http://www.city-cost.comSun, 16 Aug 2026 07:43:43 +0900Finally living my kawaii dreams in Japan~ (eating a lot of snacks)enCopyright © 2015 - 2026 City-Cost All Rights Reserved.webmaster@city-cost.com (CC Team)http://img.city-cost.com/static/blog_campaign_icon.pnghttp://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2qlY-foodWhile browsing the ice creams, I found this interesting popsicle looking ice cream with fruit bits and azuki inside. I was curious what it would taste like and was in a fruity dessert kind of mood.I have to say I found my new favorite ice cream bar too! It is not necessarily ice cream but more of an icy shaved ice ice cream. It tasted like a condensed milk flavor with it having more crunch with every bite. The fruit bits and azuki were a perfect mix as well! It reminded me of this Japanese dessert that I'm not sure the name of... but highly recommend this dessert! I got my coworker hooked on this as well!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2qlY-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 23:33:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2qlY-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wkm5e-foodWhen craving desserts, I either have a preference for chocolatey or fruity. In this case I found an ice cream with the best of both worlds!!! And on top of that it was my two favorites, chocolate AND mango!!! When I saw this I was already debating to buy several boxes. Everything about it looked like it would not let me down. It just looked so appetizing.Glad to say after a bite, this did not disappoint! The mango sauce jelly like texture tasted just as I imagined it with the chocolate ice cream. It wasn't tangy but was just fruity enough for the sweet chocolate. It did make me want to have a real mango though. Next time I can buy more boxes since this one only comes with 5! It is pretty small that I can eat the entire box in a sitting if I don't be careful...To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wkm5e-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 23:08:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wkm5e-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GWvOq-foodAnother Bandai Wafer collaboration with my favorite all time series, ONE PIECE! I had to get this one because of my favorite arc, Wano kuni!! The aesthetics and storyline for this arc is amazing and if you don't watch One Piece, this arc alone is definitely a reason to start!Strangely enough, I was interested in that dragon card (I cannot disclose the name of that character for spoiler reasons haha).Same ole wafer. Nothing new here.The card that I got was Otama & Speed! It was a basic normal card which was disappointing haha.The back of the card had some data specs of the characters which I thought was really cool! I wish I bought more of these, but then I know I would want to collect them all!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GWvOq-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 22:42:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GWvOq-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJOP2-foodWith the final movie supposedly coming out this year 2021..... I am seeing a lot of Evangelion collaborations. Of course I had to get my hands on the Bandai Wafers collab because I love to collect the small cards it comes with.As usual, the wafer is filled with little chocolate and the wafer is like any other dry wafer. We don't buy this for the snack, I tell you that.These were the two cards that I got! I love Ayanami Rei so I was really glad I got her especially since it was a special card. It's hard to tell but the card has a shine to it, kind of reflective. I'm not sure what I'll do with these but they are definitely fun to collect! I love the surprise and will most likely continue to buy them haha.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJOP2-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 22:36:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJOP2-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgraK-foodI've always been on the hunt for a Cheetos alternative in Japan. I've tried the Cheetos in Japan and it was pure disgusting. While browsing my snack aisle I took a photo and sent it to my friend who used to live in Japan years back. She pointed out the Koikeya "スコーン" ... Sucorn? Scone? Scorn? snack and said that it was one of her favorites when she lived in Japan. I never noticed the packaging before so I'm not sure if this flavor has always been around or not. She also said she never seen this cheese flavor before so I was excited to try it!It looked almost exactly like Cheetos! Except it wasn't as orange and messy on your fingers.The verdict.... this is my new favorite chip snack!!! And my new alternative for my beloved Cheetos I've missed over the years of living in Japan. If you haven't found your substitute for Cheetos, I recommend checking this brand out! The texture and flavor is lighter than Cheetos, but I kinda enjoy that more! Take my word or not, but I've bought a bag a day for a few weeks! It's that addicting....To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgraK-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 22:24:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgraK-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GbPkP-foodWhen I could not find my new favorite Steamed Cheesecake from 7/11, I wanted to see if Family Mart had another alternative for the delicious morsel.I found this Cheese Cream Cake Pan thing and thought it was a cheesecake. I was wrong... and disappointed.... First of all, let's say I'm not good at reading instructions or labels or anything. All I saw was "cheese" and "cake" lol.Opening the package, the pastry looked promising with the toasty looking colors of the cake pan thing.I took a bite only to realize that the cream thing was basically like a whipped cream. Something that I really do not like. There was also no really "cheese" sort of flavor anywhere in the pastry. It was a nice soft texture, but that was about it. I think my expectations were too high for this pastry expecting it to be something it was not. Overall I guess it wasn't too bad. If there were no cream, maybe it would have tasted better. But luckily it wasn't too sweet with the cream. Never again though. I will continue my hunt for my favorite Steamed Cheesecake at 7/11.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GbPkP-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 22:10:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GbPkP-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9Z66-foodI am always browsing through the different kobinis pastries, trying to find the best of the best. I think 7/11's premium pastries have to be one of the bests in my opinion.And I think I found my favorite new pastry.... the new Steamed Cheesecake!!!! I am a fan of Japanese styled fluffy light cheesecake, versus America's heavy, dense, rich cheesecake.The first bite was so soft and fulfilling. The steamed cheesecake has the right amount of sweetness and moisture to it. It is not too sweet or lacking sweetness and it is not too dry. I finished it in a matter of seconds. It was gone right before my eyes could blink.What I noticed about this product is that it may not be offered at every 7/11. I've checked several locations at different times to see if it was sold out or not, but some locations just don't offer this wonderful pastry. I am not sure why, but I highly recommend you trying it if you see it! It is definitely my favorite thing to get at 7/11 (besides the Apple Pie - which I will talk about next time).To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9Z66-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 22:03:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9Z66-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5Znl-foodI could have stopped at the Ocean Salt KitKat flavor, but I'm not going to. I found another KitKat flavor, this time it is Salt Lemon. This one I definitely had to get because of my love for lemons. I had very high hopes that this flavor would beat the other two in the salt flavor category.The packaging of the KitKats just looked refreshing! I couldn't wait to try them.Once again, the KitKat is white chocolate. This Salt Lemon looked just like the previous Salt Lychee and Ocean Salt flavors, except with a hint of more yellow coloring.After a bite, I was instantly hooked. Even though I am not a huge fan of white chocolate, this flavor has to be my favorite KitKat flavor so far... You can't go wrong with sweet, salty, and sour flavors all packed into one. Of course it wasn't sour, but I'm kind of wishing that it was. That would be an interesting flavor to try! And for once I was wishing that I had more of these KitKats in this big package.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5Znl-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 21:55:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5Znl-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQKom-foodAt the same time seeing the Salt Lychee, there was another salty flavor, Ocean Salt. The name was intriguing and sounded better than Salt Lychee. I was reminded of saltwater taffy, but I knew this was not going to be that flavor.The packaging was cute with different marine animals on the front. I chose the one with the seal because Japan makes seals look extra adorable.The back of the package had this cute origami instruction illustration. I totally forgot about it so I did not try making the cute turtle. Ironically there is a little message of zero waste on the back. With these little KitKats individually wrapped, I felt weird about that lol.The KitKats had different marine animal packaging which was super cute. I wish I shared them instead of eating them all myself.It basically tasted just like the Salt Lychee, with white chocolate and without the lychee flavor. Thankfully it wasn't as sweet. This flavor was more enjoyable for sure, but anything white chocolate is too sweet to begin with.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQKom-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 21:47:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQKom-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpYO7-foodOne of my childhood favorites, KitKat always comes out with interesting flavors. I feel they always come out with new flavors that I am constantly buying a bag just to try one... I wish they offered it in individual packs but here we go.I found salt lychee which reminds me of home where we grew lychee in our back yards. I also love anything salty so was interested in trying this.Sure enough, as I expected, this tasted very strongly of lychee. I feel it's really hard to mess up on anything lychee flavored since the flavor is so potent. I think this flavor was a bit too sweet for me though. I guess I could taste the "salt" but the sweetness was overpowering making it harder to finish this entire bag.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpYO7-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 21:39:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpYO7-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrQv0-foodIt's been a while since I've had this ice cream, but I found this delicious looking flavor which is Cookies and Cheese! When you think about it that doesn't sound too appetizing but anything as an ice cream flavor sounds delicious!It looks like it says it's Cheddar Cookie? I don't really know what that means, but I had to find out...Even though Japan does not do cheese well, they do this cheese flavored ice cream well. Wow, one of my new favorite flavors. It was an interesting taste but I enjoyed it with the little cookie bits. It is a rich flavor but since this ice cream is somewhat "icy", it felt a little lighter which was nice.I have to say oddly enough, I'm always pleased with cheese flavored ice creams. It makes me want to try them all!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrQv0-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 02:14:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrQv0-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6lY9-fashionSo I was browsing the magazine section of the konbini when I saw a familiar brand, Kangol. I'm familiar with this brand mainly because of their cute hats, but I was surprised to see that they had a top and bottom sweat set in this book for only 1990 yen (plus tax)! This brand is not really cheap, as the hats usually average around 7000 to 9000 yen. I was really curious as to why it was so cheap for a two piece set.... so I decided to buy it!There was a large and medium size and the set looked nicely unisex.When opening the package, I was surprised at the quality of the sweater with fleece like lining. I'm still not too sure on the material but it is super comfortable! I wear the pants all the time now that it is cold in the winter, and I sometimes wear the sweater out of the house because it is such a simple design! This was probably one of my best magazine purchases!Since I've been seeing a lot of brands selling clothes in these magazine books, it makes me want to try purchase more because this Kangol one was such a success!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6lY9-fashionSun, 07 Feb 2021 02:05:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6lY9-fashionhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXmr5-foodAnother anime collab goes to Shingeki no Kyojin and Morinaga Choco Ice! With the latest and final? anime season starting, I saw many collaborations with this series.This one was an extra cool collaboration in particular because of the packaging. There were 5 different box choices, but I grabbed my two favorites, Mikasa and Levi.If you turn the box to the side, you can see that the packaging is made for it to look like a manga comic book!I wish I could read all the Japanese because the little details on the back of the box with the characters and the little fun facts is really cool.Overall this is one of my favorite ice cream bars. It is really rich and I love how the chocolate is somewhat indented so they can be bitten into sections easily. Now I regret not getting all 5 versions.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXmr5-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 01:52:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXmr5-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wm1xv-foodHere I am once again with another Kimetsu no Yaiba collaboration. Except this time it is candy, and a candy that I know I like! Puccho gummy did a collab with the popular anime which offered a small character sticker inside. You know I love the free stuff.I was lucky enough to get the best boy Tanjiro as the sticker! I also got a variety of character packaged candy.What was cool about the Puccho was that the gummy was a pink and green color like Nezuko and Tanjiro. The bad thing was that I waited til it was too cold to eat it so the gummy was rock solid and almost impossible to eat, and enjoy. The flavor was some kind of cider, but it was tasty for the most part.I think this collaboration purchase was worth it!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wm1xv-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 01:43:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wm1xv-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z82rA-foodI love anything with an anime collab, even if it is something I do not like...I saw this Kimetsu no Yaiba Chicken Ramen Abura Soba collaboration and even though I do not like Chicken Ramen, I decided to try it out since it is "abura soba". I thought maybe it would be different.....I honestly have no words for this. I couldn't even finish it. Maybe I am the minority since Chicken Ramen is so popular and maybe it's just my taste buds that dislikes it. This just made me realize what a sucker I am to buy something just for the packaging. And I will most likely not make this same mistake again anymore. What a waste lol.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z82rA-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 01:39:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z82rA-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRYq2-foodSetsubun was a few days ago and the first time in 37 years, Setsubun was held on Feb 2 instead of the usual 3rd. The date depends on the first day of spring, although it is honestly getting colder not warmer.For those who do not know, Setsubun is a Japanese holiday welcoming the new Lunar Year full of health and prosperity. While bean throwing is common to get rid of the demons, another tradition I learned about was eating ehomaki.This year I decided to finally buy one at my grocery store. There were many types to choose from! I went with this sushi looking type with 8 ingredients. I believe that there are usually 7 ingredients representing the Seven Gods of Fortune.While eating the ehomaki, you also must be facing the lucky direction that the God of Fortune is facing for the year. Interesting enough, the packaging of my ehomaki stated what direction that was - South, Southeast. I believe the "eho" in ehomaki means lucky direction. You also must eat it in silence or you will lose some of your luck.I thought this was a nice tradition to enjoy and learn about and hope to try bean throwing next year!