Japan Jealousy → Attack on Titan x Lupicia

August 9, 2019 Jo HashiLeave a comment

The Final Attack on Titan exhibition is currently underway in Roppongi Hill’s Mori Arts Centre Gallery, to celebrate the series upcoming final Anime season in 2020 and hail the success of the franchise.
It stands so show fans plenty of information into the heart of the series through artworks and even audio guides hosted by characters from the show. But no exhibition would be complete without a gift shop, and what an amazing line of goods this exhibition has.

All goods for the Final Exhibit are presented as though sold through the series’ merchant Reeves Company. A nice touch for the fans!
It boasts plenty of character goods from art prints, to washi tape and beyond. But what stood out to me the most was a collaboration with Lupicia Tea.

Three flavours of tea (specially selected by Captain Levi) are available exclusively at the Final Exhibiton. They are; Roobius Muscat, Rose & Berry, and Bergamot & Vanilla.

Each steel canister is beautifully illustrated with the Reeves Company logo and a portrayal of the series’ nine core Titans.

At a cost of ¥1,500 (£12/$15) per can, and with each seemingly only containing 7 tea bags, this can be a costly cuppa at ¥215 (£1.70/$2) per brew. However the limited nature of the product, along with the thoughtful branding, are very enticing!

I’m particularly interested in the Roobios Muscat as I am under the assumption that the Muscat involved is from the grape family, and the idea of a grape tea sounds delightful to me. But due to being unable to attend the Exhibit, I will simply have to admire from afar! (or hope I can find it to purchase online under £50…)

If you’re lucky enough to be in Tokyo before September 8th 2019, and would like to visit the exhibit, then please check the Roppongi Hills website for more details and guidance.

Japan Jealousy → Fantazaka Campaign

April 28, 2019 Jo HashiLeave a comment

In April 2019, pop idols from the group Nogizaka46 (the official rival of AKB48) have teamed up with Fanta to form the ファンタ坂学園/FANTAzaka Gakuen/Fanta Hill Academy.

The main feature of this campaign is 46 collectible 変顔ボトル/Hengao bottle/Strange face bottle which feature an array of eyes and expressions often seen in anime and manga. Hold one of the bottles up to your face to create fun snapshots and share them on social media.

For fans of the idol group, the fun doesn’t stop there, as there are also many prizes to be won via QR codes including; clear files, smartphone cases, and even a pencil case shaped like a school’s board eraser. All with a Fanta flair and a member of Nogizaka46 adoring them.

Personally, I’m more envious of the cute bottles than the idol promotion (I didn’t even know the group before this collab), but today’s post of jealousy also comes with a silver lining as Japan’s Fanta Grape is now available in the UK!

What was once a rare treat when either visiting Japan or gritting my teeth and paying an imported price for, is now a drink I can consume to my hearts content!

The flavour was chosen to be released after data from freestyle dispensers across the UK showed that it was one of the most popular flavours. So, from Japanese drink lovers to the rest of the UK…

本当にありがとう!!

As for how it compares to the Japanese counterpart, I guess that’s a post for another day.

Japan Jealousy → Dolce Gusto Matcha Collection

April 2, 2019 Jo HashiLeave a comment

Nescafe Dolce Gusto Strong Matcha CM

Dolce Gusto are Nestle’s range of home coffee machines that offer “coffee shop” quality drinks via their unique pod system.
As Dolce Gusto entered the Japanese market it really should come as no surprise that they would offer a range of products to please the Japanese demographic, and so a line of Matcha pods have been released.

The Matcha range includes;
濃い抹茶 / Koi Matcha / Strong Matcha
A strong variant of Uji Matcha tea, made from using leaves selected by some of Japan’s leading tea masters.

宇治抹茶ラテ / Uji Matcha Latte / Prized Matcha Latte
A combination of rich Matcha and milk that has an authentic cafe taste.

宇治抹茶 / Uji Matcha / Prized Matcha
100% Traditional Matcha in a modern style.

Sadly, despite the popularity of Dolce Gusto machines here in the UK, none of these products are available to the Engish market (as of writing.)
So for now, I must simply lust from afar!

Would you use Matcha pods in your coffee machine?

Image and product information source: https://nestle.jp/brand/ndg/

おでん缶 – Oden Can

March 6, 2019 Jo HashiLeave a comment

Here in the UK winter hasn’t quite faded away and there’s a battle of the season. Is it going to be spring today, or will I need my coat?
The indecisive weather can lead to confusing time in the world of food and it has me reminiscing about Oden.

Oden (おでん) is a popular winter dish in Japan that is often sold at the many convenience stores (コンビニ) around the country. However, I sadly live in a village in the North of England, so when the cold is here and the cravings hit for a delicious, warm, comfort food, Oden is sadly nowhere to be found. So I was very excited to find a can of Oden for sale online!

Featuring all the Oden staples of radish (大根 daikon), eggs (in this case, small quail eggs), konjac (こんにゃく), fishcakes (竹輪 chikuwa), meat (牛すじ gyuusuji) and noodles. It was a perfectly mini-sized traditional Oden I could enjoy at home!

