To complement the Men’s Pocky review, here are a few awesome Pocky commercials I dug up on YouTube, starting with the commercial for Men’s Pocky.
Men’s Pocky
Clumsy Pocky
Nosy Mother Pocky
Nosy Fisherman Pocky
Pocky Love
Scary Pocky
Bonus Yukie Nakama commercial

Oh the sacrifices I make to keep you guys entertained. I despise chocolate. The texture, the sweetness, the aftertaste, blech blech blech! But as I do eat it occassionally to report munchies reviews, be aware that I am not enjoying it. I know it’s odd but oh wells. So I dunno why, but I continue to torture myself by buying those cute little boxes of chocolate at the Japanese grocers, but am thankful that they are mostly “box” and only contain a few candy pieces. …

They call it “bitter chocolate rusk” in japanese. What does that mean exactly? I don’t know but if it means rough biscotti-like bite-sized discs, then it’s right on the money. But these are biscotti that sort of melt in your mouth because they are so airy and light. I’m sure you could still sandpaper your porch with it, but it’s not quite as dense as their Italian counterparts. I wouldn’t call it a cookie, because the experience left me hankering for something sweet, which these …

Hot! Hot! Hot! Habaneros. Those adorable orange balls of fire that are 500x spicier than jalapeños (and what I love to chop into Sunday omelettes) have not only been officially recognized as the Guiness World Records hottest spice, they have also joined my Japanese Snack Hall of Fame. I absolutely adore spicy foods and have since grown immune to cayenne and the aforementioned wimpy jalapeños. That’s why Tohato’s Bōkun Habanero hits the spot. And that spot will sting for a while. They’re thin, crispy …

Most people know of Pocky whether they’re fans of Japanese candy or not. But, there’s a new Pocky on the block you may not know about: Men’s Pocky, a dark chocolate Pocky that’s as bittersweet as it is potent. I had to try it out.
The instant the first stick of Men’s Pocky touched my tongue, I noticed a difference in myself. I felt fitter, stronger, more attractive to the opposite sex. I could lift a truck with my bare hands, single handedly inseminate a herd of women, fix small electronics. …

I can remember happily chomping on grilled mochi (steamed and pounded glutinous rice) and musubi (formed triangular rice balls) with just the right amount of nutty crispiness and toasty warmth. The latter, flavored by mom with a only a light coating of shoyu (soy sauce) and, at request, goma (sesame seeds), was the perfect sometimes snack. When I saw this package in the store, I wondered how they’d pack that neutral toastiness into a chip.
Well, first off, they substituted corn taste for rice and a puffy texture for …

So my friend has been bugging me for the past few months, pointing at the “Munchies” section and asking “when are you going to update it?” Another friend also asked this of me, mostly because he brings me treats from his trips to Japan. Even some of Chris’ friends have asked him about it. I’ve finally procured some time to write some stuff, so here goes.. even though I’m pretty sure that this product is only available in Japan. It’s called Feel Envy, akin to cousin Feel …

Calpis Co., Ltd is a well-known Japanese soft drink mogul, despite their highly unappetizing name* and proven efforts in creating actual health sustaining fluids such as AmealPeptide, which counteracts hypertension. They have a milky white beverage that resembles diluted milk because that’s exactly what it is, and is even called Calpis Water. It’s a simple concoction of water, nonfat dry milk, and lactic acid, creating a slightly bitter yogurt-drink sensation. Calpis Water is also available with a variety of tropical fruit boosts, such as mango and pineapple.
If the …

Grill-A-Corn is Japan’s answer to crunchy Cheetos except it’s not cheesy. Well, maybe the name is a bit cheesy. Even though they won’t leave a greasy residue on your fingers, they are actually more lard-o than the popular American cheese puffs, due to that wonderful ingredient: palm kernel oil. And although they don’t seem to be seasoned much, they are infused with some sort of invisible but intense flavoring with fullblast MSG boosters. So they hardly leave a trace behind.. as opposed to the telltale orange …

100 ml = 3.4 fluid oz. or a little over 1/3 cup. That’s how much Kiwi Fanta you get in the cutest tiniest soda can known to man. The clear liquid has just a tinge of chartreuse but a lot of flavor. It’s kind of like apple candy; not as tart as the true thing. And no seeds(!) although I personally like kiwi seeds. Thanks to Lee for bringing this back from Japan!
Here’s Chris enjoying the mini drink.

About the Author:

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson has zero cavities and …

If you’re Japanese or into the culture, you probably already know about the azuki (red bean) and cream (evaporated milk) fetish. In Hawai’i, they have snow (shaved ice) treats with the stuff piled high on it (Waiola Shave Ice in McCully is *da best*) and now there’s even the portable variety: Cucu hard candy. Teensy cubes of prettily marbled maroon and ivory. The corners are even rounded possibly to avoid accidental tongue abrasions or just because it’s much more aesthetic.
Cucu Azuki and Cream candies are the …

I love handing these out. When my friend passed one to a co-worker in his dept., I could hear cries of “it burns.. it burrrrns!” from my desk. The “burrrn” is thanks to sodium bicarbonate or baking soda to chemistry-phobes. What?! Baking soda in a candy? Well, the transluscent aqua orbs are actually a re-inactment of the fun ultra-fizzy soft drink from Japan where a little skill* is involved in getting to it.
As you hold it on your tongue, it’ll tickle and …

Chris and I love to go to Japanese Su-pah-mah-ket-tohs like Nijiya (in Mountain View) and Mitsuwa (in Strawberry Park SJ), but sometimes we “slum it” at Marina Foods (in Cupertino) which is mostly Chinese, but it’s a great place to get paratha (layered Indian flatbread) and vegetarian bao (little steamed buns filled with veggies like bamboo shoots and chinese spinach) in bulk. We stopped there last night.
We usually get an assortment of crazy snacks with Tohato Caramel Corn being one of ‘em, since they only run about a buck …