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRYq2-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 01:24:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRYq2-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MYX5g-foodI was browsing through McDonalds twitter and noticed a new limited time burger campaign that just came out. It was a Chicken Tatsuta burger. I was curious as to what kind of burger this is, so I checked it out on their website.The Chicken Tatsuta burger has been loved since the 1991 (wow that's 30 years already). It is a popular product that is unique only to Japan with the chicken patty flavored in ginger and shoyu.I decided to get the Chicken Tatsuta Setouchi Lemon Tarter because I am a fan of anything citrus. And I love lemony tartar sauce haha.I really enjoyed the burger and would like to try it again. There is also a rice burger type that is available in the evenings starting from 5 pm. They also have a Hitokuchi Tatsuta which are bite sized crispy little nuggets. I wonder what kind of sauce they offer with those since I feel the lemon tartar was a key point in the burger.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MYX5g-foodSun, 07 Feb 2021 01:07:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MYX5g-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW47q-foodI am a huge garlic lover, but sadly garlic does not work with me, as the smell seeps out from my pores. Okay, sorry a little tmi....Anyways, I found a garlic flavor in my favorite kata-age (堅あげ) potato chip! This flavor had an interesting name "匠の香ばしにんにく" (takumi no koubashi ninniku). I tried to look up what this meant or translated to. 匠 (takumi) basically translates to an artisan. and 香ばし (koubashi) means incense? or possibly fragrance. And we all know that にんにく (ninniku) is garlic! So, possibly, the garlic taste of an artisan? Or an artisan's garlic?Anywho, the photo looks like a fancy looking garlic that looks excellent to pair with a beer, specifically Sapporo beer.This flavor was very garlicky and I loved it! The only thing I wish I had was a beer to pair it with. I think it would have brought out an even greater garlic taste! Who knows... but I definitely get this flavor again!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW47q-foodSat, 29 Feb 2020 22:24:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW47q-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJox2-shoppingI was at the store and always check out the snack aisle because they have a lot of anime collabs there. Recently, I've been seeing this 色紙 (shikishi) or colored paper ART by Bandai. I think shikishi is a hard board often used for calligraphy, art, and autographs. It's basically like a collectible mini art piece you can display. Some of these designs are shiny with metallic gold.The first one of these I have seen was Pokemon, and honestly I wish I bought those, but I didn't feel I needed to spend a few hundred yen on a little piece of random art. I've also started seeing other animes, like Dragon Ball and Kamen Rider.Of course, I wanted to buy this one since it is my favorite One Piece, but I'm not sure why they had these random art work. The previous collab they had was from the current Wano kuni arc, which has to be my favorite arc, with the most beautiful Japanese traditional style aesthetics. I haven't opened this one yet, but will link the post once I do. This one simply just looks like random characters from One Piece overall.I really wanted to get the Law and Corazon or the Sabo and Dragon, as Law and Sabo are like my favorite One Piece characters.I slowly and carefully opened the package only to see a familiar logo and a familiar blue colored hand... I was so disappointed LOL! I got the whale shark Jinbe with Luffy in the background. He has to be one of the lesser popular characters as well as not very aesthetically pleasing to the eye haha. Nonetheless though, he is an overall good character in the series, so it's okay...I have another one of these that I haven't opened yet from the Wano kuni arc, which I will open and post about soon!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJox2-shoppingSat, 29 Feb 2020 22:05:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJox2-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgXAK-foodI'm back again with another LOOK Chocolate! I must say that this chocolate has one of the nicest eye pleasing packaging style I've seen so far, which is probably why I've been trying them out recently. I'm a huge fan of matcha, so this flavor was a no brainer grab.As usual, when I first try a snack I usually don't even notice main details... such as how this is two different flavors in one pack! I had to find out by trying it and being surprised by the difference in taste lol.The details on the chocolate though!!This was the darker matcha flavor 濃茶 (koicha). It also had some kind of chocolate syrup as well. I do love bitter matcha, but I think this was a little too bitter for my liking.This obviously was the lighter matcha 薄茶 (usucha), which was a lot more sweeter and to my liking. This one did not have the dark chocolate looking syrup sauce though.Comparing them together you can definitely see the difference. The one on the left looks more like candy versus the one on the right looks more rich in matcha (looks more appetizing to me, but it wasn't lol).Overall, I thought this was pretty cool to have the two types of flavors in one package! I actually noticed LOOK chocolates do that often. I think it helps with not getting bored of eating too much of one flavor of chocolate. Great idea!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgXAK-foodSat, 29 Feb 2020 21:37:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgXAK-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9lq6-foodSince it's the start of strawberry season, I've been seeing a load of strawberry flavored snacks! I think it has to be one of my most popular flavors here in Japan that is liked by all! I am not a super huge fan, since I love green tea/ matcha flavors or yuzu flavored things, but one of my friends is.... and I decided to send him a package of strawberry flavored snacks!One that really caught my eye was this LOOK chocolate. It had a lovely red strawberry packaging with the LOOK chocolate with a red strawberry filling. This looked delicious!I'm not 100% sure of the translation of that pink circle on the package. I researched a bit and it seems that 特濃 (tokuno) is some kind of milk? Or maybe the milk candy.Also, あまおう菌 (amaou kin) seems to be some kind of amaou lactic acid bacteria that uses Hakata Amaou, which is said to be "Japan's highly regarded strawberry" from Fukuoka Prefecture!Also an interesting fact that this Hakata Amaou strawberry holds a Guinness Book of Records as the world's heaviest strawberry! Wow! I really need to go to Fukuoka to check them out!!Japan seriously is crazy with individual packaging! It is so cute but a bit of a waste. In this case, I had to break down the chocolate box since it took too much space in my friends little care package, so the individual wrap was convenient in this case. I also decided to try one of the chocolates as well!O M G !!!! This chocolate and the strawberry sauce filling was soooo delicious. My tastebuds went crazy after this small tiny bite! I think I am addicted. I need to buy a box for myself! Definitely recommend this chocolate. I am so impressed at everything about it. The filling is definitely the key player in this chocolate!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9lq6-foodSat, 29 Feb 2020 21:16:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9lq6-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5l3l-shoppingI just wrote an entire post but City Cost logged me out and erased my post when going back :'( I hope City Cost can fix this issue. This isn't the first time...Anyways ever since I bought my Nintendo Switch Lite back in November when the Pokemon Limited Edition - Zacian and Zamazenta came out, I've been meaning to buy a screen protector since I did scratch my Fire Emblem Limited Edition New 3DS XL screen when I FIRST got it and am paranoid now that I can scratch this screen just as easily.I've been been researching different screen protectors, but there are just too many different types and it is a bit difficult to find the differences with not being fluent in Japanese. Translating everything is pretty tough. It's been more than 3 months and I still don't have a protector! But at the same time I haven't been tweaking on my Pokemon Shield, Fire Emblem Three Houses or Stardew Valley for the past two months like I did in the beginning. I do know that I will be playing on my Switch Lite more often with the new Animal Crossing New Horizon game coming out NEXT MONTH MARCH 20TH so I needed to find a temporary screen asap!What better place than to check out the 100 yen store! I didn't go to the store looking for a screen protector, but they just so happened to be next to the register line so I quickly grabbed one that looked good. I went for a glass film type versus the plastic ones because I prefer the sturdier one over that flimsy plastic (plus they are easier to apply).Before applying the screen protector, I cleaned the screen with a glasses cleaner wipe that I also bought from Seria to make sure my screen was clean of finger prints and free of dust particles!Voila! Look how perfect the screen looks! Oh jk I see a dust strand but that is luckily just on the screen. It was so easy to apply! I just put the glass film on the screen and gently tapped on it so that the protector would stick to the screen. Luckily there were no air bubbles!The graphics look the same and it doesn't even look like there is a screen protector on the screen which I like a lot. In the future though, I would like to purchase a protector that will take stress off the eyes, like ones with a blue light filter or something.If you know of any good brands or any screen protector recommendations for the Nintendo Switch Lite, please let me know!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5l3l-shoppingSat, 29 Feb 2020 20:26:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5l3l-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQP8m-shoppingYou all know that I love One Piece, but another series I absolutely love is Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia)!!! The new movie My Hero Academia: Heroes: Rising came out in December 2019 and I haven't had the chance to see it since there are no English subtitles for Japanese movies (which is a huge bummer), so I have to wait for the movie to come out in America, then I am able to watch it somehow.Anyways, also the new fourth season to the anime started in October 2019 and is currently ongoing right now, so I have been seeing a lot of BnHA (MHA) merchandise everywhere again! I've been trying not to purchase these collectible cards, but with one of my favorite characters from the latest really good arc in the anime, Mirio on it, I had to get it (with a chance of hopefully getting his character card).This collectible card seems to be the third series. I can't remember if I have gotten the others. Probably not... since all it comes with is a piece of gum and a (not even plastic) collectible card (which I always try avoid).It looks like there are 21 total collectible cards with four of them being an SR (super rare shiny) card - Deku, Kirishima, Ochako, and my fav Mirio. It seems like these cards were only characters from this specific Shie Hassaikai Arc with Overhaul as the main villain.I opened up the package very carefully and TO MY SURPRISE I AM STILL SHOCKED I GOT MY FAVORITE TOGATA MIRIO!!!! It has his quote "お節介やりちゃうのはヒーローの基本だろ", which he means that if someone is in trouble, it is in the hero's basics to help! I love his character so much and am so happy that I got his card haha! He should have definitely been the main character LOL!Do you watch or read Boku no Hero Academia?To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQP8m-shoppingSat, 29 Feb 2020 19:44:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQP8m-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mpkd7-shoppingFor you fellow One Piece fans, I'm sure you've already seen this collaboration with 3 COINS and ONE PIECE! This was released on Feb 1st and you bet I went to my crazy packed mall on a busy Saturday just to get my hands on this collab! (Sorry for the late post, but hey it's still February (29th!) Yay Leap year! I also did see merchandise still available just yesterday so if you haven't, check it out asap!This collaboration had to be one of the biggest I've ever seen 3 COINS do, and I was very impressed because everything was so cute! I realized that it reminded me of the ASOKO de ONE PIECE collab. I also soon realized that I think 3 COINS and ASOKO are under the same company if not the same company?Anyways, the prices for these items were such a deal from ¥150 up to I believe ¥1000! It was hard not to splurge and buy everything due to such deals.This cute stainless steel tumbler was only ¥1000, and I wish I got it. The design and color scheme was so cute, but the size was not practical since I currently use a 32 oz Hydroflask for my water.This tote bag had to be my favorite purchase and for ONLY ¥300!!!! The design on the front and bag is very cute and the size and quality is great! I almost bought two of these (one to keep as a back up).Sadly I did not take a picture of my haul and am lazy to, but I hope all these pictures were helpful!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mpkd7-shoppingSat, 29 Feb 2020 19:04:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mpkd7-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7E2p-food_shoppingI was browsing my supermarket and came across some cute familiar critters! With the new Animal Crossing New Horizon game coming just around the corner (20 days on March 20!!! FINALLY) this little chocolate egg came at the perfect time. The worst part was that there were 20 different collectible characters. There are two mystery characters which I found out (from watching Youtube videos of vloggers opening up these boxes lol) were a girl and boy human characters (which I thought was cool).From watching one of the Youtube vlogs, I found out that this back part meant that if you purchased two of these, you can send them in for a chance to win the new game releasing on March 20th for the Nintendo Switch! Already going to get mine anyways though.The packaging of the box was so adorable. It was hard to just get one (but eventually I went back to the store to get more....)I'm not sure why I had such a hard time opening the chocolate egg but inside was a little capsule reminding me of a Minion.I honestly wanted to get Timmy and Tommy, however I was surprised to get this cutie Isabelle! All the characters are cute though!In Japanese, Isabelle is known as Shizue! How suitable for this cute little Shih Tzu dog haha.And ta-da! What a cute little figure! I've gotta Furuta Choco Eggs in the past (One Piece) and I was not impressed with the figure, however the quality of this one is well worth it! Definitely will be trying to get more to try get my favorite Timmy and Tommy.... and Marshall, and Fauna! I wish they made Apple or "Appuru" in Japanese.Are you getting the game? I'm very impressed and excited with all the new features!!! Goodbye social life on March 20th!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7E2p-food_shoppingSat, 29 Feb 2020 18:51:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7E2p-food_shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GBbAn-foodHere's another seasonal flavor that I came across. I mainly bought it because of the cute packaging with the sakura cherry blossoms. Of course, I always never read what flavor the package is until I finish the bag to blog about it. I found out that this flavor is sakura (cherry blossom) scented milk. How interesting!! This is the first that I've seen or heard of in a snack - but definitely clears up the mystery I've been having after figuring out this taste.Opening the bag, obviously smelt sweet but I couldn't put my finger on it. After trying a caramel corn, I knew immediately that it was a milky flavor - which I did really enjoy. The other thing that I couldn't figure out was that it had some kind of other hint of... maybe light cherries or just something else. Later I come to find that it was sakura. I was so confused because it tasted purely like milk but my other sense was tingling. I guess the sakura-scented milk label makes sense that something about this flavor was different from others, which I really enjoyed but was bothered at the same time since I didn't know it while eating the actual snack. Maybe I'll have to try it again now that I know... haha!