Note that everything after this line was written back in September. Next post will be a bunch of reviews clumped together.
This particular flavor of Jyu-C (Gold), was a special edition that came out for the celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the company. Which makes one wonder how I was able to get it in the summer of 2011. Oh well, I’m happy I could get it and that’s all that matters I suppose.
Taste:
According to the site, the “gold” flavor is a mix of Golden Pineapple (ゴールデンパイン), Golden Delicious – the apple (ゴールデンデリシャス「りんご」) and Golden Kiwi (ゴールデンキウイ). I was able to decipher pineapple&kiwi from the packaging alone, but I wasn’t able to get the apple flavor. Well, on the packaging, it does say “ゴールデンデリシャス” alone, which only says “golden delicious” which made me very confused. Online researching helped though.
I believe there were 15 little tablets. And besides having fruit flavor, this Jyu-C product also contains a “mixture/combination” (配合) of calcium (カルシウム).
I’m actually really hungry at this moment, I can feel my stomach grumbling (it’s 12:21AM). Sooooo, let’s eat some Jyu-C!
Only one of my tablets had a picture on it, the others were only a boring K (that stands for Kabaya). The tablets are white with tiny specks of yellow “fruit” grains. Immediately, I smell a strong and delicious pineapple flavor. I’m a big fan of pineapples, though I hate how you have to soak it in salt water and if you place the pineapple directly on your tongue, you can taste the salt.
The first thing I taste is actually a peach/apple taste. It’s sweet and tart. The grains add a wonderful texture to the tablet, making them kind of pop in my mouth – the Pop Rocks kind of feeling, only obviously not as strong. There was a sudden burst of pineapple flavor that was really delicious. The apple gives it a mellow, sweet flavor while the pineapple adds the tang. The kiwi…I’m not really sure, I can’t really distinguish it.
I prefer letting it sort of ”melt” until it gets kind of thin and then chewing the rest. It isn’t hard-hard candy, so it’s definitely chew-able, but it’s not exactly chewy either…
Nutritional Facts:
Calories/Energy : (エネルギー) 92 kcal
Protein : (たんぱく質) 0.1 g
Fats : (脂質) 0.2 g
Carbohydrates: (炭水化物) 22.8 g
Sodium: (ナトリウム) 12 mg
Calcium: (カルシウム) 26mg
Cost: $.98
Oh my gosh, the Kabaya website is absolutely adorable. Click here, and be ready to smile. If you want to view the other flavors, click on the crow. Click on the duck/pig (puck?) to see the Jyu-C movies (my favorite is the third one with the little girl and the crow). Click on the goat for games&a quiz(LOL, the quiz is only one question long and the prize is a wallpaper). The horse is just letters from everyone.
Tasty Japan has tried the Grape flavor for Jyu-C.
Filed under: Candy, Fruit, Kabaya, Market | Leave a Comment
short update
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! :)
Uhm, so quick thing. I am pretty much ready to post a real post. I just need to upload pictures and add a few links. I hate uploading photos though. It’s such an annoying process. =____=” But in any case, I think I can post… this weekend at the latest?
Also, I did start a new blog, like I said I might. However, it’s going to be in Japanese for the most part, so… you know. Uhm, I want to blog in Japanese for a couple reasons. One, for practice. And also, I want to talk to more Japanese people/people who know Japanese (though, whether I’ll actually get to I don’t know).
Well, even if you can’t read Japanese, maybe check it out. I won’t just be writing. I’ll also post pictures, maybe some video links. And I might do English from time to time (if I don’t know how to say it in Japanese that is). Anyways, do check it out if you’d like. But yeah, new review(s) in a few days (I haven’t decided which to post first yet).
New Blog : smilesforsale.wordpress.com
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Haul #19
Sorry, I’ve been MIA for so long. To be honest, I was thinking about not blogging anymore, but I kind of felt like doing it again. Well, no, I’ve felt like doing it again a lot, but I never got enough motivation to do so. I’m “back”, but who knows for how long this time.
