Crunky - Kagoshima Purple Potato Tart

 Click HERE to view the product at napaJapan

Name: Crunky

Maker: Lotte

Flavor: Kagoshima Sweet Purple Potato Tart

Size: 49 grams (12 individually wrapped pieces)

Release Date: June 2010

Best Before Date: May 2011

Packaging - Colorful purple and yellow box that tears easily on the top for easy access. This product is part of a Sakamoto Ryoma series released by Lotte. Sakamoto was a famous samurai in southern Japan (where purple potatoes are in abundance.) There is currently a daily TV drama on in Japan telling his story. The box contains silver foil, individually wrapped mini sectional chocolates. Great for sharing!

At First Glance - There is a Lotte logo stamped twice on each chocolate piece. The chocolate is a light purple and when flipped over the rice puffs can be seen poking through. Has a delightfully sweet marshmallow chocolate aroma similar to Rice Crispy Squares. If your hands are warm you will quickly melt the chocolate so quickly pop it in your mouth.

What's Inside - There is a ton of crunch in these mini bars which is surprising since they are quite flat. The rice puffs are extremely small but there are many embedded throughout each piece. The purple potato chocolate is consistent throughout.

The Taste - If you like sweet chocolate you will love this product. It also has an earthy potato side to it which doesn't feel out of place. In fact it reminds me a lot of the traditional Japanese confectionery you find in tourist areas of Japan (Daigaku Imo) It has a complex flavor due to the 3 components of chocolate, purple potato, and rice crisps. The after taste is extremely pleasant.

Extra Info - These didn't last long and I didn't share them as I had suggested. They were just too darn good! Despite the long shelf life limited edition Lotte products are usually not on shelves for long. In fact when Lotte introduces new flavors they tend to pull the active ones so be sure to snap up a few if you want to savor them until spring 2011.

Nutritional Information (per 1 piece of chocolate 3.9 grams):

Energy - 22 Calories

Protein - 0.2 grams

Fat - 1.3 grams

Carbohydrates - 2.2 grams

Sodium - 5 milligrams

Ten Star rating - 9/10 Crispy, sweet and addictive. I think I will use the word CRUNKY to describe snacking satisfaction!


If you like this product, or what you read in the review, I recommend the following products:

 Crunky - Cookies and Cream           Caramels - Kokutou

Happy Snacking!

Fran - Crispy Milk

Click HERE to view product at napaJapan

Name: Fran

Maker:Meiji

Flavor: Crispy Milk

Size: 48 grams (9 sticks)

Release Date: May 2010

Best Before Date: January 2011

Packaging - I always like silver as a package color and with the beautiful swirl graphics of milk, cookies and chocolate, this is one of my favorite designs of the year. Package opens from the top along the perforated line as seen in the photo below. This reveals 3 dark brown shiny foil packets each containing 3 deluxe sticks. These packets tear easily at the top for easy access.

At First Glance - Comparing to Pocky (the standard) is what I must do because most readers are familiar with it. The first thing I notice is how thick the chocolate is poured onto each stick. Pocky spares the chocolate granted they give you thinner sticks, and more in each box. But this stick contains more than one kind of chocolate; the white milk layer is teasing me by poking out the bottom. The crushed cookie bits are clearly present though smaller than I expected them to be. Unlike Pocky the actual cookie stick is chocolate and more airy. I know Pocky makes a Dessert stick which has volume but these look more dense and I can't wait to try them. The smell is very sweet cocoa much like the residue found at the bottom of a hot chocolate cup in the winter after a long day of sledding.

What's Inside - Biting about 2 cm of the Fran from the top of the stick reveals a wonderful cross-section. You can see a white ring of while milk flavored chocolate between the outer brown chocolate and the cookie stick. The cookie bits embedded in the outer chocolate are definitely smaller than anticipated.

The Taste - Whenever I see companies advertising the taste of 'milk' in their goods I never know what I am going to get. Usually with regards to chocolate it just means a creamier taste. But I actually felt that Meiji pulled this one off. I get the milk flavor at the start and at the end of the eating process. In the middle I found the cookie textures come through. Those mini crushed bits are quite hard and compliment the inner, airy chocolate stick quite well. You realize that you are getting 4 distinct flavors within each bite: milk chocolate, 'MILK' white chocolate, chocolate cookie, and white cookie bits. I have said it before and it is worth saying again...Meiji is my favorite mass-produced chocolate maker in Japan. Their chocolate wows me every time.