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GBbAn-foodMon, 24 Feb 2020 22:30:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GBbAn-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVqmJ-foodIt's been a while since I've had some Caramel Corn. Before moving to Japan, this was my favorite Japanese snack but after getting a good dose of it when I first moved here, I haven't had it for what felt like over a year. I decided to try some since there were many new limited flavors! I saw this Strawberry with Condensed Milk. At first I just thought it was a milky type of strawberry without reading the actual flavor label and totally ignoring the picture of the strawberry being dipped into that creamy substance.The color was a very cute light pink and looking at it closer it looked like it was coated in condensed milk. When I first opened the bag, it was very sweet smelling almost exactly like the Lotte - 爽 - Strawberry Condensed Milk. This was me thinking the flavor was just strawberry and not with condensed milk. After finishing the entire bag in one sitting, I deemed it was strawberry with condensed milk. And after checking the kanji 練乳 (rennyu), I was glad that my taste buds were correct. This flavor was better than I expected (maybe since I thought it was just strawberry), but it was a little too sweet for eating it in one sitting. I was getting tired of it halfway through the bag. Great for strawberry fans though!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVqmJ-foodMon, 24 Feb 2020 22:22:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVqmJ-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GokZv-foodI think one of my favorite carbonated drinks in Japan has to be Calpis Soda! I actually prefer it over the regular Calpis non-carbonated drink. Since I love the regular flavored soda so much, I was excited when I saw they have limited flavors, such as this mango one I found! I was a bit skeptical since mango flavors are usually really sweet, but they are also really good at the same time. I had to try it for myself!I love how cute this packaging is and how milky yellowy orange the liquid looked. The classic polka dots on the packaging was fun and the little bubbles by the mango picture looked refreshing! I was so excited to try it!!After my first sip.... I honestly was pretty disappointed at this flavor. I may have hyped it up and expected too much, but it was pretty sweet and unnatural. I mean, what do I expect from these types of drinks, but I was somehow hoping for a more subtle flavor with this Calpis Soda. I've seen other limited Calpis flavors, but now I am a little hesitant to try them knowing that I was sadly disappointed with this mango flavor... we shall see though!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GokZv-foodMon, 17 Feb 2020 00:03:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GokZv-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnmdj-foodHershey's really making me feel special this Valentines. I was browsing the store on Valentines Day and just so happen to come across these hershey desserts made just for Valentines!!! I had no plans except to enjoy my Friday night at home and decided I'd treat myself with some chocolates!THey had three different types of desserts. The one on the left looked very Japanese looking but it was a chocolate "waffle". The one in the center looked like your typical cream puff and the one on the right (which I got) was the chocolate éclair.This pack came with five mini éclairs. And yes, I did look at how many each bag had.The chocolate filling was good and tasted just like a cream puff. I had it refrigerated so the chocolate glaze on top was nice and cold, but maybe too cold. I should have had it melt a little since the chocolate layer was too thin.Overall I should have bought a bag of each dessert lol! I finished it easily in a sitting, and Hershey never disappoints with their chocolate! I was very satisfied with my Valentines this year haha!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnmdj-foodSun, 16 Feb 2020 23:40:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnmdj-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2oKb-foodI was browsing the snack aisle and found a cute fun snack to start the New Year! The whale had this years zodiac "Year of the Rat" or "Mouse" cap on it with whiskers - which is super cute! There is also an ema (絵馬) wooden plaque with some special lucky shapes! These wooden plaques are used at shrines for granting wishes! If you visit these shrines, you have the opportunity to write your wishes on these wooden plaques and hang them with others.Although I didn't take photos of it, I found I believe 4 out of the 5 lucky shaped crackers! Fuji san looked the most distinguishable!Also, this flavor was said to be "Good Luck" Butter Shoyu, however I really just tasted some kind of cheese. It really reminded me of a Cheezit. I couldn't taste anything like buttery soy sauce. But, I did enjoy this flavor a lot!! It was nice to look for the special lucky shapes as well.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2oKb-foodSun, 09 Feb 2020 18:51:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2oKb-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW41Q-foodI found another interesting flavor, which I was a little hesitant to try... but since I love limited flavors, I had to get it anyways. This flavor was Pear! And since I live in YamaNASHI, I definitely needed to try this flavor!This flavor looked really basic and not exciting at all. I don't recall ever trying any peach flavored snacks or desserts in Japan.After trying a bite, I had really mixed reviews on it. It wasn't super sweet and kind of reminded me of a Korean pear with the texture and not super sweet flavor. I really love the fruit, but didn't care for this flavor too much as a dessert. One thing that was interesting and didn't realize til after was there was some small extra little chunky texture in the ice cream that reminded me of when strawberry ice cream has the small strawberry chunks. I noticed later that there is grated peach pulp in this dessert! I think that's what made this ice cream a little fun to eat, but other than that the flavor was a bit disappointing for me.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW41Q-foodSun, 09 Feb 2020 18:29:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW41Q-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJoLL-foodBrowsing the ice cream aisle I found an appealing new flavor. I was so excited when I saw it and couldn't wait to try it. I think anything that's strawberry flavored can't go wrong and this one looked like it had condensed milk too.Once again the swirl design on the inside was so cute. I had no idea what kind of flavor it would be since Japan has so many types of strawberry tastes. Was it going to be tarty or milky?After one bite, my taste buds were a bit conflicted. The strawberry was on the tart side - which I wasn't a big fan of. But there was also a subtle creamier sweeter side - which I realized was the condensed milk. When you eat both flavors together, it has both flavors mixed into it tasting a bit tarty and sour then sweeter then sour again. I tried to scoop out the strawberry first then finish it with the condensed milk.This flavor wasn't the best to me, but it wasn't bad at all. It reminded me of shaved ice with the icy and crunchy texture as well as the condensed milk flavor that I always add on my shaved ice. I think this flavor would be more enjoyable and refreshing in the summer!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJoLL-foodSun, 09 Feb 2020 18:22:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJoLL-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXr2L-living_money_howtoI wanted to print out a photo for my visa renewal application and wanted to save some money. I decided, instead of spending like 800 yen to print it out at the photo kiosks you see randomly around, I wanted to take my own photo and print it out at a print station for 40 yen.Let's get started (on saving!)First find your nearest Fujifilm Wonder Print Station. I found mine at a Kitamura Camera shop (カメラのキタムラ). The machine is able to change the language to English.Once you are ready, there should be a QR code available somewhere on the machine. If you are unable to find it, you can search for it in the app store. It looks like this.. This is for iPhone users, however I believe it is the same thing for Androids.Next, make sure to select the option "Read from iPhone (via) Wi-Fi". Or I guess "Read from Android" for Android users. I'm sure the process is almost the same.For iCloud users, this confirmation screen may apply to you.When you're ready, make sure your Wi-Fi settings are on. You will then need to connect to the network that is given from the display screen. Find the same network and enter the following password.After you are connected, open the Fujifilm app that you previously downloaded and select the following images you would like to print out. When completed click "send" and it will then show up on the screen.I waited for less than 15 seconds for my single photo to upload. It was very quick.Once you have uploaded your photos, click to go to the next step. If you would like to add more, you have the option to.Now you may choose the sizing of your photos. For this part, I just needed a regular L size photo (89 x 127mm), but for some reason, I clicked on the second L size option that requires me to pick it up from the counter. This was my mistake, but for the standard print size you are able to print it straight from the machine. For any other options, you will need to pick it up and pay at the counter and depending how busy they are, it may take up to an hour.For each photo, you need to specify the quantity using the plus and minus buttons.If you are picking it up from the counter, you will be prompted to enter your name (in English or in Japanese) and also enter your telephone number.You will then confirm your order. Can't believe it is only 40 yen!!!After your order has been completed, you have an option to use their other services. If not then click the red button at the bottom to exit.After that, a receipt will start to print out from the machine.Actually, two receipts will print out from the machine. You will then take this to the counter and they will write a time on one of the receipts for you to come back with when your order is ready.The monitor kindly reminds you to take this receipt to the counter.How simple was that? I hope this was helpful for you. I definitely will use this service for printing out photos as well since it is such a simple process that requires very little interaction with people. It definitely feels a lot safer by using the smartphone method versus bringing your own usb flash drive and plugging it into this public machine.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXr2L-living_money_howtoTue, 04 Feb 2020 19:18:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXr2L-living_money_howtohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z31vj-living_food_shopping_kita_ku_osaka_shi_osakaThe first time I have ever been to a German Christmas Market was when I first experienced Christmas in Japan two years ago. I went to the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market. This year, I decided to travel to Osaka during the winter holidays. I didn't have any plans on visiting any Christmas Markets - yet again, I didn't even know of any that were occurring. One of my friends that I met up with informed me that there was a small Christmas Market happening right under Umeda Sky Building! This was a nice surprise since the Sky Building was already on my agenda.The name of this Christmas Market was "Willkommenzum Weihnachtsmarkt" and yes, I have no idea how to pronounce it.My friends and I decided that we would check out Umeda Sky Building first and watch the sunset at the top, then head down to check out the Christmas Market for some snacks and drinks. And wow, is that a mini merry-go-round I see?Walking through to get into the building was easy. There wasn't that many people (yet) since it was still early daylight. It was nice to see all the vendors set up with lots of Christmas decoration! Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday since everyone is in joyous spirits!Luckily, thanks to my amazing planning, the time we entered to go up to the observatory was perfect - the building was pretty empty. I was expecting to see more people since there was a huge crowd walking towards Umeda. The building is open from 9:30 am to 10:30 pm and entrance fee is ¥1500.And once again, thanks to my brilliant planning, we got to watch one of the last sunsets of 2019 and the DECADE in such a beautiful place. It was seriously breathtaking.Once the sun started to set, more people started coming to the top of the observatory for their photos. This was our chance to go down to the Christmas Market! As we were going down by the entrance there was an extremely long line to enter. You know we were definitely thinking ahead with our plans.Now going back down, there was a giant tree that we saw earlier, but it was now lit up! It had many designs but I didn't capture many photos.The location of this Christmas Market was in such a cool place right under the Sky Building. I always appreciated the architecture of this beautiful building.Because we had dinner already planned, we decided to just get a drink and something small to snack on. By this time, the Christmas Market was packed and there were long lines everywhere. I only really wanted one thing and that was the hot wine! I saw many people with this "Willkommenzum Weihnachtsmarkt" exclusive mug with hot wine in it. Being the crazy mug collector that I am, I NEEDED to get the mug. I love mugs and anything limited edition or exclusives.This is the cute mug that I got with the name of the market and Osaka on it. I can't remember the price of it, but it had to be ¥1000. My friend got the white hot wine, while I got the red. It was perfect for the chilly weather.We also decided to get some pretzels and sausages because what's a German Christmas Market with hot wine but no grub! Actually I have no idea what I'm talking about since this was only the second time I've been to a Christmas Market.I'm not sure if pretzels in Germany are this plain, but I do wish it had a little salt. The sausage was good and even came with a little bread bun. They had condiments on the side for your liking.Overall, this was one highlight of my winter vacation and I am hoping that in the future I am able to attend more of these Christmas Markets! The environment is all about good vibes and is very family-friendly as well! I think it is a nice event to gather around with loved ones and just enjoy the holiday spirit!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z31vj-living_food_shopping_kita_ku_osaka_shi_osakaMon, 03 Feb 2020 11:50:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z31vj-living_food_shopping_kita_ku_osaka_shi_osakahttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YjE-foodAlong with my previous ume snack posts, I think I found my favorite one yet. I saw this beautiful red packaged Calbee - Kata age potato chip that was ume flavored. This 堅あげ (hard fried) potato chips is my favorite from Calbee. It's very firm and crunchy and has that really deep fried goodness.The sad thing about these snacks is that they look empty as soon as I open it. I guess this is why Japanese people are skinny haha. Looking at these chips, you can see the typical ume specs not realizing that these really pack a punch. This ume flavored chip is really really sour that even my face squinched up. I think the potency of this was perfect for an ume flavor. And like I always say, I think this flavor has to be my favorite so far. I definitely will be stocking up on it while it's available!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YjE-foodSat, 01 Feb 2020 21:24:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YjE-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmxR2-foodIt's finally here! The strawberry flavored Coca Cola! Tis the season of strawberries! I saw news of this new Coca Cola flavor coming out and was excited to try it right after it filled up of the shelves. In the past, Coca Cola has came out with Peach and Apple flavors. I wasn't too impressed with both of the flavors, but as soon as I heard strawberry was coming out, my excitement shot up again. The only thing was that my expectations weren't high at all.The packaging looks very similar to the previous flavors. And luckily thanks to the previous Coca Cola x One Piece collab, I was able to purchase this bottle and have it count towards the collab!As for the taste.... when I opened the bottle cap, a strong smell of nostalgia came out. Back in the States and back in the day, ICEEs were very popular. I grew up drinking this slushie drink and it hold a dear place in my heart. My grandfather would take me and my cousin after school to get this delightful drink. If you were a daredevil kid like me, you would know what I'm talking about haha. I really only really remember three flavors for ICEEs and that was Coca Cola, Strawberry, and Blue Raspberry (I think). I always got Coca Cola and Strawberry mixed!This smell of this drink definitely reminds me of the mixed ICEE I used to always get as a kid. The taste on the other hand, was a little different but close enough. You already know I enjoyed this flavor and think it is the best among the Peach and Apple flavors! Definitely check it out if you would get the same ICEE flavors as me! It was a nice blast to the past I suppose haha.