Tokyo Banana Pokmeon Edition Tokyo Banana: Tokyo Banana is a brand of cake only available in Japan that's marketed as the #1 souvenir. I bought a few boxes to mail as gifts when returning to the states, along with this single serving pouch of their special Pokemon edition. As far as I know, it's the exact same flavor as the original Tokyo Banana but features Pikachu printed on the sponge cake. The cake itself is very fluffy and soft but has very little flavor to it on its own; inside is a banana cream with a slightly brownish-yell... (read more) 2.5/5.0
japanese tokyobanana pokmeon edition tokyo banana 2.5
Tohato Milky Caramel Corn: To prevent the spread of COVID, all drinking fountains were disabled, and all restaurants were closed at Narita International Airport. The only place to buy food in Terminal 1 was at their Lawson convenient store, which sold a variety of packaged snacks. I hadn't seen this Milky version of Caramel Corn, based on the popular condensed-milk-flavored candies, so I got it to eat for breakfast before my flight. The puffed corn took on the flavor of milk candy remarkably well, tasting like a cr... (read more) 3.0/5.0
japanese tohato milky caramel corn 3.0
Nichirei Cheese waffles: Probably meant for kids, I was nonetheless intrigued by the idea of cheese-filled waffle sticks and grabbed this bag from the frozen aisle as I was waiting in line at Aeon. They're a bit bigger than fish sticks but definitely portable and easy to heat up in the microwave. Surprisingly, the texture of the waffles is pretty decent, and it has a fluffier, softer consistency than the crispy waffles you might make in an iron, but the same familiar eggy flavor. The cheese is very minimal and mild,... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese frozen aeon nichirei cheese waffles 3.5
Doraemon Cafe Grapefruit and peach cream soda: I had planned to go to the “Doraemon” museum from before I came to Japan (technically the Fujiko Fujio museum, the artist who created Doraemon) since the robot cat is a favorite from my childhood. Last weekend, I finally got a solo ticket from Lawson after accepting I wouldn’t be able to convince any of my friends to go all the way out to Kanagawa, about an hour from Tokyo. I ended my trip at the small yet lovely museum with a trip to their cafe, ordering their Doraemon grapefruit and peach ... (read more) 2.5/5.0
Kanagawa japanese drinks doraemoncafe grapefruit peach cream soda 2.5 novelty
Gari Gari Kun Kyushu Mikan mandarin orange popsicle : I am a fan of Kumamon, a popular black bear mascot representing Kumamoto prefecture in Japan. He's kind of everywhere, so I wasn't surprised to find him on ice cream packaging for this mandarin flavored popsicle with citrus from Kyushu . The rectangular ice brick reminds me of Sunkist, with a tangy slightly too-concentrated-to-be-natural orange flavor, though it is enjoyable for what it is. Purchased from Family Mart. 3.0/5.0
familymart japanese garigarikun kyushu mikan mandarin orange popsicle 3.0
Kellogg's Hershey's Strawberry Chocobits: Strawberry milk was a guilty pleasure of mine growing up. We weren't allowed to buy chocolate or strawberry syrup at home, so I would covet Nesquik powder every time I visited a friend's house. I haven't seen this brand of Hershey's cereal outside of Japan, but it normally comes in a chocolate flavor featuring cereal nuggets with a cream filling. It definitely leans more towards the taste of cereal than say an Oreo cookie, but it's also certainly engineered for a kid's palette. The straw... (read more) 3.0/5.0
cereal japanese kelloggs hershey's strawberry chocobits 3.0