Extra Info - I drank coffee with the 2nd pack and it added to my snacking enjoyment. Since the sticks are quite thick they travel quite well. No breakage found in any of the 3 packets. Even if you don't like white chocolate you will probably still like these. My only complaint is that there were only 9 sticks but really the volume was sufficient at 48 grams as it compares to what you get with Pocky.

Nutritional Information (per 3 sticks):

Energy - 88 Calories

Protein - 1.4 grams

Fat - 5.1 grams

Carbohydrates - 9.1 grams

Sodium - 20 milligrams

Ten Star rating - 9.5/10 (no complaints here. my type of snack! I will save the 0.5 score for something that may blow my socks off in the future)


If you like this product, or what you read in the review, I recommend the following products:

               Aero - Hokkaido Milk                         Fran - Salty Milk

Happy Snacking!

Hokkaido Melon Chewing Gum

Click HERE to view product at napaJapan

Name: Hokkaido Melon Chewing Gum

Maker: Lotte

Flavor: Cantaloupe (Yubari) Melon

Size: 27 grams (9 sticks)

Release Date: June 2010

Best Before Date: no date stated as gum has a very long shelf life

Packaging - Pleasant two-tone green shiny outer wrap that opens at one end. Each stick of gum is wrapped in foil with an additional outer paper wrap. These paper wraps have 4 designs as seen in the photo.

At First Glance - Upon unwrapping the gum stick there is a definite melon aroma that is surprisingly quite natural. The stick is finely dusted with which looks like flour and the color is a pale orange. The gum stick is quite soft and does not break when bent. In fact the stick can be bent into a loop quite easily. I am thinking this will be a nice chew.

What's Inside - After examining the white dusting on the gum I found that it is a sweet sugar but that this is not the main source of melon flavor. Licking away this sugar turned the stick a darker orange but it still remained paler than anticipated. This is probably a good thing as I doubt I need any more dye in my body.

The Taste - If you enjoy cantaloupe melon you will love this gum. I was surprised how much flavor it had in its first chew. Do not be worried about an over-ripe flavor. Lotte has created a taste that captures cantaloupe melons in their prime ripeness stage. The first few minutes of chewing brought me sweetness but also sourness which I really enjoyed. Flavor started to wane at about the 15 minute mark. At 30 minutes I still have it in my mouth but I will be getting rid of it soon or refreshing with a new piece. I would say flavor lasts about the same as any other piece of stick gum.

Extra Info - This is not a bubble blowing friendly product. Buy it for the flavor rather than for the mouth play. The gum gets quite tough after 15 minutes. Hokkaido is well-known for its Yubari Melons (cantaloupe variety.) Every summer the first 'perfect' melon sells for thousands of dollars! At napaJapan you can snap this pack up for only $1.99. Why pay thousands to enjoy the flavor of Hokkaido? ;)

Nutritional Information (9 sticks):

Energy - 78 Calories

Protein - 0 grams

Fat - 0 grams

Carbohydrates - 20 grams

Sodium - 0 milligrams

Ten Star rating - 8/10 (accurate flavor and I enjoyed it despite not loving cantaloupe. wished the sour flavor stuck around a little longer)


If you like this product, or what you read in the review, I recommend the following products:

                 Choco Ball Melon                Yubari Caramel Melon

Happy Snacking!

Doritos - Rich Cheese Square Ridges

 Click HERE to see the product in our store


Name: Doritos

Maker: Frito-Lay

Flavor: Rich Cheese

Size: 65 grams

Release Date: May 2010

Best Before Date: October 2010 (and beyond)

Packaging - Unique cardboard cup (13 cm tall) will a peel off foil lid. Attractive graphics with a wide enough top opening to grab the product..

At First Glance - Are these really Doritos? They look like thick crackers (about 2 cm square) and there is little of the black flecking you see on regular sized Doritos chips. Appears to be less volume that a regular bag but the volume is the same. The seasonings look to be applied thicker than usual. There is definitely a cheesy aroma.These last two points make me excited.