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmxR2-foodSat, 01 Feb 2020 20:15:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmxR2-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRq9W-foodToday I decided to treat myself with my favorite Mos Burger! It's been over a month since I've last had it when I tried the new spicy chicken burger (which is still available on the menu). This time I was lucky enough to see a new limited and resurrected burger, the chicken nanban!It won first place in "past menu items you want to eat again in 2020". I read that this was it's sixth revival and with a new twist, the Sour Chicken Nanban! This burger comes with a sour cream sauce full of white wine vinegar, four types of herbs (rosemary, thyme, cardamom, oregano) and pepper. I NEEDED to try it!I also got the sour chicken nanban because it came with a tomato, versus the regular chicken nanban.It's a little weird to hear someone call a burger "sour"...Wow, this burger looked fat and juicy! It was very messy to eat, but I loved it!Just after one bite, I fell in love. The sour acidic taste from the sauce with the tender juicy chicken breast was an interesting, but refreshing combination. I think the sliced tomato also played a key part to completing this burger. At first I couldn't put my finger on what the sauce was made up of, so I googled it... But, before I googled it, if I were to describe it in layman's terms - it tasted herby and sour like freshly squeezed lemons were mixed in this - later to find out it was just vinegar.I also bought fries (which I usually don't), but then realized this burger was not your usual "burger". It was so sweet that the salty french fries did not match with the burger. It was definitely a nice new burger though! I wish they would keep it longer, but I believe it is only available for a limited time until March, so check it out asap!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRq9W-foodFri, 31 Jan 2020 19:25:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRq9W-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wNY74-foodIt's been too cold to eat any ice cream, but I have been stocking up on some delicious sweets during the winter! I decided to just bundle up under my kotatsu and eat this Lotte ice cream that has a Tea Latte flavor (with vanilla).I love teas, but I'm not a huge fan of milk tea (I know I know...) But, I decided to give this a try since I love seeing this dessert with new interesting flavors! Why not?The photo of the tea latte didn't interest me but the ice cream swirl that looked like a roll cake did.Opening this, I did not expect that it was going to be a swirl design. Although I should have expected this with the previous flavors.I am still a huge fan of this icy and crispy lighter texture. It was easy to scoop into the ice cream dessert.The first bite reminded me of the Japanese royal milk tea drink! I'm not a big fan on milk tea (especially royal milk tea - I prefer oolong milk tea), but this flavored ice cream was delicious! I guess I don't mind the flavor if it was in the form of a dessert versus a drink.I would definitely get this flavor again, but it still does not beat my favorite Matcha Tiramisu and Mascarpone flavor (which I hope to see again)!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wNY74-foodThu, 30 Jan 2020 21:00:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wNY74-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mx19W-foodI haven't had Calbee's regional flavored chips in a while and came across this gyoza packaged one. I thought it would most likely be a good flavor. This one in particular is from Tochigi prefecture and is the Utsunomiya city's fried gyoza! I had to research a bit on why this city is famous for it's gyoza and it seems that it is where gyoza had first started in Japan (coming from China)! This city has over 200 gyoza restaurants and is allegedly the highest consumer of gyoza in Japan! Wow.. I had no idea! I like to justify buying new snacks to learn more about Japan haha. I've been to Tochigi once, and thought they were only famous for strawberries, but now I'd like to visit again to try their Utsunomiya fried gyoza!While opening the package, the smallest opening gap had a strong gyoza aroma peeling out of the bag. It was a very pleasant smell of gyoza and also rayu chili oil (which I love).I suppose the little red specks on the chips were the chili oil. The chips tasted just as it smelt and I was very impressed with this flavor. I want to say that out of all the Calbee chip flavors that I have tried, the Rayu Chili Oil was my favorite, but this one is very close (probably because of the similar taste). It definitely made me crave gyoza after eating it though.I'd definitely recommend you checking it out! You can't fail with a gyoza flavor yum...To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mx19W-foodThu, 30 Jan 2020 19:26:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mx19W-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G0VWV-foodIt's that time of year again. I am seeing so many of ume flavored snacks popping up everywhere. This time, is Jagarico - Koume ume flavor! I had to look up what "小梅" (koume) was and found out that it is a Lotte candy with the same picture of the girl on the packaging! As I mentioned earlier when trying the ume flavored Jagabee,I love ume! And I had to get it because of the adorable packaging as well. I'm hoping that this flavor satisfies my taste buds than the Jagabee one.First of all, I love how full this cup looks compared to the small Jagabee one that was nearly empty. You can see the specks of ume on each potato stick. I forgot how much I loved the firm and crunchy texture of the Jagarico potato sticks and very much prefer it over Jagabee's softer texture. Because this flavor is based on the candy, it had a kick in taste. It was sour, but really sweet just like an ume candy. Although it was an interesting combination, I actually liked it. It may have been because of the crunchy texture of the potato sticks as well.I would recommend trying this flavor if you like ume! Not sure if it is my favorite, but it is a nice light change in flavor!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G0VWV-foodWed, 29 Jan 2020 22:20:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G0VWV-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ7qN-foodI've tried many of Calbee's Jagarico, however this is the first time that I am trying their Jagabee snack. I am a huge fan of umeboshi, or Japanese pickled plums. I saw this one and immediately had to get it. This container is a little smaller than the regular Jagarico that I'm used to getting.I was surprised to see that the potato sticks were more shaped like actual french fries unlike Jagarico. The texture of these were more similar to fries as well. I'm not sure how I felt about this. I definitely would prefer real fries with ume powdered on it, but at the same time I don't think ume and potatoes match. I think I only slightly enjoyed this because of the ume flavor alone.Also, I actually found the Jagarico flavored ume, which I will try next! But as of now, I'm not a big fan of this flavor.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ7qN-foodWed, 29 Jan 2020 22:04:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ7qN-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mvr3K-foodCoca Cola has done it again! With their usual collabs with my favorite series One Piece, they changed up their free gift from towels to a shitajiki (writing board). As I mentioned in my previous post with Meiji x Black Clover, I love to collect shitajikis and own way more than I need. The designs for this collab were really nice and I was torn because I wanted them both! I just did not want to carry EIGHT drinks home, since you need to purchase 4 Coca Cola products in order to get the free gift.This first design really caught my eye because it looked really "Japanese" with the art style as well as the characters on what looks like Karuta cards! The best part was that the hiragana character on the card is the start of the One Piece characters name!I tried playing Karuta once, but I could not understand it too well, but I did really enjoy this design a lot.This was the design on the back of the Karuta shitajiki. It looks like Japanese family crests! I think it would have been cool if the design was the actual back of the Karuta cards!The second design was a simple drawing of the different Strawhat crew members. I think I would have enjoyed this one more if it was in the outfits of the recent Wano kuni arc.The back of this second design had a Japanese vibe going on with each crew members Jolly Roger symbol!I ended up getting the first design, but debating if I should go back and get the second one, since these are original Coca Cola product designs. Definitely should check them out before they sell out in your local stores!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mvr3K-foodSun, 26 Jan 2020 13:39:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mvr3K-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2oL3-foodAt the same time I saw the Lotte x Fate/Grand Order collab, just in the next aisle I saw one of my favorite animes, Black Clover having another collab with Meiji chocolates! I saw a previous collab with Black Clover and Meiji a little while back, however the free gift was a notebook (which I don't really need). The free gift this time was a shitajiki (writing board) - which I am a sucker to collect.This collab had two different designs for the shitajiki. One with the two main characters Asta and Yuno with flags of "Kinoko no Yama" and "Takenoko no Sato". The infamous KTW (Kinoko Takenoko War) between mushrooms and bamboo. Which side are you on? I am all about the kinoko!!!The other design is with Charlotte Roselei (Captain of the Blue Rose) and Yami Sukehiro (Captain of the Black Bulls) in a casual outfit with a Valentines looking theme. I really ship these two characters together so it was nice to see this design that you would usually just see as fan art!There were a lot of Meiji chocolates to choose from. I decided to get the Melty Kiss - Yuzu (which I will blog about once I try it) and a few regular Meiji chocolate bars. Which always have the cutest and unique designs!I hope to see more Black Clover collabs! If you like shonen stories then you should definitely check out Black Clover! The main characters goal is to become the Wizard King in this world of magic. It is definitely a fun story!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2oL3-foodSun, 26 Jan 2020 13:29:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2oL3-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wk4r6-foodAlthough I love anime, I have never gotten into the Fate series. And I'm not sure if I should get into it. I always see advertisements and merchandise for this anime, but there are so many alternative universes in this franchise, that I don't even know where to start! Also, that would mean I'd be more inclined to purchase unnecessary goods.Anyways, I was at my grocery store, and once again I saw a collab with Lotte chocolates and gum!Sorry, I couldn't get a good photo of the ad. But, you know the drill.... Purchase however many Lotte products and you can get the Fate/ Grand Order merchandise for free! These above looked like stickers, which were meant for the Lotte Fit's gum.They had a lot of Valentines chocolates to choose from to get the following folders!I am glad I haven't watched the series yet, or I know I would be buying all the chocolates to get these folders. Japan really knows how to get you. I don't really need folders, but I love to collect these original designs.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wk4r6-foodSun, 26 Jan 2020 13:16:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wk4r6-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mxn-shopping_fashionI started following Japan BAPE's Instagram, where they posted the release of their new e-MOOK for 2020 Spring Collection! I was very excited to see that a cute camo duffle bag would be the special item for this e-MOOK.I've become an e-MOOK duffle bag collector ever since moving to Japan. I think because I make frequent trips to the city for just the weekend, duffle bags have become my favorite thing. Another reason I was excited about this duffle in particular was that I have become a big camo fan after moving to Japan too. I'm not sure as to why though, but I am in love with this cute print!I'm always fascinated at how well these bags are packed in this tiny cardboard box.This duffle was a pretty good size for me. It reminds me of a gym bag with the circular shape on the sides (can't see in the photo). It also came with a detachableand adjustable long strap. I could tell that the quality of this duffle bag was a lot better than the backpack I purchased from the previous e-MOOK - 2019 Autumn/ Winter Collection.This e-MOOK just came out yesterday (Dec 21, 2019) so go check out your konbini or nearby bookstores to pick up yours asap! Just like the previous e-MOOK, this one was ¥2380+tax, which is even a better deal for this duffle (over the backpack). I can't wait to use it!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mxn-shopping_fashionSun, 22 Dec 2019 22:40:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mxn-shopping_fashionhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zDRD9-food_shoppingKaki no tane is a very popular snack that I would eat back home. This crescent shaped little senbei and peanuts is such a wonderful mix. I've seen some flavors in Japan that I have not seen back in the States, such as ume and wasabi, however this time I found a new flavor! This packaging definitely caught my eye. It is the Galaxy Mix - with hot chili and a black hole little mame (black pepper flavor).A little off topic, but I recently watched this anime called "Space Brothers" (Uchuu Kyoudai), which is about two brothers dreams of going to space. I was introduced to JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), which is the Japanese national aerospace and space agency! I learned a lot about it through the anime, as I've always been interested in NASA and space. And if you like space, I'd recommend the anime! It is a real feel good story about the bonds between siblings never giving up on their dreams. It is very inspiring and motivational!So with this new flavor, there was a free shitajiki (writing board) - that I LOVE to collect - if you buy three Kaki no Tane packages (I think). So, obviously I had to get it!What is cuter than two little kaki senbeis floating in space in a spacesuit!Everythign about the packaging was perfect and very galaxy aesthetics. The cut out shooting star to see the snacks inside was brilliant!To make this Galaxy Mix even better, each package had some random facts about JAXA (or space?). I will need to translate these later, but I have taken photos of each one for you all.Oh, I forgot to take photos of the actual snacks. But it wasn't really super chili pepper hot. But the little black hole mame tasted really good like black pepper and peanuts basically haha! I hope they keep this flavor around for a while because it is one of the best!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zDRD9-food_shoppingSat, 07 Dec 2019 23:55:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zDRD9-food_shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GBbDW-foodI recently found another Baby Star Dodekai collaboration with popular chain restaraunt Gyu-Kaku! This yakiniku restaurant is very popular in Hawaii, and have restaurants across America. When I first moved to Japan and found out I have a Gyu-Kaku restaurant outside my house, I was so shocked! I did not know that this chain was from Japan! I don't think it is popular amongst Japanese people though (since I've never heard about it in Japan before). Just like the TENKAIPPIN Kotteri chips, this Gyu-Kaku package was smaller than the usual Dodekai chip bag.I'm not exactly sure on the translation of this flavor 旨だれカルビ.... it sounds like it is a delicious tare (thick shoyu) flavored kalbi.You can see the chips looked like they were glazed with some yakiniku sauce, a sweet and savory flavor full of umami! The chips also tasted a bit smokey like how the meat tastes after being grilled. It is truly a yakiniku chip flavor! It almost tasted like I was eating the real thing (without the juicy kalbi)... It's hard to go wrong with these types of meaty flavors, and this one definitely was spot on! The taste it left in my mouth really seemed like I had just eaten yakiniku!