Well, laziness wasn’t the only reason I didn’t post anything. I haven’t gone to Japantown in a while too. After the last haul (September), I only went back once (late November), so I wouldn’t have had much anyways.
Right now, I’m planning on (after this post) posting one review that I had already written out (after I edit it a bit) and then I’m thinking of doing one or two posts of all that’s been going on with me (snack-wise of course). Since I ate them a long time ago, it probably wouldn’t be a very sufficient review if by itself, so I’ll just clump them together.
Also, I want to start another blog. I want to post more personal things - pictures when I take my camera out on outings, short blurbs on my life (if something interesting happens), maybe talk about anime, or maybe for the sole purpose of writing stories. I haven’t really decided yet. I figured it would be weird to add it here, and changing the blog name now would be a little weird too. Nothing I’ve said is for certain yet though. I want to make that clear, nothing from this or the last paragraph. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, assuming people still read this blog.
Moving on, today was a half day at school so I went out to Japantown (because the next time I can go is in June I think). I was going to go with my friend, but she kind of ditched me. Oh well, I had planned on going alone originally anyhow.
The new Daiso is kind of lame, honestly, I only go there to check on their erasers. But other than that, they don’t really have anything going for them. (for me at least)
This time I didn’t get any erasers at Daiso, I did get some from Ichiban’kan though. I’m trying to get as much as possible before the price goes up again (right now it’s $.75, it used to be $.50 T_T). There are just some I don’t really want though. Like, I want them, but not right now, I’d rather spend it on the new stuff, but I’m scared to go back and find that it’s more expensive when I finally want it, you know.
Apple & Purple Grape (can't believe I didn't have it in my fruit collection already : Watermelon, Peach, Strawberry, Melon, Pineapple, Banana x2, Green Grapes and an Orange)
Filed under: Haul | 1 Comment
First thing, this isn’t a Japanese product, though I did find it at Nijiya – which is a Japanese market. It’s from Taiwan, or at least it was manufactured there, distributed in CA though.
Second, during the haul, I didn’t understand why they called it Ketchup French Fries. If, however, I had actually turned the package around (which, I have no idea why I didn’t…), I would’ve realized that it said “Enjoy Crispy and Crunchy potato sticks with tasty Ketchup flavor!”. Yup, so it’s ketchup-flavored, that’s why.
Taste:
It also says “once you eat, you can’t stop!”. That, happened to become true for me. I went through almost the whole bag, but I stopped myself because I wanted to eat some while I was writing this review.
The size kind of surprised me. I thought it would be similar to Jagabee or Jyagariko, but it isn’t. It’s much thinner and smaller, which I suppose is what made me blow through it faster (having to grab a bunch at a time).
The smell is very much like french fries, with ketchup. Like the packaging says, it is crispy&crunchy. The taste is very unique, and familiar at the same time. It has the sweet tartness of real ketchup, but also a little bit salty.
It tastes astonishingly close to what a real, fresh french fry would taste like. It’s really unbelievable. The only difference – aside from the size – is the texture, which is more crunchy than regular french fries. Although, there are those tiny bits that are crunchier in real fries.
I don’t think there are any like, I don’t actually know what they’re called, but I guess, chemicals? Or like, hmmm… Anyways, it’s natural (ish) ingredients. The ingredient list says “potato, vegetable oil, seasoning, tomato powder, salt, spice (onion, garlic, chili pepper), vegetable powder”. Yeah….
And another good thing about this product is the packaging design. No, it isn’t resealable (I wish it was, that’s the only thing that could make this better). But it has TWO openings. They actually tell you that “when content becomes smaller, make an opening from the middle of the package”. This is really convenient and thoughtful of the manufacturers. I didn’t rip it, because I’m a little OCD about that – I don’t like to ruin packaging. Which is why, I tried to open this just by pulling at it, rather than peeling. But I couldn’t, it was too tough.
