Tag Archives: strange Japanese food

November 08

One Fried Noodle Sandwich, Please

posted by

From the land that junk food shame forgot, this. A yakisoba sandwich is basically the Japanese equivalent of cold pizza for breakfast, on a bun. This is what frugal Japanese fry up for breakfast if one of their fridge leftovers happens to be noodles, so it was rare to find this homely item for sale […]

»»
July 10

Nemesis, Thy Name Is Squid Guts

posted by

I was in Kamakura today, happily waiting for the arrival of my sesame soba and a mountain of crispy burdock root… …when they delivered my beer along with the usual unwanted  (yet always-delivered) “beer snack.” Just my luck, it was my most un-favorite appetizer. Squid guts. All right. Ugh. Don’t be That Foreigner. Get it over with. […]

»»
May 25

Crispy Intestine Snacks

posted by

Despite the fact that this new snack is called “Addictive Intestines,” I’m afraid you won’t find me bingeing a bucket ‘o crispy innards while Netflixing my way through a Saturday night, even though they boast not just one, but two kinds of squicky bits. They do make it easy to pick through the mix for […]

»»
March 05

Soft Drink Flavors I Do Not Want To Try

posted by

This yogurt-banana mash-up surfs in on the enduring popularity of the local favorite soft drink, Calpis, which inexplicably established sweetened sour milk as a delightful flavor in Japan. Peach Coke is just a blatant season grab. Here, eating “seasonal” fruits and vegetables delivers wave after wave of short-term binge buying on the part of consumers, […]

»»
February 17

Spot The Elvis

posted by

If you’re looking for a country with absolutely zero junk food guilt, you found it. Behold the bagel sandwiches available at this shop I spotted while walking through Azabu Juban last week. Yes, in addition to the Elvis (#15: peanut butter/bacon/banana) they also offer The Rainbow Colored (#20), which features a multi-colored bagel filled with […]

»»
November 26

Spaghetti Ice Cream

posted by

I can’t say I’ve ever had a massive craving for an ice cream sundae that resembles a pile of spaghetti with meat sauce, but at least this isn’t ACTUAL spaghetti-flavored ice cream (weird flavors being the rule rather than the exception in Japan)! This concoction at the “German Cafe” in Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse is […]

»»
October 19

November Can’t Come Too Soon

posted by

Somehow, charcoal-flavored cocoa is a vice I’ve managed to avoid acquiring until now, and I feel it’s in my best interests to keep it that way…. • When not avoiding parallel universes where chocolate and charcoal are a desirable combination, Jonelle Patrick writes  novels set in Tokyo…

»»