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GBbDW-foodSat, 07 Dec 2019 20:09:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GBbDW-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVqEV-foodBrowsing that ice cream aisle again... I found Papico's Black Grapes flavor! I guess towards the end of the year becomes grape season! I'm usually pretty skeptical on grape flavored things, due to it tasting plain gross. But, I am not here to discriminate! I have trust that Japan makes the best flavors (or the weirdest). Plus, I love limited flavors, so I had to get it.Interesting enough, I was trying to read what the kanji said for the flavor and it translated to Black Panther haha! But then I realized it was, "kuro (black) budou (grapes)". I guess grapes are usually written in hiragana versus kanji so that threw me off.The color was a deep purplish red, I'm acutally not even sure how to describe this color.Overall, I surprisingly enjoyed this flavor a lot. I'm usually not a big fan of grape flavored sweets, but this Papico flavor was really good. I'm not good at describing what it tastes like but it is a lot more sweeter and not medicinal flavored as grape flavored things in the States. I'm not sure if it is because these grapes were were black grapes and maybe I haven't tasted black grapes, versus the usual lighter purple or purple red or light green grapes.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVqEV-foodSat, 07 Dec 2019 19:23:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVqEV-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wekEn-shoppingIt's been a while (maybe a week) since I've visited my favorite store, Seria. As I was randomly browsing I found a super cute collaboration with Evangelion! I was so shocked to see this collab because I guess I rarely see anime stuff in the store. I guess since it's been a week since I've visited, I probably missed out on everything they had. This is all that I saw there in the small little section.I am a huge fan of buying merchandise with cute chibi style drawings. It always seems more special than the original character design... I guess because it is a collaboration which makes it seem more exclusive.I always see this Rody Horse (donkey) everywhere and I'm not even sure where it came from. But they had them designed as the Eva units or pilots?I've been trying not to buy a lot of unnecessary things, but I'm a sucker for pouches so I had to get this little cutie. I guess since the third part Evangelion 3.0 is coming out next year, there have been a lot of Evangelion collaborations coming out! I'm looking forward to more of them! And I hope Seria hosts a lot more collaborations with anime merchandise!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wekEn-shoppingSat, 07 Dec 2019 18:50:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wekEn-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4yDL-shoppingJapan is the land of anime and one thing that is very popular here is the vending machine for capsuled toys - Gashapon (or Gachapon). I am a HUGELY obsessed with gachas. I honestly don't know how much money I have spent playing these gachas, but they are definitely more fun than just buying a random blind box toy. To physically hand crank the toy vending machine and a random toy pop out is very exciting to me. Even though I don't need it, I enjoy doing it (and wasting money).Anyway, this gacha machine that I saw was the One Punch Man Figure Keychain 3. For those who don't know this anime, it is a gag story about a superhero who defeats his enemies in one punch. The Japanese name is called Wanpanman, which is a play on the popular children anime character Anpanman, with "wanpan" as "one punch". It is pretty comedic, but in the second season, which just came out this year (FINALLY after about 3 year break from the first season) starts to get more interesting. I'd definitely recommend this show for those who enjoy gag type of shows.This gacha is based on Season 2 since the main character, Saitama (One Punch Man), is wearing a wig which occurs in Season 2. Also, a new charater Garou has made his appearance and has become my favorite character in the series (regardless that he is a villain).My first attempt, (of course) would be one of the least characters I wanted. First is the worst, this character's name is King.Second is the best, I got Saitama himself! I'm actually not too fond of his look though. I'd prefer him in his hero suit. I would have also been happier with Genos or Tatsumaki (the other two popular characters in the series). Oh well, I couldn't give up. I need Garou!They say third times the charm! And also after 900 yen I got Garou! His personality is cool and his beliefs (even as a villain) is interesting. I'll be rocking this keychain on my backpack or maybe just display it somewhere in my house along with the rest of billions of anime keychains.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4yDL-shoppingSat, 07 Dec 2019 18:36:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4yDL-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP7EV-foodIt's been a little while since I've had Mos Burger and I was curious if they had my favorite chicken burger back on the menu. I went to check it out and happily saw that it was indeed back on the menu, however there were a few other additions to the chicken burger selection! There was a spicy chicken burger and a chicken burger with cheese (and spicy).I decided to try the Chicken Burger (spicy) which came with jalapenos since the chicken burger with cheese just looked like they added cheese. Little did I know...When I opened the burger, I was surprised to find that it was literally just a chicken burger with jalapenos added. It didn't look like they added any type of hot spicy sauce to it. I guess I had to try it to make sure.Just as I suspected, the burger was just a regular chicken burger with jalapenos. It wasn't that disappointing since it still tasted great, but I was expecting a little twist to their usual sauce they use. If they made that a little spicy then it would have been better. I could just buy a chicken burger and add jalapenos. Well, now I know! I hope they make an actual SPICY chicken burger next time.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP7EV-foodFri, 06 Dec 2019 21:48:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP7EV-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJogo-living_kofu_shi_yamanashiLiving on a paradise island my entire life, I was never one to experience all four seasons. Back home on our tropical island of Hawaii, we basically have only spring and summer seasons haha! It wasn't until I came to Japan one year during the fall and experienced what fall (autumn) was really about. I instantly fell in love. Fast forward a few years later and here I am! I get to experience my favorite season in my favorite place! This year was extra special because I had my mother visit me during this fall season. I was lucky enough to explore and experience what fall is all about in Japan. And, it was actually her idea to venture to Kofu, Yamanashi to see what Shosenkyo Gorge is all about. A famous tourist attraction in Yamanashi (besides Kawaguchiko) to view the beautiful fall leaves.We started our adventure at Kofu Station. Shosenkyo is about 30-40 min bus ride north of central Kofu. It is 30 minutes to the Shosenkyo entrance or 40 minutes to the Greenline Shosenkyo, which is where we got off. Since we were a bit tired that day we decided to start at the Greenline Shosenkyo stop instead. Starting from the entrance would be maybe a 45-60 min trail which we did not want to do. Also, the lady at Kofu information desk told us that the trail was not full of red leaves yet, which made our decision easier to start closer to our destination (the top of Shosenkyo where there is a ropeway).I loved all these maps of the same place, but I honestly was so hungry before we even started! Luckily it was a nice sunny, but cool day. Perfect for "hiking"!I was already amazed at how beautiful the trail was before it even started. I just had to take a picture of this tunnel. Little did I know, my mind was about to be blown by natures beauty!And now for a gallery of photos in the order of our trek.There was an outdoor restaurant that was serving hoto. I was so tempted to stay and just enjoy this view, but we weren't even halfway to our destination. We continued to move along.I was fascinated by how ginormous these rocks were! It's a bit hard to scale by just looking at this photo.Now this waterfall was so beautiful that a small rainbow had formed. I must clarify that these photos are not edited or filtered at all. Just appreciating Japan's natural beauty!I was also surprised to see many tourists amongst locals.At the top of these stairs were a lot of cute shops. The aesthetics of this area was fun and somewhat comforting.There were also loads of crystal shops up here. I was surprised to see how big of a deal crystals were, only to find out that Kofu is Japan's number one producer of polished crystal and jewel products. Yamanashi is also known for mining high quality crystals dating back to the Edo Period! Now that's some history I would like to learn more about!Now one thing is that Shosenkyo is only open until Nov 30th and I'm assuming because it looks like the photo above once winter's snow comes around.Yamanashi is also known for their wine.We found this beautiful wine shop with a view of the previous waterfall from the top!As we continued towards the Ropeway we found more and more crystal shops.And alas we have made it to our final destination!I thought it was interesting that you were allowed to bring your dog in the cable car if you are able to carry it. I also forgot to mention that there were many dogs walking the trail with their owners from young kids to old grandparents.There is always some kind of animal backstory to these ropeways. I wish I understood this one. I remember Kawaguchiko's one had a rabbit and racoon or something...SADLY, and SO VERY SADLY we could NOT see FUJI SAN!!!! I was quite disappointed because my mother and I were very excited to see the view from photos. But, it was still a beautiful day.We also got some snacks to munch on instead of eating at a restaurant. It was more suitable for this type of adventure (although I was really craving hoto).There was a path where you could climb further up the mountain. I found this beautiful view beyond this rock.I am so glad I got to explore this beautiful place with a loved one. It made this experience a lot more memorable. This is definitely a place I would love to visit again and possibly to bring my friends next time! Who knew such a GORG(EOUS) place existed so close to my home (kind of).To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJogo-living_kofu_shi_yamanashiTue, 03 Dec 2019 10:45:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJogo-living_kofu_shi_yamanashihttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MAm69-shoppingOne of my favorite stores 3COINS always has the cutest collaborations. This time was with Pokémon! The event looked like it started on November 1st (sorry this post is a bit late). 3COINS has many Pokémon collaborations but I think this one has to be THE CUTEST. First of all the artwork is adorable and they are sleeping!! The color aesthetics are very cute and pastel, totally suitable for some good night lullabies. The great part of it all, is that they are THREE COINS (300 yen) - or some are priced at 500 yen - still, what a bargain!I must have seen these about a week or two into November and was surprised it wasn't completely sold out. There were eye masks all sold out however (I really wanted those).I can see why they weren't completely sold out. I saw a small sign with a limited quantity for these collaboration merchandise. Thank goodness! Although I wanted almost everything, I limited myself to just the hand towels. I have no idea, but ever since moving to Japan, I have been collecting hand towels for days. The quality of all these were really good for the price, and they were also so very soft. It was so hard to resist not buying everything and in each color.If you weren't already aware by now, and if you have a 3COINS near you, I would suggest popping in to see what collabs they have going on. As you can see from the first photo, there was another Pokémon (cooking) collaboration that started on Nov 15, shortly after this dream theme. I recently also followed 3COINS on Instagram to learn more about these collaborations ahead of time! You can follow them at @3coins_official on Instagram!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MAm69-shoppingMon, 02 Dec 2019 23:29:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MAm69-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpkAB-foodAfter that last disappointing Jagarico flavor I tried (Nori Salt Butter), I had to immediately try another flavor. I round this regional flavor - Nikujaga. I'm not sure what region this flavor is from but I know that Nikujaga is a very popular dish in Japanese cuisine. I actually grew up eating this. This dish is mainly composed of meat (niku) and potatoes (jaga). There are also other vegetables such as onions, carrots, and konnyaku mixed in this dish all stewed in sweetened shoyu. It was never my favorite dish growing up, but as I grew older I have come to like it more.Looking at the package, the photo they used doesn't really look like Nikujaga to me... maybe because the potatoes kind of look like cut up garlic cloves.Looking at the potato sticks, you can see the little orange carrot bits and other darker bits. When opening the package, I was surprised that there wasn't really any smell because the actual dish usually has a very pleasant smell. After the first bite, I couldn't really tell if it tasted like Nikujaga, but after eating more of it the taste started to form. I think the slower I chewed the more umami released from the potato sticks.I'm glad it wasn't as salty as actual Nikujaga, and the flavor was more subtle, which made me enjoy it more. I'm actually surprised at this flavor, and I think it has to be one of my more preferred flavors from Calbee Jagarico!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpkAB-foodSun, 01 Dec 2019 01:33:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpkAB-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7EyN-foodI was browsing the snack aisle when I came across this normal, yet interesting flavor - Nori Salt Butter. I thought the combination of butter and nori sounded a bit weird but not at the same time. I wasn't sure if this was an old flavor they brought back, but it is for a limited time only.The package has a picture of what looks like a baked botato with melting butter on it with flakes of nori. It reminded me of the baked potato we would have during Thanksgivings feasts back in the States.Opening the package, I couldn't really smell anything besides butter. There was no hint of nori whatsoever, although there were little specs of it in the potato sticks. After a bite of it, I felt a bit sick by how buttery it was. It only tasted like butter. Just as it's smell, there was no taste of nori either. It wasn't until I finished the package that I realized I should have added in my own nori!!! I'm a fan of butter, but not necessarily solely butter flavor. I like it to be mixed with something else. Oddly enough I felt unhealthy eating this flavor haha. I wouldn't recommend it unless you really like butter though. Nothing special about this one.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7EyN-foodSat, 30 Nov 2019 17:58:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7EyN-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lbo-foodI can't believe that I've eaten so many different types of Japanese snacks. As much as I blog about it on City Cost, I also share it with my friends whenever I see a new (limited) flavor and now vice versa! This time, my friend shared one of her favorite flavors from the Calbee chip line, French Salad! It's always to see what flavors are out there because my grocery store did not carry this flavor! It seems to be a year round flavor at my friends grocery, but not once did I see it at my grocery!So, you can kind of guess how I got this package. While I was visiting my friend all the way in Ibaraki, she took me to her grocery store specifically to buy these chips and show me how much she loves them! I really enjoyed it so I brought a bag all the way home to snack on later too.The chips were lightly dusted with some peppery looking red and green colors. This really gave them a lot of flavor, which I enjoyed about the chip. When I think of how to describe these chips, I would say an upgraded version of Pringles Sour Cream and Onions! If you haven't tried those chips, YOU MUST! It is my favorite chip flavor from back home! I grew up eating is as a kid. The flavor is very onion-y, but not in a bad way! I recommend these chips just as much as how much my friend recommended them to me! I would definitely buy more if they sold it at my grocery store.