Flavor Flaaaaave!

One of the things I'm going to miss about Japan is all the interesting flavors you can find for snacks.  Green tea this, and red bean that, taro those and so forth and so on.  It's really amazing what you can find at a convenience store or at the friendly neighborhood Walmart owned Seiyu.  So, here is a few of the snacks that I've bought and liked while here in Japan.  It's not a very long list, but it's something.

1.) Morinaga brand Matcha クッキー from Seiyu
Sandwiched between two slightly sweet and crisp cookies is a matcha green tea cream.  It's not too sweet nor is it too bitter.  Just two or three of these cookies go perfectly with a cup of unsweetened green tea.  I'm sure they'd be even better if I had an actual cup of perfectly brewed matcha to go with them.  I like to call these my homework tea cookies because they seem just a bit more special than regular cookies.  I like them so much that I even restrict them to homework time, therefore if I want to eat these I must be doing homework with a cup of tea.  If I remember I might just bring a box of these back with me...

2.) つぶあんぱん from Tamaya
Inside what looks like a plain roll with black sesame seeds on top is hidden the tasty gem that is red bean paste, one of my favorite flavors of Japanese sweets.  Now, tsubuan pan isn't some specialty of Tamaya, the little bakery in my neighborhood, but I think that theirs is the best.  I've tried tsubuan pan from a bakery on the other side of the station, but it just wasn't the same.  It wasn't as good as Tamaya's which will always hold a place in my heart.  If I could transplant Tamaya near my university in America, I would.  Though, that would probably be a bad thing for my wallet.

3.) Conpeito from Nakamise Shopping Arcade at Kanmon Temple in Asakusa
Conpeito is a traditional Japanese candy that are like little explosions of sugar and color.  I don't know their exact history, but I once heard that they were introduced by Spanish missionaries or something.  I don't quite know how they came to be, but I like them.  Different colors are different flavors, so it's not like you're eating a mouth full of flavorless sugar crystals.  I'm sure there must be somewhere to buy them other than the temple, but I haven't looked.

4.) みたらし団子 from Seiyu
Mitarashi dango is a Japanese treat that, like mochi, is made from pounded sweet rice that is formed into balls.  However, instead of having a filling, mitarashi dango is stuck on a skewer and covered in a sweet and salty sauce usually made of sugar, soy sauce, and something else I think.  It's very chewy and quite satisfying as a snack.  Although you buy it at room temperature I prefer to refrigerate mine first so it can firm up a bit.  There are other types of dango with different toppings or with stuff mixed into the dango themselves, but I prefer the mitarashi dango.


Now, pardon me as I continue to snack on my adventure in the land of the rising sun.