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May 04, 2024
 

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KONBINI WATCH

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 30, 2014
Crackers from the briny deep courtesy of Calbee
Calbee has given its popular Kappa Ebisen snack a fancy makeover this month with the release of a gourmet-lobster-bisque-flavored version of the product (¥138).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 16, 2014
Seven-Eleven comes out with a creamy treat
Seven-Eleven has been selling Cold Stone Creamery's ice cream since 2012, but the two took their partnership a step further by collaborating on a new series of candies that were released last week. One of the new treats you can find at Seven-Eleven stores across the country are chocolates inspired by popular ice cream flavors from Cold Stone that come in small ice-cream containers (¥240). The flavors include Chocolate Devotion, Cherry Almond Sundae and Cookies & Cream. The only disappointment? Each cup contains just three chocolates.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Dec 2, 2014
Pizza and chocolate are delicious, but not together
Pizza and chocolate are two delicious foods, but together they don't make for a tasty treat.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Nov 18, 2014
Popcorn flavors take ever stranger turns
Frito-Lay Japan releases some pretty weird flavors in its Mike Popcorn line. Earlier this year it was Indian butter chicken curry, while others have included seaweed wasabi, ponzu (citrus soy sauce) and salad. Its latest creation is maple butter (¥105), which has a subtle sweetness and tastes almost like pancakes, another recent food trend. Also, from Dec. 1, Frito-Lay will release a clam chowder flavor, which it claims will be the perfect snack to munch on during the long winter. While there's no guarantee that it'll taste good, at least you won't have to line up for hours in the cold to try it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Nov 4, 2014
'Super Sour' Pringles pack an added punch
Pringles is true to its word when it describes its newly released dill pickle-flavored chips (¥152), released last week in convenience stores throughout Japan, as "Super Sour." Eating one of these chips is like reaching into a jar and biting into a juicy pickle flavored with plenty of the delicate herb. The taste is so overpowering that you'll pucker. But if you enjoy sour foods and have trouble finding a jar of actual pickles then these are a good alternative to have with a sandwich or hamburger.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 28, 2014
Croissant-muffin hybrid prepares to tackle the Cronut
Dominique Ansel's famous Cronut has inspired endless imitations in Japan, including a croissant taiyaki sold at Gindaco stands across the country, as well as other bizarre hybrid pastries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 14, 2014
One Happy Turn snack deserves another (this time with ice cream)
While it is sad that the summer weather is more or less behind us, Meiji's latest product, Happy Turn Ice (¥130 plus tax) — an unlikely appropriation of its hugely popular Happy Turn rice crackers — is a good cause for cheer. Meiji mixes in the savory "Happy Powder" used to coat its rice crackers into plain ice cream. While the dessert could be improved with chunks of rice cracker added in, as you'd expect from the tie-up, the combination of saltiness and sweetness is a pleasant new experience for the taste buds.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 30, 2014
Kabocha pumpkin treats in time for Halloween
One of the things I love best about fall is that it's the time to harvest kabocha, which are Japanese pumpkins. While kabocha can be found in soups, tempura or on top of salads, its sweet flesh is also used to make tasty desserts, and at this time of year, you'll find loads of kabocha-flavored goodies at the convenience store. Seven-Eleven's new cream puffs (¥130) come with a rich kabocha filling and Halloween-themed packaging. While the pastry is slightly soggy, the cream filling will leave you licking your fingers. Just be careful as you bite into the pastry: The filling is a bit runny, so it can get real messy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 16, 2014
The cod-roe-and-cheese snack craze continues
While avocado-and-cheese Doritos and Jagarico were on konbini shelves last year, this year's unlikely savory flavor combination seems to be cheese and mentaiko, which is spicy cod roe.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Sep 2, 2014
Pretz's granola snacks: close enough to the real thing
Before you get too excited, the new Pretz Granola (¥140) by Glico, which went on sale last week, are nowhere close to the Nature Valley granola bars sold in the United States. While the treat contains bran, cornflakes and nuts, it has a texture less like granola and more like a cookie. It nonetheless packs a crunch and goes down well with a glass of cold milk. Two flavors are available: chocolate, if you want to satisfy your sweets cravings, or raisin, if you prefer to take the healthier route.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 19, 2014
'Frozen' sweets taste better cold, of course
Even if you're sick of seeing and hearing about Disney's mega-hit movie "Frozen" everywhere you go, it's hard not to be a fan of these marshmallows produced by Eiwa (¥130) that come in a package with Elsa, Anna and Olaf on the front. Each marshmallow is filled with a tangy yogurt sauce that leaves a slightly sour aftertaste. For a light summer snack, try popping them in the refrigerator or freezer (guess which Elsa would prefer) for a couple of hours to chill the yogurt center. These limited-edition treats will only be around until December, when you'll be forced to "Let it Go."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 5, 2014