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lbo-foodWed, 20 Nov 2019 23:51:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lbo-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPZZ-foodI was surprised when I came across this new limited flavor with a popular chain ramen restaurant called Tenkaippin (天下一品）I went to the chain restaurant we had back home in the States so I was aware that their ramen was a little different from others. They are known for the thickness of their broth, unlike the usual ramen broths that are more soupy. This flavored Baby Star is called Kotteri, meaning more heavy and rich with flavor. Seeing a familiar restaurant chain that I've been to made me automatically grab the bag to try!The picture on the package definitely looks better than the ones that I've tried back home. This one looks like a more lighter Shio taste. The one that I've had was more darker colored broth. I can't even explain what color it was but in my honest opinion it doesn't look that appetizing compared to this lighter colored broth on the package!Oh, also I noticed that this package is a little smaller than the others. I'm not too sure why though...Opening the package, I can already smell the saltiness of the Kotteri ramen flavor. The chips look a little darker than I had expected (comparing it to the color of the broth on the package). My first bite into the chip was pure salty. It had a strange taste as well. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I did not enjoy this flavor at all. Maybe it's because my tastebuds have changed, but this flavor smelled and tasted funky. I'm sorry I can't give a better explanation, but unless you really love Tenkaippin, I wouldn't recommend this. It is probably the worst flavor that I've tried from Baby Star Dodekai.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPZZ-foodWed, 20 Nov 2019 23:36:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPZZ-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GO9xO-living_foodEven though summer fireworks festivals are over, I had one more to look forward to that occurs every 4th Saturday in October in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki. This event is one of the largest fireworks competitions in Ibaraki Prefecture. Luckily, I have a friend that lives in Tsuchiura city and was fortunate to be able to stay while avoiding the crowd of people commuting by train.The event is called the Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition and it was just this past weekend. I was traveling all the way from Yamanashi, and my journey was surely a long one. Due to the typhoon season, there was heavy rain the day before the event causing train lines going into Ibaraki (specifically Tsuchiura) to be out of service. This was pretty disappointing, as I was stuck in Tokyo trying to transfer to Tsuchiura the night before, but since trains were cancelled, I had to call it quits and try check the next morning if trains would resume. Surprisingly, the train to Tsuchiura was running again before noon on Saturday, so I was able to make my way!My friend had told me that many people were already saving their seats with large tarps the night before. But, due to the heavy rain a large part of the viewing area was flooded. I was afraid that they would cancel the fireworks, but thank goodness it was still going to happen! The trains were filled with families and friends traveling from all over carrying tarps, drinks and snacks, and some even wearing yukata! I thought this was cool to see even though it was the end of October! Also, before getting off at Tsuchiura Station, there was an announcement recommending travelers to purchase their return train tickets or refilling their IC cards when they arrive, rather than leave since the crowds at the train station would be too hectic after the event. Restaurants at the train stations were selling bentos outside their store, which was cool but my friend and I were planning to stop at the grocery store to bring our own food as well as buy from the food stalls at the event!The fireworks was said to start from 6 pm and go on until 9 pm. My friend and I walked to the event held along side the Sakuragawa river. We got there a little after it started, so while we were walking there we could see the fireworks popping from 20 mins away! Once we arrived, we saw that there were many food stalls lined up. I couldn't even count how many! There was a pause or intermission between the fireworks, which seemed like a 15+ min break. I overheard some people wondering if the fireworks were done or they were cancelling it because that is what happened last year! I was hoping this wouldn't happen so we were just walking through for about 10-minutes to look for a seat. Some people started to leave at around 7 pm and we were able to take their seats on the hill.I'm glad we waited, because the fireworks were beautiful! This photo below is a close up from one of the finales.We were sitting a bit far at first, and decided to move closer. There were people everywhere!!!We walked closer and were able to get such a great view! There were so many brilliant colors and fireworks that gave me a summer fireworks festival nostalgic vibe?We decided to find something to snack on. We saw this road that went off from the riverside and saw how many people there were and decided not to even try go down there. But, all the lights from the food stalls made the atmosphere so fun!My friend wanted this Rainbow Cheese Dog, which has gotten pretty popular in Japan. I think this Cheese Dog idea came from Korea?I only had a bite and that was good enough for me haha! But the rainbow was interesting.I spy Doraemon, minions, and Pikachu!These chocolate bananas were super adorable and if I wasn't so full I wish I had gotten them! The kaonashi (no face) from Spirited Away was my favorite!We also got some karaage chicken (pictured in the left stand in photo above*) that had a sweet spicy sauce (kind of like Korean chicken). It was so good and also had a nice view of the fireworks!Towards the end, all the large fireworks started to pop all at once. I started taking many videos and photos! For these two photos above, I used my iPhone's Portrait mode! It captured such an artistic looking photo with the fireworks in back of the tree!I had such a memorable time at this fireworks event and I really would like to go to more in the fall since the weather is a lot cooler and comfortable in summer! I recommend if you have no plans on the fourth Saturday of October, to check out Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GO9xO-living_foodThu, 31 Oct 2019 10:39:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GO9xO-living_foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lye-food_shoppingI wasn't sure if I should title this post under the Calbee Nori Shio chips or as the gachapon toy. As much as I browse the snack aisle, I browse the gacha capsule machines just as much! I swear Japan makes the funniest and best gachas. I came across one that I HAD to get (even though I always HAVE to get everything).It was the Calbee chip brand as a keychain! Since I'm always snacking on Jagarico or other snacks, I really wanted this useless keychain.To my surprise, on my first try I got the Nori Shio which was one of my favorites! Although I wanted the Jagarico, the Nori was cuter I suppose. I liked how it had a small tag of what bag of chip it is too.I decided to run to the store to buy the bag of chips.There isn't many chips in these bags, but I guess that's ok since they can be addicting. I haven't gotten these chips in a while because they are a bit too salty for me. I wish they were just Nori (dried seaweed) flavored without the Shio (salt).Honestly the chip looks identical to me, except the color may be a little different but the texture of it and shape is spot on! I had to be careful not to get it mixed up with the actual chips and eat it. I felt complete eating the bag of chips with my little fake chip haha.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lye-food_shoppingWed, 30 Oct 2019 19:10:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lye-food_shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ7W5-foodI was at the grocery store, when I noticed there was a different section for Halloween themed packaged snacks. I thought this was interesting because it wasn't near the usual snack aisle I always check out. I found a new Jagarico flavor called カルパス or Karupasu. I had no idea what this was and couldn't tell from the giraffe dressed up as it. I had to ask a friend and was told it's like America's Slim Jim beef jerky stick snacks, but shorter. With this description I immediately recalled seeing this karupasu snack before. I was a little bummed out because I thought this was going to be a fun sweet Halloween flavor with the pink packaging.I love spoopy Halloween packaging.Wow the first thing I thought of when opening the package is that this deep red color reminded me of Flaming Hot Cheetos (that are sadly not available in Japan)! I was actually surprised that this sausage flavor was not bad. It was a bit salty, but the red color doesn't mean it is spicy at all. Another thing that I found interesting that this specific flavor stands out is that all the potato sticks are the same short size!! I only noticed this after eating a bunch and thought that there were a lot more pieces that usual... only to find that they were just all short just like the actual Karupasu snack! Personally, I like this better. I think Jagarico should make all their potato sticks the same short size because it feels like there is more quantity inside the package making this snack last longer. (Also just realized that the package says that the sticks are shorter just like the Karupasu and the color is similar too).To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ7W5-foodSun, 27 Oct 2019 22:22:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ7W5-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4y6x-foodI feel I am not a huge ice cream eater, but lately I've been buying a lot of ice cream (regardless of the weather getting colder). After trying the Papico Roasted Pistachio flavor, I was interested in trying more of the brands flavors. I was browsing the ice cram section at my smaller grocery market, and found this new Papico flavor! I honestly didn't even read it. I just saw the picture of the caramel and put it in my cart. If I read it, maybe I would have been a little more hesitant on buying it. It was the Caramelized Banana flavor. I don't dislike the banana fruit, but banana flavored things are a bit weird to me (besides banana bread - I LOVE banana bread).I'm not sure why the flavor is titled with the kanji for "adult" (大人 - otona). Are they saying this flavor is not suitable for kids? It's a bit strange haha.Before even opening the package, I could smell the strong scent of banana seeping out from it. This is how I found out that this was not just a caramel flavor, but a caramelized banana flavor. It threw me off because I was ready to eat this sweet caramel flavored ice cream, but nope. The color of the ice cream was really nice though. It kind of reminded me of a coffee flavor.Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this flavor, mainly because the banana was just too overpowering. I also had the taste in my mouth even after I brushed my teeth... I really couldn't taste much caramel either. Wish the flavor was the other way around with a stronger caramel flavor and less bananas. I don't recommend unless you love that banana flavor.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4y6x-foodThu, 24 Oct 2019 21:43:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4y6x-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wk4d0-foodIt's been a while since I had a pack of Baby Star Dodekai Ramen Noodle Chips. I was honestly trying to take a break from snacks, but here I am with my latest Baby Star collaboration! I wasn't necessarily looking for snacks, but I wound up near the snack aisle somehow... What was brought to my attention at the corner of my eye I saw a glistening gold package. It was a Baby Star collab with the famous Japanese YouTube celebrity HIKAKIN. First of all, this package was brilliant! I love anything flashy. For those who don't know HIKAKIN, I found his video of his collaboration with the chips.This flavor says Kodawari Chicken, which I am not sure how this interprets to. But it is a sweet glazed chicken!Not too sure what this QUO Card is, but it appears that you can try to get it using the glasses little pink cut out.When opening the package, there was a very sweet teriyaki chicken scent. It was love at first bite!!! The chips look a little darker than usual and a bit glazed with sweetness! I think this has to be my favorite flavor I've ever tried of the Baby Star Dodekai chips! It is very addicting with the sweet but salty chicken flavor. The strange thing is, I don't really care for actual sweet glazed chicken, but as a chip flavor, this is the best! I will definitely stock up on this flavor as soon as I can.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wk4d0-foodTue, 22 Oct 2019 23:18:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wk4d0-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW4b2-foodAlong with the last Charumera x One Piece Shoyu cup ramen that I reviewed, is this Miso flavor! I was a bit hesitant on this flavor since I usually never get miso because it being too salty and thick. Although, I've never tried a miso flavored cup ramen.First of all, I decided to eat this flavor regardless of the flavor since the packaging was very suitable with Halloween vibes! The black cat is too adorable, who can resist?Perona was also the perfect character for this Halloween design since she is the very spooky princess in the Thriller Bark arc! I was a bit surprised that they didn't include her little ghosts though! What a bummer.Once again, this collab was to promote the One Piece Stampede movie.Now opening the package was a surprise to find such adorable little cat kamabokos! In the Shoyu one, they only had the old guy kamaboko haha. Also, the smell was so strong and delicious! I'm not sure if it even smelled like miso.Overall, this miso blew my mind. I think this flavor is even better than the Shoyu flavor! There is a lot more umami than the shoyu. Also now that I think of it, the shoyu one didn't really taste like shoyu as it was really light flavored.I think after trying these two flavors from Charumera, I think their cup ramen may be more better to me than Nissin Cup Noodle!! I have one last One Piece collab to try and will make the final decision then.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW4b2-foodTue, 22 Oct 2019 22:32:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GW4b2-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgXZj-shoppingAs usual, I'm roaming around my favorite Hobby Zone store for anime merchandise (besides Book Off), and I come across this card like package. I've never seen anything like it before, but because it was One Piece and the promotion of their new movie Stampede, I had to get it. It was thin but I could feel a little plastic collectible card inside. I didn't feel any candy inside though, so I was wondering if they were just selling a card for 200 yen lol.I don't know what purpose I have in collecting these cards, but I have a really bad habit of doing it anyways. Regardless of also not displaying them anywhere... Maybe I should buy a binder to display my collection of cards and stickers with the help of theseI found at the dollar store, Seria.Also, it wasn't until after I opened the package that I noticed the bottom of the front package says "Clear Card Collection Gum", so I guess there is a piece of gum that I couldn't feel earlier.It appears that there are 32 different collectible cards from the Stampede movie. I love when they give the characters different outfits for the movies. Although, I haven't seen the movie yet (I know not a true fan...), I've seen the outfits, and they aren't my favorite. Maybe this is a good thing, or I would have wanted to collect all the cards.I was pleased to see that there were two cards in this package! They are clear and the reminded me of those shitajiki writing board material. I was also happy to get Luffy!!!! Interesting enough, I also got Buena Festa who is one of the main antagonist for the Stampede movie! I thought that was cool that I got both of these cards. Although, I would have preferred a cooler character like Trafalgar Law, or Sabo (my favorite characters in One Piece).I think since I got the Luffy card, I am not regretful of this purchase, and because the quality of this card is a more plastic material, I think it was worth it! (Of course I would say otherwise if I got two bad guy cards haha).To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgXZj-shoppingTue, 22 Oct 2019 13:26:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MgXZj-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9lQ0-foodOne of my favorite ice cream flavors (besides coffee), is pistachio. I was at the store, checking out the desserts (as usual), and I came across this pistachio flavored Papico ice cream by Glico! Or wait actually, my friend told me about it so I went to find it, and glad I did! Haha. I didn't think that pistachio was a popular for Japanese people, let alone as an ice cream flavor. I had high hopes for it though!The first time I tried Papico was in a small box pack and I did not have a good experience eating it as the plastic would cut up my mouth. This packaging has two Papico tubes and is a lot more gentle to eat. I still think the packaging is still a bit of a pain to get every last drop of ice cream.The coloring was a nice pistachio looking green color. And as for the taste, it was really creamy! When I think of pistachio ice cream I think of a more heavier creamy texture, and Papico hit the spot with that. I think for me though, I can only eat one at a time due to the creaminess being too thick. I still recommend this flavor! I believe this may be a seasonal limited flavor, but I wish they kept it yearlong!