Hula's Shrimp and Garlic Maui Chips: Another flavor of Hula's potato chips, Japanese kettle-style potato chips that stand out for their Western-looking packaging and portion sizes (typically in Japan, the potato chips come in smaller 1-2 serving packs). Shrimp and Garlic is not a normal potato chip flavor I'd see stateside, so it was exciting to give this Asian take a try. The garlic flavor is very prominent and is the main flavor you taste, though the seafood does come through as well. It reminds me a bit of shrimp scampi, ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended chips queensistena japanese potatochips hulas shrimp garlic maui 4.0
Hula's Sour Cream Maui Chips: These potato chips are marketed as being made using "American Potato Chip Methods" but are fully Japanese, first developed by a Japanese man who spent time in Hawaii during WWII. By "American Method," I think it's referring to a kettle style potato chip that's thicker and crunchier than most potato chips you can find in Japan, which tend to be almost translucent in thinness. To me, the sour cream flavor tasted even more tangy and creamy than the sour cream and onion chips I've had in the U... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended queensisetan japanese potatochips sourcream hulas sour cream maui chips 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
Pringles Takoyaki Flavor: These special edition Pringles were originally released in the Kansai region of Japan, but I was able to find them at an Odaiba vending machine in Tokyo. With the vending machine, you pay 200¥ (about $2 USD) and press a button to randomly get between 1 and 3 mini Pringles cans. I ended up with one but luckily still received the flavor I was looking for, which is meant to resemble the Japanese street snack takoyaki, battered octopus meatballs drizzled with mayonnaise and a sweet and tangy b... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chips junkfood japanese pringles takoyaki flavor 3.5 octopus
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
Lotte Cheesecake Koala's March: The way this product sat on the shelves at my local kobini, I was initially drawn in by the cheesecake flavor before realizing it was also a special collaboration with Pokemon. These are standard Koala's March biscuits, shaped like koalas with an icing-like filling. With this collaboration, the cookies also feature prints of Pokemon as well as cute koalas doing random things (I found a koala caught in a UFO catcher in this box, something I suspect I wouldn't find in America). I liked Pokemo... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese aeon lotte cheesecake koala's march 3.5