Nutritional Facts:
Net Wt: 1.8oz (50g)
Serving Size: 50g
Calories: 268.4
Total Fat: 16g
Sat Fat: 7.3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 400mg
Total Carbohydrate: 27.7g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6g
Sugars: 0.7g
Protein: 3.4g
Vitamin C: 4.4%
Calcium: 2.3%
Iron: 5.6%
Cost:
I got this for $2.49.
Next: Jyuu-C : Gold
I would actually consider buying this again, if I were ever in the mood for it.
Filed under: Chips, Nijiya, OMG Delicious!, Other Brand, Snacks | 1 Comment
I’m going to start off this post with a little bit more personal stuff. So you can skip this part if you want to.
First, I want to say that I don’t have many snacks left (well, I already told you before, but I’m just repeating myself). I only have about one month’s worth of reviews (that is if I post them weekly). Of course, I can stop by my local market and get some from time to time, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to Japantown anytime soon. During Thanksgiving break for sure, but I don’t know if I’ll go back any time before that. So I might have some really long breaks between posts, sorry in advance.
Second (and lastly), I want to talk about my pictures. I totally have a nice camera now, so I want to start taking better – more artistic – shots of the snacks. I’ve been kind of lazy with it so lately, it’s just been BLEH, but I know I can do better, so I will try!
Taste:
I’m a fan of dark chocolate. I’ve tried 86% before (which is probably the highest) and I found it a tad on the not so delicious side. I mean, the first piece was kind of awful. But the ones that came after it tasted a bit better, but it was still a little bit gross. There was absolutely no trace of a sweet taste on it at all.
My favorite is 72% from Ghirardelli. It’s perfect for me. Bitter, but still a little bit sweet.
I would label this chocolate around 60% (because it’s kind of similar to the 60% at Ghirardelli). It’s darker than milk chocolate for sure. It doesn’t have any of the creamy/milky-ness that milk chocolate has. But it’s also pretty sweet – kind of milk chocolate sweet (not in taste, but in strength).
The shape kind of throws me off, because it makes me feel like I’m getting less chocolate than the big bar makes it seem like I should. Still, the flavor makes up for it. I want to say that this is even better than Dars, but I can’t because I haven’t had Dars in a while so it wouldn’t be a fair game. But this is definitely making it up there as one of my favorite brands of chocolate.
It’s good, though a little bit sweet for me. I would recommend this for people who don’t necessary love dark chocolate (like I do), but still want something a bit darker than milk chocolate.
Nutritional Facts:
Net Wt: 2.04oz (58g)
Serving Size: 1/2 package (29g)
Calories: 170
Fat Calories: 100
Total Fat: 11g
Sat Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 10mg
Sodium: 10mg
Total Carbohydrates: 10g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 15g
Protein: 2g
Vitamin A: <2%
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 4%
Cost:
I got it at the market for $1.68.
You can get it at marukaiEstore ($1.78), eFoodDepot ($1.79), Asian Food Grocer ($1.84), or Amazon ($2.49).
Read reviews by Jim’s Chocolate Mission, Authority Sites Blog, and Candy Addict.
Check out this site for some handmade chocolate recipes (手作りチョコレシピ). If you can read Japanese, you can look (and maybe try) some of the recipes on the left hand side. If you can’t, well, you can still enjoy the sparkly and delicious looking pictures.
Next: Ketchup French Fries
Filed under: Candy, Chocolate, Market, Meiji, OMG Delicious! | Leave a Comment
I hate when I review something that I can’t find any other information from online – reviews and/or purchasing. I mean, I guess I’m kind of weird because some people might be happy about it because it means they have something “exotic” or something. But for some reason, I get upset about it. I don’t even know why. I’m just weird.
I’m not sure exactly how European peach is different from regular peach, but whatever. There was also another package that was European strawberry. I was craving peach more than strawberry though, it sounded better – because I knew strawberry would just be strawberry, but I was hoping peach would be different somehow.
Taste:
I like Yogurfrul because it really is yogurty so it melts away. You don’t necessarily have to chew it at all, though I still would to get some of the “juice” out.
I wouldn’t exactly call it “peach”, it kind of tastes like canned peach – in a way – but not exactly. It’s pretty artificial I guess. But I still like it. It’s “unique”. And it smells nice too (lol).