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9lQ0-foodTue, 22 Oct 2019 01:12:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9lQ0-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lre-foodCalbee never fails me when making seasonal and regional flavored chips. This time I found Yuzu Koshou (Black Pepper). I love yuzu and I love black pepper so this flavor was an automatic yes in the cart for me. This flavor seems to be from Kyushu and seasonal for the fall. I haven't seen this last year so it seems to be a new flavor! I was so excited to try it.It seems on the back of the bag has a line up of the next new flavors! There's black pepper and usu shio (lightly salted). I actually saw these right next to the yuzu black pepper, but they did not look as interesting flavors.When opening the bag, I was expecting the chips to be dusted with black pepper or have a more yellow tint to it, but they looked like regular potato chips.The flavor is jam packed with yuzu citrus and black pepper! At first the yuzu taste reminded me of a salt and vinegar flavored chip, but way better! I wish I bought more chips because the bag looks half empty and they are very addicting! The crunchy texture of these chips are my favorite too. Definitely get this!! Unless you don't like yuzu, then maybe not haha.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lre-foodTue, 22 Oct 2019 00:57:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lre-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mgj-living_shopping_money_howtoI went to DisneySea last month and instead of buying my tickets online, I purchased the tickets at Lawson convenience store. If you buy the tickets online, you have two options to print the tickets or have them mailed to you. I don't have a printer at home, but I was going to have them mailed to my house instead. For some reason, while going through the process on Tokyo Disney's official website, my card was rejected. I was then forced to purchase the tickets at the convenience store.At Lawson, the ticket purchasing machine that they have is Loppi. I'm not sure if there is an English option, however this is steps that I did in Japanese. It is a really easy process!This is what the display menu looks like. I selected the bottom center Disney Resort icon.You can choose between Tokyo Disneyland (first option) or Tokyo DisneySea (second option). There are also other options such as "After 6 pm Disneyland passport" (third option), and "After 6 pm DisneySea passport" (fourth option). These options are available during the week from Monday through Friday. There is also Starlight passes, which are after 3 pm on the weekends (Saturday & Sunday). Starlight Passport for Disneyland is the fifth option and Starlight Passport for DisneySea is the sixth option.After selecting your choice, you can see the different prices. They are adult prices (ages 18 and older), junior prices (age 12-17), and children prices (age 4-11). Disney does have senior (65 and older) prices, however it appears it may not be offered at these convenience stores.Next, you choose the date you want to purchase for. It also displays what days are sold out/ unavailable. If you want to purchase a Starlight price, it will probably block out dates during the week and vice versa for After 6 pm passport only available during the weekday.After, select how many tickets you want for each age category using the arrows pointing up. I needed three adult tickets.Then you click the bottom orange button to confirm the information is correct.Click the orange button again to confirm.After confirming, your receipt will be printed at the bottom. This is not the Disney ticket, it is the receipt you give to the cashier to pay. You have to pay for them within 30 minutes.My ticket being printed.Bring this receipt to the cashier and when you finish paying, they will print out your Disney tickets and that's it!And that's it! How simple was this!! I only purchased tickets ahead of time because it was a 3-day weekend and I didn't want want to risk waiting in line or anything. This was so convenient and I will probably try to buy more tickets online like this!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mgj-living_shopping_money_howtoWed, 16 Oct 2019 14:10:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mgj-living_shopping_money_howtohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GokyY-shoppingI am a huge fan of anime and I have a huge problem... I collect a bunch of anime merchandise, whether it's figurines, keychains, badges, pins, folders, stickers, etc. I have a box full of gachapon capsule balls storing all my cute keychains not knowing how to display them. I don't like to use them on my bag in case they get lost or dirty, so they have been safely stored where no one can see it.One day, I was walking around Seria and found a whole section full of otaku displaying goods. This would solve all my otaku collection problems! They had a wide array of goods. I only took a few pictures that seemed to really grab my attention.I don't collect many badges, but I thought this would also be good for those square stickers that come in the wafer snacks.I thought this reminded me of those ITA bags where you can display your favorite characters how you like. I think it gives individuality, a very interesting concept.This one caught my eye, as it looks versatile and can display badges, stickers, and keychains. I have a lot of those silicone keychains but had no idea how I would store them, but though this was perfect since they are flat.I put a few of my keychains and tried to add some new pins I bought to see how it would look... and they look GREAT!The display stand opens in the back and is easy to put your keychains in there. They are also pretty snug once inside, and won't move once the back is closed. I hope Seria will continue to sell these display stands, as my collection will continue to grow. Nothing beats this 100 yen display stand!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GokyY-shoppingMon, 14 Oct 2019 19:10:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GokyY-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7E3R-foodNow that it's fall, it's time to see sweet potato everything and everywhere! And what better place to start than my favorite grocery aisle... the snack aisle! I found this Jagariko, or should I say Satsumariko Yaki Imo (Roasted Sweet Potato) flavor. I think I've seen this last year too, not too sure. But I already know that you can't go wrong with anything sweet potato flavored.The packaging is beautiful with the fall maple leaves. Definitely defines roasted sweet potato season! :')This barcode image looks like they are playing hide and seek. I'm not too sure what the game is but I have heard Japanese kids say "moikai" before when playing games.The smell of roasted sweet potatoes come out of the package and makes you want to eat the real thing. These potato sticks are a little darker just like roasted sweet potatoes too. They also taste just like roasted sweet potatoes haha! It is def a good flavor that isn't too sweet or salty. But honestly, I would rather have the real thing. This snack made me crave it as soon as I finished. If you prefer the more crunchy texture then these potato sticks would be better than the soft warm and actual roasted sweet potato. Yum...To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7E3R-foodMon, 07 Oct 2019 22:03:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7E3R-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnm1m-foodI was browsing the ramen aisle of one of my grocery stores I don't frequent as often as the one in my Aeon mall, and came across this beauty. As you may already know, I am a huge One Piece fan, and I have a great eye at spotting out anything One Piece related. I found this Charumera Ramen and One Piece collab in Shoyu. There were two other flavors that I had to get as well, but I will review them later. I thought I've never tried Charumera Ramen, but I actually did try the packaged ramen that you cook in a pot. It was also shoyu, but I don't recall it tasting that good. It lacked flavor.I'm really enjoying the artwork thats on this cup noodle packaging. They included both of the Strawhat ships into the little ramen stand. I appreciate little details as such and also including Charumera's guy and cat mascot as well eating with the crew.This collab is also for the new One Piece Stampede movie that came out in August (that I have still yet to see... some fan I am right).I was very impressed with this Shoyu cup noodle. It was a lot tastier than the packaged one I remember. I noticed that the soup is Hotate (scallop) flavored. I'm wondering if this is only for this collab ramen, or if they are all scallop flavored. Either way even the negi was really tasty as well. I think this cup noodle compares pretty well to Nissin Cup Noodles!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnm1m-foodMon, 07 Oct 2019 21:22:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnm1m-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrvR3-foodSo I totally forgot to go back and try this Limited Shrimp Tempura burger from Mos Burger after I tried the Jumbo Menchi Burger (that was just so-so). I was definitely more pleased with this Shrimp Tempura burger. I'm not sure if it is because I love shrimp so much and prefer seafood over meat, but I don't think that is the case.Looking at the two limited burgers, the shrimp tempura one probably appealed to me more because of that juicy tomato. I think the Jumbo Menchi burger may have been better if they added a tomato to it as well.Wow, just look at this beautiful juiced up tempura.There were two shrimp tempuras in this tiny bun burger, which made this so difficult to eat. Counting the thick mayo sauce, it was very messy. I suggest maybe eating it with a fork and knife or just not in public...Not the best looking bite, but this was damn delicious. I think I'd go get another one real soon. The shichimi (seven spices togarashi) mayo sauce was delicious and surprisingly such a perfect match for the shrimp tempura. I've never thought to add shichimi togarashi to my fried shrimp, but I really enjoyed the taste with the buns and even lettuce and tomato. The only thing was there may have been a little too much sauce because the tempura got soggy pretty quick. If you don't eat this as soon as you get it, you may not get the best tasteful experience! But please try this burger!!! I hope Mos Burger keeps it around for a while!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrvR3-foodMon, 07 Oct 2019 20:43:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrvR3-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lO8-foodI went to Mos Burger for my usual chicken burger, but to my surprise, I could not find it on the menu... The chilled curry chicken burger that replaced it seemed to be missing too! I was stumped because I've only gotten chicken burgers at Mos Burger before. I saw two new limited time period burgers at the top of the menu though. I couldn't decide between the Jumbo Menchi Burger (minced meat cutlet) or the Shrimp Tempura with Shichimi Mayo (seven spices mayonaise). They both sounded amazing, but for today I went with the Menchi Burger!I guess it was like a menchi katsu burger, which is a deep fried ground meat patty. It could be with either beef or pork. In this case there is a cow at the corner of the picture, so I'm guessing they went with beef. It's also mixed with onions, salt and pepper.I was wondering why it was called "Jumbo" because this burger was as tiny as the others. I guess the menchi katsu was a little larger than the bun, however it was very thin.It looks like just some cabbage and katsu sauce and thats it!After biting into this burger, the juices literally just came gushing out of the patty. It was very crispy and deep fried. I really felt like drinking a soda with this burger even though I don't drink soda. That is how oily and greasy fried this burger tasted.Although it was good, I was not too impressed by the burger, besides how crispy and crunchy it was. The cutlet could have been thicker because sometimes it just tasted like I was eating onions and a bun.Can't wait to try the Shrimp Tempura burger tomorrow! I have much higher hopes for that burger.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lO8-foodTue, 17 Sep 2019 18:41:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lO8-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrv7X-foodDuring the summer I saw this cute new packaging of Koala's March. The koalas were tanning at the beach. I was thinking what kind of flavor they could use with summer, and I come to find out that it is vanilla shake flavored. I guess they can't be too creative with these chocolate snacks.On the back of the box was a little "I spy" or "Find Waldo" game.I still don't know why they make this package where you can somewhat close it if you aren't done eating it all. But who doesn't finish this in one sitting?The first thing I immediately noticed was... are these koalas tanned? Haha! They appeared to be darker than your regular Koala's March biscuits, which I thought was clever. They didn't taste any different.The chocolate tasted like vanilla, but I'm not sure where the shake is from. I guess you could smell the vanilla shake when opening the package. But to be honest, they taste just like the other white/ vanilla chocolate Koala's March biscuits.I give them A for effort in trying to think of more creative flavors, but I guess you can't really do much with this snack. I'm hoping one day they will try to make a fruity chocolate flavor, like an orange chocolate or cranberry/ raspberry chocolate would be nice.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrv7X-foodMon, 16 Sep 2019 20:42:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrv7X-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YOD-foodNot sure if this is a new flavor, or just an old flavor that has been brought back but I found it at my nearest grocery store after the release of the One Piece x Nissin Cup Noodle commercial.Yes, yes, I had to buy it only because of the One Piece connection. As a One Piece fan, this commercial sold me on the cup noodle, tell me not. Can't go wrong with a high school setting of your favorite anime and cup noodle.I thought this was an interesting flavor - Smoky and Spicy Sio (smoky black pepper shio).Attached is "smoky" olive oil... whatever that is.At first I couldn't tell what those white cubes were. But, once cooked... I found out they were potatoes. Interesting, but I always appreciate potatoes, so I enjoyed it in my little cup noodle.I should have tasted the broth before adding the "smoky" olive oil because after adding the oil, the broth was very "smoky". I did not care for it at all. It was also "spicy" but that was only because of the black pepper. I'm usually a fan of black pepper, but I think this cup noodle may have overdone it along with the smoky part. I think maybe if they got rid of the "smoky" part, and just left it as black pepper shio then this cup noodle would have been a hit!Most likely will not get this flavor again, but I do love the commercial!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YOD-foodMon, 16 Sep 2019 20:25:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YOD-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmxma-shopping_fashionFor some reason, I have been buying a lot of FILA brand bags ever since moving to Japan, whether from e-MOOKs or just from the mall. I've noticed this brand is pretty popular in Asia, but not so much in the states. I've been accumulating a lot of different styles of their shoulder bags and the one that I found in this e-MOOK FILA 2019 Summer Collection was perfect!I really like the thick adjustable strap with the FILA logo all over it. This design seems to be really popular with shoulder bags recently. But what I specifically liked about this shoulder bag was that it could fit my long wallet in it. The bags dimensions were tall enough to fit my wallet, and also wide enough to also fit my portable chargers, along with other things, while not being so large at the same time.I've seen similar styles of this FILA bag at the store, but they were more expensive. This e-MOOK was priced at ¥1680+ tax, which I think is a great price for the quality of this shoulder bag. I used this bag when traveling to New York and Hawaii as well and the size is perfect. I also use it when running errands or going out at night. I think it's very versatile and can match anything. I've seen this e-MOOK at the bookstore for months already, so you still have a chance to grab one! My friend loved mine so much, that I got her one as well to match haha!