What's Inside - More like, what is inside the ridges. Plenty of cheese and salts particulate is found between and atop of each ridge on both sides of the square chips.

The Taste - Wow, these are yummy. The cheese is not really different in flavor than regular cheesy Doritos but it feels like you are getting more. I would call it a mild cheddar. These chips have a different crunch. Although quite thick they seem to break between my teeth in a more airy crunch fashion. With the ridges there is more area for the seasoning to stick to and stay! That means less crumbs at the bottom of the cup. The only drawback for me is the greasy residue I get. After a short time period, I found they left an oily stain on the napkin I placed them on. No strong aftertaste though. These would match any cold drink.

Extra Info - This new packaging format seems to be aimed for convenience stores where they can easily stack and display anywhere. Best before dates will extend into early 2011 as new batches are produced. We have seen Doritos Twists and 3D before but I prefer these mainly for the enhanced flavor you can enjoy.

Nutritional Information:

Energy - 368 Calories

Protein - 4.1 grams

Fat - 23.6 grams

Carbohydrates - 34.9 grams

Sodium - 408 milligrams

Ten Star rating - 8/10 (wonderful cheesy flavor profile, cute size, nice crunch, but still a little too greasy for achieving extra marks)


If you like this product, or what you read in the review, I recommend the following products:

                           Doritos - Consomme                    Doritos - Pizza-La Seafood

We have a large selection of salty snack product in store at napaJapan. Drop by and check out what is in store this week!

Sincerely,

Oreo Chocolate Bar - Milk Tea

 Click HERE to view product at napaJapan

Name: Oreo

Maker: Nabisco

Flavor: Milk Tea

Size: 36.5 grams

Release Date: May 2010

Best Before Date: December 2010 (and beyond)

Packaging - Plastic wrapped with vibrant colors and graphics on front. Can open easily from end or from anywhere along the backside plastic crease.

At First Glance - Bar is approximately 15 cm and covered evenly with brown milk chocolate. Has a bumpy texture on top and flat on the bottom. There is no strong tea aroma at this point. Up close you can only smell the milk chocolate.

What's Inside - I cut the bar on a diagonal to get the largest cross-section possible. The center of the bar matches the picture on the wrapper. Once cut the strong tea aroma escapes from the middle of the bar. The outer chocolate is surprisingly thin and the oreo bits are large.

The Taste - First I placed a small piece, containing all ingredients, on my tongue and let the chocolate melt away. The chocolate tasted very good with no other tastes present. As soon as I bit into the crunchy tea filling I was surprised by the strong flavor. It almost tasted like molasses at first but settled down to a Royal Milk Tea flavor (the type of tea drinks sold in Japan that are loaded with cream and sugar.) The large Oreo bits were delicious as always and the white Oreo icing added more sweetness. The consistency of this bar is crunchy yet flaky. I really like the density of it. There was no strong aftertaste once consumed.

Extra Info - This is a limited edition flavor which will probably be in stock until early winter. Best before dates will extend into 2011 as new batches are produced. I enjoyed this rest of this bar with a glass of milk since coffee or tea would have probably taken away from the flavor.

Nutritional Information:

Energy - 201 Calories

Protein - 2.5 grams

Fat - 11.9 grams

Carbohydrates - 21 grams

Sodium - 83 milligrams

Ten Star rating - 7.5/10 (original flavor, perfect snack size, but I still like my Oreo's without chocolate)


If you like this product, or what you read in the review, I recommend the following products:

 Oreo Green Tea

Happy Snacking! Please keep checking back for the latest Japanese Candy Releases.

Parfaits & Japanese Candy

Have you ever come across food that looks too good to eat? I sure have and most of the experiences occurred in Japan where presentation often takes center stage over flavor. Not to say the flavor isn't up to snuff, it rarely disappoints. The wonderful fact about Japan is that the picture on the menu or the plastic model in the store-front window looks exactly like what you will get after you order.

Plastic Food Models in a Sapporo Eatery (circa 2007)

Great pride is taken in the visual appearance of food. This especially holds true in the confectionery business.

