Enjoy the things you can afford
Brand: Yamayoshi Cost: Emil forgot (130-140 yen) Found At: Family Mart Emil always manages to find the best potato chips. I never see him do it, either. I will go to the bathroom or get in the shower, and when I come back, it is as if a bag has miraculously appeared in his hand.... Continue Reading →
Brand: Pokka Sapporo Cost: 130 yen Found At: Vending Machine I have been ogling this juice all summer. I see it every morning as I walk to the subway station, in its little pastel-colored bottle, and I can’t help being attracted to the cute, cheerful packaging. I kept fantasizing about how refreshing it would be... Continue Reading →
Brand: Bourbon Cost: 130 yen Found At: Mini Stop You could taste this cookie from across the room. To say it tastes like coconut is an understatement. In fact, it tastes more like a coconut than an actual coconut ever has. It’s delicious, don’t get me wrong. The little cookie sandwiches are filled with sweet... Continue Reading →
Brand: Tirol Cost: 30 yen Found At: Mini Stop Tirol Chocolates are ubiquitous in Japan. They cost between 20 and 30 yen, are about 3 cm square, and come in hundreds if not thousands of novelty flavors. One of my coworkers is obsessed with them, bringing in all sorts of exotic flavors that I can... Continue Reading →
Brand: Mini Stop and Aeon Cost: 132 yen Found at: Ministop I am 100% on board with using unusual flours to make everyday food. I'm not a food scientist, but I think that one of the keys to ecological sustainability and better community health will be to switch from traditional staples – corn, wheat, rice,... Continue Reading →
Brand: Acrue Cost: 160 yen Found at: Acrue Vending Machine, Tokyo Station I am still amazed when apple juice tastes like apple juice. It is one of those things that as an American, you take for granted. You assume that the juice from apples and apple juice are two completely different flavors. But one of... Continue Reading →
Brand: Asahi Cost: 140 yen Found at: Vending Machine, Kamakura For the second time in as many weeks, I have been tricked. I look into the vending machine or the convenience store shelf, and I grab the cheapest bubbly water they have. Then, when I go to take a drink, I realize that I have... Continue Reading →
Brand: Meiji Cost: 100 yen Found At: Family Mart, Osaka The Meiji chocolate headquarters in the Tokyo area has the best building design I have ever seen. Move over Kanazawa art museum, there’s a new architectural innovator in town. The wall facing the Shinkansen is designed to look exactly like a giant Meiji chocolate bar.... Continue Reading →
Brand: Calbee Cost: 160 yen Found At: Lawson When I lived in China, we would use any excuse to go get hot pot. Birthdays, holidays, business dinners, visiting friends, Tuesdays - whatever the occasion, we would all load into a taxi cab in search of spicy food. We went to hole-in-the-wall family joints that would... Continue Reading →
Brand: Kracie Cost: 120 Found At: My Basket Grocery Store Never before have I wondered what would happen if perfume, breath mints, and skincare products were combined into a candy. But as usual, Japan has answers to the questions I never thought to explore. The packaging describes the flavor as a “fruity candy with the... Continue Reading →
The Little Food Blog 