I seem to have lost a big chunk of pictures and receipts so these next few posts are going to be a little sucky, but then again, I wanted to change the format so… it’s slightly okay.
”ぎゅっと濃く まったり溶ける”
I kind of get what it’s saying, but not really. The strong, rich (taste) melts [in your mouth]. Urgh, actually I don’t get it. The only part that makes sense is the 溶ける part.
This was really good. I was sort of expecting a cloying white chocolate, but this turned out to be more of a vanilla bean flavor. Super delicious. There are some white chocolates that are just too sweet, but this is my favorite kind – when it turns out to be like vanilla. It reminds me of the Dreyer’s French Vanilla Ice Cream that I used to love eating. So good.
If you let it, it probably would actually melt in your mouth. But I just like biting it. It is definitely a “strong and rich” taste.
It seems like the Chocolate and Strawberry versions of this candy are more popular/easily found. Who knows.
Filed under: Candy, Chocolate, Ichiban'kan, Meiji | Leave a Comment
Haul #21
So I think I will continue blogging, posts will be irregular, but I will post, at least for the duration of the summer. This is mostly because I figured out an easier way to post pictures. I can use my new phone’s camera (which is pretty good quality for a phone) and that’ll make the pictures easier to upload.
On another note, when I got back today I saw my “friend” (he’s a teacher and my co-worker, but it feels kind of weird calling him my friend since he’s almost twice my age) post pictures from Tsukiji (the fish market in Tokyo). I freaked out. SO NOT FAIR! I want to be in Japan too :(
In terms of food, I didn’t get much. Just stuff that appealed to me. Yuzu flavored gummys – very summery. I thought I’d give Pure a whack, I’ve heard good things about it. I had a hard time choosing a flavor (it was between peach, muscat and bitter squash), but I decided to play it safe the first time around. The green tea bar is the cheap version of Kit Kat. I saw the Green Tea Kit Kats on sale, but I decided to get this instead, which seems to be very similar (or at least, it should be). And then finally, Jyagariko just because.
Surprisingly, I only bought 2 this time. Well, I’ve been losing the happy spark at finding these lately. Especially since the price has gone up. Ichiban’kan is at $.75, still the cheapest, but they rarely have the new ones in stock. I bought these two at Amiko ($.80) which is relatively cheap and they do have some of the newer ones, though the stock they have is less since it’s a boutique. And then finally, Kinokuniya/Maido, has the best stock, but crazy expensive at $1.15. I refuse to pay more than $1 for these. Ahh, I remember the days when these only cost $.50, I should have known better about the economy back then and bought up a storm.
This is something I got at Amiko’s as well. It’s really pretty. Normally, I don’t wear any accessories, but I decided not to cut my hair this summer (at least until August), so I thought I should get something to make my hair look more presentable. And this was such a bargaining. Usually at $3, but it was 50% off. And also (I didn’t take a picture of it, but) it can function as both a hair tie and just a plain clip. AWESOME. It’s like a 2 for 1 deal and for half off too !
And finally, the best for last. DUN DUN DUN! I finally got my hands on volume 10 (and additionally volume 11)!!! So happy ! I was about to buy the magazine too, but it took all my will to leave it behind. I can’t wait to move to Japan. The price for this stuff is crazy ridiculous. The manga is only about 440 yen, which is about $5, but with the price of oversea shipping tagged to it, it comes out to $8+tax. And the magazines especially. Something that’s about 550 yen costs like $10 (because they’re bigger and heavier). The only thing (besides the cost) that sucks now is that I have to wait about 6-10 months before the next tankoubon comes out.
I’m still debating whether to buy volume 1-4. I don’t normally buy manga, but I bought this one because a) I loved it b) online scans only went up to volume 5 when 11 volumes are out already and c) I thought it was only 10 volumes. Had I known there was more, I may not have bought them, but now… I’m stuck. It looks bad starting from 5, but 1-4 is online, so I don’t really want to waste money since I wouldn’t really read them. We’ll see.
Filed under: Haul | Leave a Comment
Haul #20
Sorry. I’m a bad person. I had just started and then I stopped posting again. -______________-” So I can’t guarantee that I will post again. But… yeah. The biggest reason why I don’t is because I hate uploading photos. I think I said it before. WordPress loads so slow on me. And I absolutely hate doing. What should only take 5 minutes usually ends up taking 20 minutes or so.
If you want to see the pictures of the actual day, check out my other blog. (It’s in Japanese, but you can see the pictures at least, of my lunch, stuff I didn’t buy but should have and my eraser collection)
Filed under: Haul | 2 Comments
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
Sweets Blog 