I only had 3 pieces (there was 9 or 10 total), but I brought it to work to share (with my new “extended” family!) so, yeah.
Nutritional Facts:
Net Wt: 1.93oz (55g)
Serving Size: 5g
Servings: 10
Calories: 24
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 3mg
Total Carbohydrate: 5g
Sugars: 4g
Cost: I got it at Nijiya for $1.99.
Next: Meiji Black Chocolate
Filed under: Candy, Fruit, Kanro, Nijiya, Yogurfrul | 1 Comment
I’m so sorry to anyone who saw the last post & thought it was a real review. Shit. I’m so stupid. I forgot that I had set that as scheduled – because I thought I would be done with it. But I got so busy with work & all. I’m sorry!
I’ve been neglecting this blog for a while. First, it was because of my work, but then after my job ended (summer school teacher), I just got lazy. It’s okay though, because I won’t be able to go back to Japantown for a while, and I still have a huge stack of snacks to review. I’ve had some stuff already, but I just haven’t gotten the chance to write up a review.
Taste:
This is the kind of stuff I see at every asian market, but it’s so expensive for something that’s mildly stupid, that I always pass it up. Which is why, the only reason I bought this was because it was on sale.
It’s actually not that bad of a chocolate. Like, it’s not the nasty, cheap kind of chocolate. It’s pretty good, but it’s not like amazing either. It’s just regular milk chocolate in pencil form. Yeah, it’s good for all it’s worth (the on sale price that is).
Nutritional Facts:
Net Wt: 0.95oz (27g)
Serving Size: 0.95oz (27g)
Calories: 160
Total Fat: 10g
Sat Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 8mg
Sodium: 10mg
Total Carbohydrates: 15g
Fiber: <1g
Sugars: 12g
Protein: 2g
Vitamin A: <2%
Calcium: 6%
Vitamin C: <2%
Iron: <2%
Cost:
I got it at Ichiban’kan for $.69.
Get it at KabariStore ($1.75) or eFoodDepot ($1.69).
Next: Yogurfrul – European Peach
Filed under: Candy, Chocolate, Fujiya, Ichiban'kan | Leave a Comment
Haul #18
On Tuesday the 13th, I got to pick up my new camera after school. And the day after that, I brought it to school (well, “work” – my summer job at a summer school). Wednesday was Back To School Night, which started at about 6, so we had about 2 hours to chill before we had to be back at school, so my friend and I went to Japantown (This MIGHT be the last time I go to Japantown this summer, so…).
I still have a lot of candy and stuff from the last haul, but I wanted to go anyway. I was mainly looking for boxes for my eraser collection, but it looks like they’re not selling them anymore. Damn. That means, I’ll have to rotate what gets to be displayed.
Anyways, first up is pictures of what I got and then just some random pictures that I really like (remember, this is taken with my new camera). Oh, and I think I might stop putting the tag on the pictures, I’m getting tired of it – I haven’t thought it over a lot yet, but that’s what I’m feeling like doing at the moment.
Pineapple eraser, the only one I bought this time (at Ichiban’kan for $.75 plus tax).
Sweet Tortes has not disappointed me so far. I’ve tried the Fondant Chocolate and Chocolate Tart, and this time I’m trying Tiramisu. Looking forward to this ! :D
Chocolate pencils from Fujiya. My friend and I each got one because they were on sale. I agree with her on what she said about it though “I’ve always wanted to try it, but I would never buy it if it was the usual price”, the usual price is about $1 something. That day, it was only $.69. Sorry there isn’t a whole picture, but I opened the package before I could take one – stupid, stupid me.
Meiji Mango Chocolate and Look Matcha Anmitsu – both that I read reviews for from Snack Love, so I’m looking forward to these, especially the mango chocolate. I actually also got a folder at Ichiban’kan, of Rilakkuma (of course), but I didn’t get a chance to take a photo so… oh well.
