Snacking in Japan

As I have mentioned in the previous post on Japan, there's just that many good food in that country. This blog is dedicated to all the snacks I had while visiting Tokyo, Japan back in January.

#1 Nana Green Tea
http://www.nanasgreentea.com/en/

Nana Green Tea is easily my #1 favorite dessert in Japan. Good news is that this is a chain store that maintain its high quality. I've been to 4 different Nana Green Tea places and they all taste equally good. :) DA BOMB! Who doesnt love green tea ice cream with mochi and parfait? Believe it or not, I was able to finish the whole dessert by myself. But imagine how much calories you are consuming. This is my favorite order - MATCHA AND RICE-FLOUR DUMPLING PARFAIT: it comes in many layers of goodness. Starting from the top -> heavy cream with a scoop of green tea ice cream & red bean, 3 rice cakes followed by cornflakes, the parfait and finally green tea gelatin. I usually mix it all up and eat it. We also tried the Hoji Cha and rice flour Dumpling Parfait. This has more tea bitterness taste as compared to the matcha parfait. 

MATCHA AND RICE-FLOUR DUMPLING PARFAIT

#2 Takoyaki by Gindaco
http://www.gindaco.com/

Mum LOVES takoyaki. We had this almost everyday when we visited Japan last year. She could literally eat four takoyaki balls by herself. For those who don't know what Takoyaki is - it is a flour batter mixed with red ginger bits, spring onions, dried shirmp with one small octopus piece inside. It is also garnished with onion flakes and mayonnaise. Takoyaki is best eaten when hot so that you can taste the freshness and crispiness of the snack. We specifically like to eat from this chain store - Gindaco. Why? Gindaco Takoyaki serves delicious takoyaki balls that are crispy on the outside and yet soft on the inside. :) Yumminess

#3 Ice at Sumo

I would think that any food/snacks inside a competition arena would be overpriced and average in the taste. However, this theory was proven wrong when we visited the Sumo arena. Some of the snacks we had here tasted pretty good. However, the best one would be the soft serve ice cream. We were pleasantly surprise that this ice cream is one of the better tasting ice creams we've had. Who would imagine such yummy ice cream in a sumo arena?! Tasted not too sweet and you can taste the chocolate and vanilla at the right amount. ! 

#4 Crepes
Located at Harajuku Street 

So I would say the name of this crepes store is - CREPES SWEET BOX. This is located near the front gate of harajuku street. There are probably 5/6 other crepe stores if you walk further inside. I've only tried this one. But I would say that most crepes in Japan taste all the same goodness. I was never a big fan of savory crepes, so I usually get the sweet crepes nutella with banana/strawberry & scoop of ice cream. :)

#5 Waffles 
Address // 5-7-19, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Manneken belgian waffles is also a chain store and you can find it almost everywhere in Tokyo. We got ours along Ginza Street. A small piece of waffle costs about 120 - 150 YEN, depending on the flavors. We tried the plain and maple waffles and both tasted delicious! These waffles are eaten best when it is hot - soft and chewy & not too sweet. The cashier will asked if you are planning to eat it rightaway or not. If you're planning keep it for later, they will tell you that it's better if you heat it up before you eat and that you shouldnt keep it longer than 1-2 days for the best taste. 

#6 Fruit Juice 
Located at Ginza Mitsukoshi Department Store B2 (ground level 2)

Japan is known for producing fresh and extremely sweet fruits. I think Sun Fruits is one of the companies that is responsible in producing good quality fruits. It's amazing how 12 strawberries can cost up to $50USD or 1 melon costs up to USD$100. BUT, it's definitely worth the price. It would be a waste if these high quality fruits are to be thrown away when no one buys it or that it goes bad. So to prevent that, they make these fruits into jucie. FRESH JUICE without sugar. A small cup (about 200ml) cost about 432YEN (USD$3.50). 100% juice and 0% water content. You can taste the sweetness and freshness of the fruit in the juice and definitely worth the price.

#7 Beef Katsu
Located in Asakusa street food

Unfortunately, I do not know the name of this store. But you can ask around since it seems pretty well known. There's a long line when we get there. This is a fried beef katsu (200 YEN) filled with minced beef and onions, a little bit too oily for me. Aside from the oiliness, it taste good with the right amount of saltiness and sweetness from the onions. 

#8 Bread 
Located near Asakusa temple 

Our final snack for the trip is this tortoise bread for 200 YEN. A huge bread that you can share for two. There is always a long line to getting this bread. Best eaten immediately when it's hot so that you can taste the softness and freshness of the bread.  

There are too many good food to be eaten here in Japan. Going to Japan should be in everyone's bucket list. I will be posting more on Japan's food goodness, so stay tune! ~ :)

With Lots of Love, 
Claraaaa <3