Bourbon Kitanotamago no Sable Biscuits: I've been having a lot of plainer snacks recently, but this biscuit is definitely one of the better ones I've had, in Japan and otherwise. The box comes with 8 individually wrapped cookies, shaped like eggs and reminding me of dinosaur egg cartoons. They have a crumbly texture and sweet, buttery flavor that's surprisingly satisfying and richer than your typical biscuit. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese bourbon kitanotamago no sable biscuits 3.5 Maruetsu
Morinaga Carre de Chocolat Strawberry Dark Chocolates: One of the delightful things about chocolates in Japan, even inexpensive options available from convenience stores, is they often have clever packaging, the type that make you want to display them and share them with other people. This box of 18 chocolates, costing about $3 USD, contains gold-foil-wrapped dark chocolate squares sized similarly to banquet-style individual servings of butter, the top half tasting of tart and sweet strawberry and the bottom half dark chocolate. The base of th... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese morinaga carre de chocolat strawberry dark chocolates 3.5
Parle Parle-G Biscuits: Another Indian snack I received in my snack care package. According to WIkipedia, these are the best selling brand of biscuits in the world, having been produced for almost 100 years since 1939. The rectangular biscuits feature its name surrounded by a laurel design and are a golden brown color, tasting slightly sweet and normally paired with tea or coffee. I ate them without any accompaniment and enjoyed their neutral flavor and texture, though they are pretty much exactly what you would... (read more) 3.0/5.0
indian parle parle-g biscuits 3.0
Lotte Strawberry Toppo: Toppo is another staple convenience store (kobini) snack in Japan. I read somewhere that they're like inverted Pocky sticks, but they're not so much inverted as redistributed: the snack consists of long straws with a neutral biscuit exterior filled with flavored hardened icing such as chocolate and strawberry. The strawberry flavor has a good balance of sweet and tart, reminding me of the Koala's March snacks but less sweet as there is a more balanced biscuit to icing ratio. Like many Jap... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese strawberry inegaya lotte toppo 3.0
Wanpo Tea Shop Oolong milk tea with boba: I've had bubble tea in Japan at a handful of shops, and most have been very disappointing, with watered-down powdered tea and overly soft boba. When I saw that there was a Taiwanese chain of bubble tea shops near Ueno station whose wall is lined with loose-leaf tea canisters, I thought they might be different. Luckily, my suspicions were confirmed, and I was actually able to communicate with the shop in Mandarin, a big win for me as I normally feel pretty useless with the little Japanese I... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended bubbletea japan wanpoteashop oolong milk tea boba 4.0
Sanritsu Genji Pie: Genji Pies are heart-shaped Palmier cookies that come in individually wrapped packages containing two cookies each. The flaky pastry is surrounded by a ring of sugar, and while the cookies are sweet, they aren't as sweet as most American versions and come in a more snackable size. Feeling happy to have easy access to an affordable cookie that reminds me of home. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese sanritsu genji pie 3.5 cookies