I found this right next to the Look Match Anmitsu. I didn’t get it though, because it was more expensive ($5.99) and I figured that it should taste pretty much the same – this one is called “Matcha Cream Parfait”… so, I don’t know. It probably would have tasted great, but I’ll settle for the Anmitsu. There was also a box next to this one that was basically the same thing, except it was from a different brand, I don’t remember what it looked like anymore, but yeah. That was the same price as the one I bought, but since I’ve had Look before, I just went with this one.
Looks delicious right? Actually, no. The shop looks like they have delicious cupcakes, and they probably are. But these are the ones that are on display – and have been sitting there all day (without even a covering – it’s a wall display with glass only on one side). This one is in pretty good shape, but there are a lot that are in far worse condition.
Just something my friend bought at Kid Robot, they were having a sale – a bundle of 5 for $10. I don’t think the actual toy is very cute, but I love the shot. It’s so much easier and better to take pictures using the natural light. I feel like when I use the indoor lights, the picture quality is so bleh.
So I’ll end this post with a shot that I absolutely adore. I love the angle – the slanted floor was not intentional, but it’s one of my favorite features of this picture. The colors in the background are awesome and my friend is so cute. LOL, she was confused/embarrassed about how I told her to pose, but in the end, this was her favorite shot too.
Filed under: Haul | 1 Comment
I got my new camera! Yay! So this is going to be the last post with pictures taken from my old camera. I bought an Olympus 14MP camera (30x optical zoom).
Taste:
The taste is pretty good. It’s not like really a legit kiwi flavor, but it’s still good. It kind of reminds me more of the muscat flavor though, rather than kiwi. It’s sweet and tart
The thing that bothers me though, is the seed. I mean, it’s cute and makes it look “authentic” and all, but it doesn’t taste good. Seeds don’t taste good in general. I think it’s a real kiwi seed, which is cool, but doesn’t taste very good.
Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 9 pieces (45g)
Servings: 3
Calories: 150
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 10mg
Total Carbohydrate: 35g
Sugars: 30g
Protein: 2g
Cost:
I got this at Daiso for $2.50 (not including tax).
You can get it at Amazon ($2.98), Asian Food Grocer($2.98), Pacific Mercantile Company($3.25) or eBay ($4.49).
Next: Haul #18
Filed under: Candy, Daiso, Fruit, Gummy, Kasugai | Leave a Comment
Holiday Special : Fourth of July
This was totally sudden, I didn’t think I was going to do one, but last Wednesday, I went to Walgreens to buy some stuff for my secret friend (I’m back at my summer job ! Getting paid this year though !). I also bought two things for myself, Royal Dansk Luxury Wafers (Vanilla) and Hershey’s Air Delights (a new product to me).
Today is the Luxury Wafers, and maybe I’ll save the Air Delights for the near future.
Taste:
I’ve actually had these before, which is why I was hesitant to review it, but I don’t really remember it all that well – and I might have had a different flavor entirely.
There are 15 sticks contained, and each is a little piece of heaven. Well, kind of.
The smell is just – mmf! Very vanilla-y. It’s kind of a mix between real vanilla and vanilla frosting – the one from Betty Crocker’s. I love those ! They are so good, I always try to scoop some out and just eat the frosting. It’s that delicious !
It’s about a ring-and-pinky-finger in length. I know, that’s kind of a bad way to tell you the length. But whatever.
Very delicious. The wafer is light, but crispy. And the vanilla cream inside it is absolutely divine. The cream is pretty sweet, but the wafer is kind of plain, so it gets balanced out and it’s not too overwhelmingly sweet.
Nutritional Facts:
Net Wt: 3.5oz (100g)
Serving Size: 5 pieces (36g/1.3oz)
Servings: 3
Calories: 170
Total Fat: 7g
Sat Fat: 3g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 90mg
Total Carbohydrate: 27g
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 1g
Cost:
I got this at Walgreens for $1.00, no tax.
Get it at ShopRite ($.99).
Next: Kiwi Kasugai Gummies
Filed under: Holiday Special, Snacks, Wafers, Walgreens | Leave a Comment