New Dars chocolate packs an acai punch
Japan's recent acai berry craze has led to the creation of smoothies, yogurts and juices that can be bought in convenience stores across the country. The latest to join the pack is this limited-edition acai-flavored Dars chocolate from Morinaga (¥163), which has a crunchy cereal center and bits of acai, pomegranate, blueberry and banana mixed in. Morinaga uses acai from Fruta Fruta (www.frutafruta.com), a vendor that imports the berry from Brazil and sells all the fixings you need if you ever want to make a real acai bowl yourself.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 15, 2014
None more black: The new Doritos flavor rocks
The new Rock'n lineup from Doritos features coal-black tortilla chips flavored with pepper and rock salt (¥127), on sale in convenience stores until Aug. 11 with the name Rock'n'Black.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jul 1, 2014
Refreshing summer drink repackaged as a chocolate
One of the best beverages to combat this sticky weather is Kirin Sekai no Kitchen's Salty Lychee drink, which is purported to replenish the minerals and fluids sweat out in Japan's horribly humid summers. And now, in partnership with Glico, Kirin has released a chocolate version (¥138), available in convenience stores. The sweet scent of lychee may be overpowering as you unwrap the packaging, but the flavors of the fruit are subtle and sublime within the white chocolate. No promises about cooling off, mind you.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 17, 2014
Red Bull cheers on Japan's Samurai Blue
While it may be coincidental that a limited number of Red Bull's The Blue Edition (¥206) drinks were out in convenience stores just as the World Cup kicked off last week, you can feel as if you're showing your colors and supporting Samurai Blue as you gulp down this blueberry-flavored energy drink. While there's no guarantee that Red Bull will give the Japanese team the wings needed to win the tournament, it'll definitely give you enough energy to stay up all night (or wake up early) to cheer them on in their matches. Assuming they still have more than a couple left, that is.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Jun 3, 2014
A delicious treat, if you can find it
In the seven months since its release, over 3.45 million F Style Mochi Ponyo treats have been sold in Three-F convenience stores, and they have become a trending topic of discussion on Twitter. Mochi Ponyo are custard-filled sweets wrapped in soft pastry made of rice flour. Expect to have a hard time finding one: They're so popular that fans snap them up as soon as they're restocked. In addition to the standard custard flavor (¥108), you can try matcha (powdered green tea ¥126) or limited-edition strawberry (¥120).
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
May 20, 2014
Vegetable ice cream — not as awful as it sounds
Frozen vegetables usually bring to mind prepackaged frozen chunks of carrot and broccoli meant to be heated up and served with chicken or steak. Haagen-Dazs, though, proved that image wrong with the release of carrot- and tomato-flavored ice creams (¥284) last week. Cherry and orange flavors mask the vegetable taste, so you don't feel like you're eating frozen tomato soup. Even moms may be able to convince their veggie-hating kids to eat it, though I wouldn't group it with the vegetables on the food pyramid.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 15, 2014
M&M's get fruity with new Raspberry flavor
A new flavor of one of America's best-selling candies has just hit Japanese convenience stores. You can now pop white, light pink and dark pink raspberry-flavored M&M's (¥100) into your mouth. The candies are cute, but might be a bit too sweet and artificial-tasting for those who prefer something subtler. Unlike other candies that come and go, these raspberry M&M's will be around for a while — Mars Japan says that it will keep them on shelves for at least a year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 1, 2014
"Puyopuyo Tetris" snacks fall into place in your gummy tummy
Who said that you're not allowed to play with your food? Lion recently released gummy treats based on the insanely addictive new crossover puzzle game "Puyopuyo Tetris" that you just can't help but toy around with. You can put together chewy "Tetris" blocks and cute "Puyopuyo" character-shaped gummies that come in six flavors such as melon, strawberry and soda. The treats cost ¥100 per pack (plus consumption tax, which went up this week, folks), so pick up a few and see what you can create on the dinner table. If you're lucky your pack of treats may contain an elusive kangaroo-shaped gummy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Mar 18, 2014
Cronut copies hit Japan's convenience stores
No other dessert captivated Americans last year as much as the Cronut, a croissant-donut hybrid that New Yorkers reportedly line up at 4 a.m. to try. The Cronut has sparked imitations throughout the world. One of them includes the Cubic Doughnut, (¥120) available only in Circle K Sunkus convenience stores throughout Japan. They come in two flavors, chocolate crunch and strawberry milk chocolate — and while they are nowhere as crispy as a well-baked croissant, if you pop one in a toaster oven for a few seconds, you'll find yourself with an unusual snack.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Yen swings stir talk that Japan is in the FX market once again
An electronic screen in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and the graph showing its recent swings, on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.

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