawberries go for 8,000¥ ($73 USD). The one item I felt I could afford, and also I was most interested in trying, was a bottle of what I presumed to be a barely-pink fruit soda, which cost $3.50. It turns out that it was a bottle of apple juice, with frui... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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Naniwaya Taiyaki: Wandering aimlessly around the Roppongi Hill neighborhood of Japan, I stumbled upon a small sweets shop with a sizable line and a pleasantly sweet aroma. The man in the front asked if I had a reservation – I replied that I did not and he asked me to kindly sit in a designated waiting area while their speciality taiyaki, a fish-shaped Japanese pastry filled with red bean, was made to order. After just a few minutes, and passing over 180¥ in coin (about $1.65 in USD), I was handed a taiyaki ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
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