Enjoy the things you can afford
Brand: Ashiritsu Industrial Corporation Cost: 108 yen Found At: Ministop This dessert is a beautiful hockey-puck of delight. I have been told that mochi is not for everyone. Whether it is the gooey texture of pounded, sweet rice or the unfamiliar concept of a bean-based desert filling, it seems to be one of those things... Continue Reading →
Brand: Kirin: Koiwai family Products Cost: 160 yen Found At: Vending Machine If the color didn’t tell get the message across, and the large cheerful illustration of grapes did not clue you in, you would still recognize the flavor instantly. This drink is full-on grape. It is maximum grape. It is grape as God and... Continue Reading →
Brand: Suntory Cost: 183 yen Found At: Family Mart I’m not sure if this “special tea” is a new thing or if I just haven’t noticed it until now, but either way, I have suddenly started seeing this tea everywhere. A clue as to why came from my Japanese co-worker, who admitted to paying 30-50... Continue Reading →
Brand: Fujisafu Cost >200 yen (I don't remember) Found At: Cainz I have had a bad relationship with okra since a bulk seafood gumbo incident in my childhood. It is somehow spiny and slimy and bitter, and I have yet to have my “come to Jesus moment” with this staple of southern cooking. I will... Continue Reading →
Brand: Asahi Cost: 117 yen Found At: Mini Stop Suggested by: Spencer Wharton When Spencer suggested this, I assumed that this was a weird gimmicky drink that I would only find on the Asahi factory tour. So, when I told him I would look out for it, I felt safe in the knowledge that I... Continue Reading →
Brand: Family Mart Cost: DOESN’T MATTER but actually 108 yen Found At: Family Mart I’m not sniffy when it comes to chocolate. I can recognize good chocolate, but I will eat Hershey’s chocolate bars happily enough. I’ve heard the arguments against cheap chocolate - often from Europeans who are clearly working through some candy-based trauma.... Continue Reading →
Brand: Lawson Select Cost: 100 yen Found At: Lawson Donated By: Nick Hogios I still vividly remember the first time I saw someone eating uncooked ramen. It’s one of those defining moments in your life when you realize that the world is not black and white – that there is not a fixed set of rules... Continue Reading →
Brand: Ministop Cost: 130 yen Found At: Ministop There is something decidedly Melvillian about this onigiri. The limp, stale seaweed wrap and stiff, flavorless rice takes you to the cold, damp fishing boats, hunting the tuna off the coast of Newfoundland. Before you can unlock the subtle flavor of the raw tuna, you must first... Continue Reading →
Brand: Kirin; Sekai no Kitchen (World Kitchen) Cost 154 yen Found At: Family Mart For too long have I been ruled by fear. I have looked at the salty litchi drink on the shelves of my local convenience store and said: “not for me.” I have let my preconceived notions, made in ignorance, be my... Continue Reading →
Brand: Yuraku Confectionery Company Cost: 31 yen Found At: Family Mart The problem with reviewing this chocolate is that I am not an unbiased observer. My perception of it is clouded by the length and depth of my relationship with this dramatically named chocolate bar. It is not that I like this chocolate, it’s not... Continue Reading →
The Little Food Blog 