FUN KANJI;
缶 meaning can, or tin (for food) is simply pronounced かん/kan

ベビースター ★ Baby Star

February 27, 2019 Jo HashiLeave a comment

Baby Star Ramen is a 60-year-old dagashi snack from Japan with humble beginnings as being a byproduct from the instant cup noodle industry.

Created by Oyatsu Company in 1959, the idea for Baby Star was formed when employees noticed the number of small, and unusable broken noodle pieces during the manufacturing of Chicken Instant Ramen and instead of allowing this food to become waste, they used it as a snack for internal use.
The snack was a huge hit with employees as being a “re-born” food as well as a noodle based snack that could be eaten without cutlery or utensils. This eventually led to the sale of Baby Star Ramen to Japan’s general public.

Being a dagashi gave Baby Star Ramen a core audience of children and so their packaging was designed with them in mind, using colourful designs and introducing a mascot named “Baby” to help encourage sales.
In 1988 the mascot was changed to “Bei-chan”, who would often dress in different costumes on the packaging where different flavours were used, to show the cultural diversity of taste influences. Bei-chan remained the star mascot of Baby Star Ramen for 29 years until a recent 2017 rebrand brought in “Hoshio-kun”, a new and ‘hip’ mascot to update the long-lasting snack into current times.

Baby Star Ramen holds a special place in my heart as being one of the first dagashi I ever ate. I was sent a packet of the original chicken flavour ramen as a gift from my penpal back in 2004, and I have fond memories of snacking on it during a walk home from school as treat for sitting some intense GCSE exams.

It’s rich, flavourful and crunchy noodles will always bring a smile to my face and a sensation of 懐かしい. This snack shaped my love and appreciation for Japanese snacks, and without them, this blog may never have begun!

Have you tried Baby Star Ramen? If so, what is your favourite flavour?

Holiday 食べ物 – Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2019 Jo HashiLeave a comment

Love is in the air, and so is chocolate!

Valentine’s Day was introduced to Japan in 1936 via the luxury confectionery and cake company Morozoff, who sparked the tradition through advertisements aimed at foreigners living in the country. However the big day comes with it’s own set of traditions differing to those in the West.

Unlike England or America, where a couple may go on a lavish date and exchange gifts such as flowers or jewelry, in Japan Valentine’s Day is ruled by chocolate. You may also be surprised to find out that on this day the chocolate is only given to men and not to women.
In Japanese tradition Valentine’s Day is when women typically give handmade or decorated chocolates to their sweetheart, and may even use this as an opportunity to express admiration to their crush. However many women also partake in the giving of inexpensive 義理チョコ (Giri Choco / Obligation Chocolate) to their male co-workers and others they do not harbor romantic feelings towards.

Japanese food giant Glico are often at the forefront of Valentine’s Day with their popular chocolate snack Pocky taking centre stage in holiday campaigns.
This year in addition to boxes of Pocky with a special Valentine’s flair, is a campaign to encourage the sale of multiple purchases so that the boxes may be used to create several heart shapes. Participants are encouraged to share their hearts on social media using #ハートポッキー (#HeartPocky)

Kirin x Glico Valentine’s Day collaboration 2019

In recent years Glico have teamed up with beverage giant Kirin for special Valentine’s Day collaborations and in 2019 have continued this tradition to bring a set of products that when consumed together will create the taste of Tiramisu. This year is headlined with a mascarpone cheese milk tea edition of 午後の紅茶 (Gogo no koucha / Afternoon Tea) and special edition coffee chocolate Pocky.
This particular campaign is often celebrated via Japan’s LGBT+ community as the products offer various characters who can be combined to create pairs featuring same sex couples.

How does Valentine’s Day in Japan differ to your home country?

はじめまして ~ Nice to meet you

January 15, 2019February 10, 2019 Jo Hashi1 Comment

Thanks for joining me!
My name is Jo and I’m here to talk about Japanese snacks.

Kagamimochi and Amazake for the New Year

I fell in love with Japanese food and snacks as a teenager and they have continued to be a huge part of my life ever since.
Growing up in a small UK town has often limited my experiences with Japanese foods, but through the magic of Internet shopping I have been able to feed my addiction and try many different types of snacks over the past couple of decades.

I’m starting this blog mostly as a sidekick to my Instagram page which I started in November 2018, and I hope that it can help to improve not only my minimal grasp of Japanese but also help to refresh my English writing skills.

From this blog you can expect: someone with a second stomach made for Japanese food, someone with a passion for the snacks of Japan, an enthusiastic look into the world of Dagashi and a place where you can hopefully discover your new favourite snacks or food along the way.

Please know that this blog isn’t: a place for serious reviews, a serious business venture, an academic project, a place for perfect Japanese, or a place for perfect photography. I’m just here to have fun and I hope you will too!

Hope to see you soon!
またね!