One of my favorite Japanese works of food art is the Ice Cream Parfait. You don't have to walk too far to find a coffee shop that sells these gorgeous ice cream concoctions. The beautiful thick vase-like glass holds generous amounts of ice cream, pudding, and fruit with all sorts of confectionery toppings. Some of the more common ones are Pocky, Collon, Toppo, and Fran. These deluxe parfaits can put you back quite a few yen though depending on their size. So I suggest you make one of your own using some pretty and unique shaped products from our line-up of candy.

Some ideas for dressing up that plain vanilla ice cream at home:

Nature Scene: Combine some of the uniquely shaped cookies to create a 'living' parfait. We carry tree stump cookies, mini mushroom cookies, and bamboo shoot biscuits. The latter two often come in various flavors (and colors) throughout the year.

Zoo Parfait: Mini Koala filled cookies along side Panda heads, Pucca fish, and Rilakkuma bear printed caramel chocolates.

Colorful: Mix and match different varieties of Pocky, Fran, Karipoli, and Koeda sticks for easy ice cream scooping. Who needs a spoon when you have loads of edible ones?

Let me know about your favorite parfait ingredients! If napaJapan does not carry them we would be happy to try and source them for you.

And don't stop at the ice cream. If you are feeling really creative why not spruce up your bento lunch box with some cute candy items. We have a lot of bento accessories in store too. Click HERE to have a look.

Our next blog will be after the Japanese Golden Week holiday (April 29th - May 5th.) But our store is open every day of the year and we are always available to chat so please drop us a line anytime!

Sincerely,

Candy, Characters and Crossovers

Colorful and unique packaging is always the first thing that stands out in the Japanese candy aisle. Some may complain that there is too much, an overkill, upset that their newly purchased box of Deluxe Pocky has 4 plastic bags in it each containing 3 sticks. Sure the volume of product is sufficient but what is one going to do with all this plastic and cardboard, never mind the plastic bag the sales clerk gives you.

Well, sometimes we have a reason to keep the package. Every year some really fun and interesting collaborations form between entertainment and confectionery. The offspring are beautiful over-packaged delicacies that become great collectors items. Of course napaJapan carries some of these products too! They are linked to four Japanese entertainment aspects I will call The 4 Cs: The Cute, The Comics, The Celebrities, The Cyber-Games.


The Cute (Characters)

 Kabaya and Sanrio team up for a yummy strawberry pretzel treat!

Sanrio is the most well-known Japanese character brand around the world due in large part to Hello Kitty. This popular kitten defines cuteness. And since the rise of Hello Kitty in the 1970s a number of other hugely famous characters were etched into the minds of another generation. The most recent star is Rilakkuma by San-X (*thanks for the correction Kelly*). There is no escaping this new phenom as there are products galore in every shopping mall you visit.
  

The Comics (Manga)

Japan has one book store for every five people, or at least it seems. What isn't an exaggeration is that the Japanese LOVE to read, especially comics. There are stories for every age and every personality (which is kind of scary.) One thing that many of them have in common is recognizable branding found amongst the daily goods the characters enjoy consuming. Three very popular brands synonymous to manga are Pocky, Cup Noodle and Pocari Sweat. Try them for yourself and see if it gives you that animate feeling.

Cup Noodle (Japan Style!) Pocari Sweat Sports Drink Mix and new 2010 Pocky Crush 

The Celebrities

Quiz Time! What products do you think these people endorse(d)? Match to the pictures below and let me know your answers. Try not to use the web for help ;)

1> Tommy Lee Jones (actor)
2> Mao Asada (figure skater)
3> Gackt (singer)
4> Kiefer Sutherland (actor)

a) Calorie Mate b) Boss Coffee c) Aero d) e-ma candy 

The Cyber-Games

Product placement in video games has become big business. Metal Gear Solid 4 introduced two Japanese products to the world: REGAIN Energy Drink & CALORIE MATE Energy Bars.
There have been numerous cross-promotion campaigns and collectors from around the globe contact us all the time for "Snake's energy supply."
I am still waiting for a Mario Bros. game to be released where Japanese Kit Kat bars are used instead of the blocks.

Kudos to my web designer for the cool video game (MGS4) effects on this REGAIN photo. Snake is in the house!

Keep your great product suggestions coming! We are always open to hearing what is hot on the other side of the world. We will do our best to give you the greatest selection of Japanese snacks online. Our product catalog is growing weekly so be sure to bookmark us or follow our RSS feed. 

Cheers!