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmxma-shopping_fashionSun, 15 Sep 2019 22:00:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmxma-shopping_fashionhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRqAp-shopping_fashionI'm not too familiar with the brand MILKFED, however I've been seeing a lot of cute e-MOOK bags for it recently. There was one in particular that I really liked that I got. It is the Big Boston Bag. The funny thing is I believe this was the same e-MOOK I saw couple months ago, when I failed to purchase it and it sold out. But, all of a sudden I found one pop up at my local bookstore. I'm not sure if this is the same one that was lost in inventory (I doubt it), or just a new similar style bag. Either way, I loved it, I wanted it, and so I bought it.I'm always taking weekend trips to the city, and my previous duffle bag that I was using (that I also bought from an e-MOOK), was a bit small and the straps seemed to be stressing out lol.This size of this duffle on the model is makes the bag look HUGE!! However, I liked the simple design and shape of the duffle. It also comes with a long strap as well. It also has the carry case set if you want to set it upon your suitcase as well, which I think is a neat feature that these duffles have.I'm not too sure how I feel about the front zipper side pocket by the MILKFED logo, however, I think it is nice to have for easy access. Plus the pocket is deep, so even if it is sideways, hopefully nothing will fall out easily.This e-MOOK was priced at ¥1980+ tax, which I feel is not bad priced for a duffle. Unlike my previous duffle, this one has two zippers so that if I wanted to I could lock it together, which is nice. I'm excited to use this on my next 3-day weekend trip to the city! I think the size is perfect for a couple days of packed clothes!Also, I was randomly on MILKFED's website and found that they are having a ONE PIECE collab too!!! Their designs are very plain and simple, but cute.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRqAp-shopping_fashionSun, 15 Sep 2019 16:39:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRqAp-shopping_fashionhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zK1VR-foodOnce again, Lotte Coolish does it again with their cool flavors. This time with カルピス (Calpis or Calpico). Many of you may know this delicious milky, vanilla flavored yogurt type of drink. I grew up drinking this back home in the states, and it is still as popular as it was back then. More recently though, I actually tried their carbonated soda flavor, which I absolutely love (possibly more than just the regular soft drink). It would have been cool if this flavor was the soda version. But regular Calpis will suffice.The packaging is so cute with the Calpis colors as well as the signature polka dots! I also noticed that it has the ラクトアイス just like the Lotte ice cream had. I guess that is common for most of these ice cream type of desserts. Which makes sense because these two taste more icy than your traditional heavy creamy types of ice cream back in the states.Ooh, ooh, ooh, this Coolish tastes even better than the Calpis soft drink!! This is probably the same feeling I have as the melon soda flavor. Where it tasted like a was drinking a calpis float (without the soda), which to me, is more enjoyable. I'd definitely recommend you all to stock up on this flavor as well if you love the Calpis drink! I'm not sure how much longer these will be in store.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zK1VR-foodSat, 14 Sep 2019 23:19:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zK1VR-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GyyJ7-foodAs I continuously say, I love One Piece, I found just another collaboration with Bandai's infamous wafers. It is One Piece's 20th Anniversary with a promotion of their Stampede movie! Last time I got these were for the One Punch Man collab that came with stickers instead. This One Piece wafers, come with a collectible card. And of course, I NEED to get them in all the different packaging. But, this time they had to be extra clever and attracting making the 3 packaging as the 3 brothers!I wasn't clever though, I should have placed them in the order of ASL! Ace (right), Sabo (left), and Luffy (center). But oh well.I also got these cards, because although it says 20th anniversary, it also has a Stampede collectible card (two to be precise)!As I was opening them, knowing what they look and taste like already, I was dreading to have to eat all three of these... remembering the struggle I had with the One Punch Man wafers...And ooh lucky me, having to buy 3 for the different packaging, and forcing to eat the wafer, I get a duplicate of one of my least favorite characters Nami! I mean I guess she's not the worst, but still a duplicate...Anyways, to my surprise, I'm not sure (but am probably sure) that I am bias, because I enjoyed the wafers and ate all 3 in a sitting haha! Maybe it just tasted better because it was One Piece, who knows... But I think I have to get another pack just to redeem myself for that duplicate card. It does have a shine to it though, which may seem lucky to someone else, but I really want the Stampede cards! Or at least Katakuri, Sabo, or Trafalgar Law, who were all listed on the back of the package.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GyyJ7-foodSat, 14 Sep 2019 22:44:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GyyJ7-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mO4-shoppingWhile strolling around Harajuku, I came across this huge store called ASOKO. Obviously the reason why it caught my eye was it was decorated in ONE PIECE!!! Withe the new movie "Stampede" that just came out last month, there are One Piece collaborations almost everywhere!! And you know I ain't complaining and must share all my findings.This is the movie poster for the movie, as well as the figurines for the movie as well. There is always a different concept outfit for each character, as well as the pirate ship! I actually bought this Stampede pirate ship recently! I can't wait to build it!For those of you who don't follow One Piece (I know there are a lot of episodes and chapters), on this movie poster, you can see some of the good guys working together with some of their past enemies. I still haven't seen the movie yet, but the trailer looked amazing! And creator Oda Eiichiro even said that there is important information in this movie that is related to the final destination of the actual story.Anyways, as you can see there was quite a lot of merchandise, I was very surprised and pleased. From totes, to kitchenware, to stationary kind of knick knacks.I really wanted this umbrella, however I already have 5 umbrellas at home just for myself.In the end, I tried to limit myself to these three... who am I kidding LOL....Well, ok now that's more like it. I had to limit myself to only these. The purchase totaled to around ¥4100. Not bad at all. I was impressed at the prices for these items. Especially for an anime collab! But, when I looked at the rest of the store, the items were all priced rather similarly.For their website of this pop-up shop collab: http://asoko-jpn.com/c/recommend/asoko-de-one-piece/To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mO4-shoppingSat, 14 Sep 2019 22:07:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z1mO4-shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Gok62-shopping_fashionWhenever I'm at the mall, I always check out my favorite bookstore, not for the books (well sometimes for the manga), but for the bags that come in the e-MOOK magazines. An e-MOOK is basically an enhanced version of a mook (between a book and magazine) with a premium gift attached in a box. I tend to buy most of my side bags from e-MOOKs because of the reasonable pricing between ¥900-2400.This time I found the e-MOOK for A BATHING APE 2019 Autumn and Winter Collection with a special APE HEAd backpack! I've been trying to find a simple backpack to take to school so this works out. The last e-MOOK I purchased from BAPE was their from their 2018 Autumn and Winter Collection, which was a super adorable tote (that I forgot to blog about). This bag is very simple and plain compared to the pattern on last years e-MOOK.In this magazine, they had artists Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa featured and as well as a collaboration with Sesame Street (which was actually released today).After buying countless of bags from these e-MOOK magazines, I still can't believe how they can fit them in such a tiny box. Well, of course the quality you are paying for is not the highest, but it is still pretty durable. This backpack's material is very thin but sturdy.The wording on the top of the bag spells "APE SHALL NEVER KILL APE", which is also a mix by U.N.K.L.E feat. Nigo and also samples from the Planet of the Apes.The part about this bag that I like was that the front pocket is 7.9 inches, large enough where I can fit my iPad mini comfortably in it. This e-MOOK was priced at ¥2380+tax, which I think is reasonable for this backpack!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Gok62-shopping_fashionSat, 14 Sep 2019 21:22:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Gok62-shopping_fashionhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z31OO-foodMy favorite type of ice cream has to be coffee flavored. It's funny because I don't drink coffee at all, but I love coffee flavored ice cream. I was so excited to see this flavor when browsing the ice cream aisle. Little did I realize that this was Choco Coffee flavored and not really coffee flavored.Once again I noticed that there is "ラクトアイス", which I assumed for the Mascarpone cream cheese in my Matcha post (which no one corrected me, but I am wrong... it has to be for just the ice cream period).Compared to the Matcha flavor, this one was no where near appealing.It just looked like some coffee ice cream with little chocolate dirt specs.After having a scoop, just like the Matcha flavored I tried, this one had a lighter ice cream taste. It had a more icy crunch to it, but at the same time I wasn't sure if it was also because of the little chocolate specs in it as well.I honestly was pretty disappointed with this flavor. I was expecting more of a coffee flavor, but it tasted more like chocolate. The coffee flavored ice creams that I'm used to are more rich like a Kona coffee from Hawaii haha. I think that if they wanted to add some chocolate bits, they should have made it more chunkier as well. Now that I'm thinking of it, I'm wondering if the ice cream was a chocolate flavor and the small bits were like coffee grinds.... either way more coffee flavor would have been nice.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z31OO-foodSat, 14 Sep 2019 20:36:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z31OO-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPL3-foodSummer time means cool and refreshing dessert type snacks. I'm always browsing the frozen aisle, for new Coolish flavors as well as cool ice creams to try! I came across cool flavor that mainly sold me because of the image of the ice cream displayed in the box. It made this look more of a traditional Japanese dessert replica.The package has a huge "爽" displayed, and I tried researching what this said and Google Translate said "moth" Hah! Then I read it with "シャキッと爽やか", which means Crispy and Refreshing!This flavor is Matcha (Green Tea) Tiramisu. It also mentions that it is also Mascarpone (which is the white colored flavor). I had to look up what that was because I have never heard of it before... It is essentially an Italian cream cheese. It has a higher fat content than American cream cheese, having a much richer and creamier taste. If you look at the background, that is what the dessert is supposed to look like inside (I didn't notice that til later).I noticed that there is "ラクトアイス", or I'm assuming Lactose free for the Mascarpone cream cheese? Correct me if I'm wrong...This image was close enough to what the front of the package was supposed to look like, but I expected better from Japan's perfection haha jk.I couldn't wait to dig right in! It looked very inviting...The texture of this ice cream was a lot lighter than regular "ice cream", it was more "crispy" and icy like the package had said. Thus giving it that "refreshing" taste! It almost reminded me of a creamy shaved ice!Sadly, I didn't read the packaging of the Mascarpone before trying the flavor, and I just knew it wasn't a vanilla taste, but was very rich and creamy. Since it was my first time trying it, I couldn't figure out what flavor it was. All I know is that I may or may not have enjoyed it more than my favorite matcha flavor....This was very fun to eat, mixing between the two flavors or even eating the flavors alone. I think I found my new favorite summer snack! It would have been nice if they provided a spoon so this could be eaten on the go though... for now Coolish is number one in that area. I can't wait to try their other flavors and I hope this Matcha and Mascarpone flavor is not for a limited time only... Definitely try it!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPL3-foodMon, 29 Jul 2019 22:41:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPL3-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpkDn-foodI'm always on the look out for new Jagarico flavors and this time I found another nicely designed package with some kind of diagonal light blue checkered picnic pattern. It's Camembert cheese and pepper! I'm not too familiar with the names of different cheeses, but I did hear of Camembert before. It looks similar to Brie (which I like a lot), but it is not. In the cheese making process, cream is added to Brie, but it is not to Camembert! Thus, Brie having a higher milk fat content and being more softer and creamier. Either way, I love pretty much all cheese and was excited to try this flavor (because I also love pepper too). I wonder if Camembert cheese and pepper are usually eaten together though... or if it is a weird Japanese mashup concoction? I guess I'll just have to find out!I feel like I should understand what this giraffe comic is saying.. but sadly I don't get it....I love the wine and cheese! I'm not sure if it would taste good with these potato sticks though? Hmm...Opening the package, I couldn't really smell anything other than pepper coming out... Usually cheese would have a distinct smell, and possibly more so with Brie and Camembert, but not in this potato stick form.I honestly didn't even know what flavor I was looking for, but I for sure tasted pepper. The cheese essence seemed very light, but overall the potato stick was delicious. I would get this again for sure!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpkDn-foodMon, 29 Jul 2019 22:18:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MpkDn-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRqLY-foodI was browsing the snack aisle and came across something familiar... Pablo Cheesecake! This brand is one of my favorite cheesecake tart chains. I never heard of this "Cream in Snack" snack, but any collaboration with Pablo Cheesecake sounds like a winner! I was trying to shake the container to see how many little cookies were in here and it felt like three haha.I had no idea what to expect from just the photo on the package. I couldn't tell if the texture was something soft or crunchy.The outside was a bit crunchy and flaky when biting into it. It kind of reminded me of the cereal Wheat Thins with the texture. It also was covered in something that tasted really tarty - almost lemony. The inside has a thin layer of cream that does taste like Pablo Cheese Tart. I wish it was a little more creamier though.Overall, this was a nice tasty snack, however nothing beats the original Pablo Cheese Tart! I think it would be really interesting if this Cream in Snack did a collaboration with all Pablo Cheese Tart's seasonal flavors. However, at the same time I don't think anyone would get this snack instead of the real cheese tart.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRqLY-foodSun, 28 Jul 2019 22:21:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GRqLY-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/ME8JY-foodFor some reason, it is rare for me to find any One Punch Man anime merchandise or collab snacks in the store. It may be because it took around 3 years for the anime to come out with season 2 that aired in April and just finished couple weeks ago! While in the usual snack aisle, I found a pleasant surprise with a familiar baldy on the package.Now, I'm not only obsessed with One Piece, however it is the only thing I really collect. But, after seeing One Punch Man's season 2, my new favorite anime character has shown face, Garou! He is the spikey silver haired guy on the left package. He is also the main reason why I decided to buy these wafers. And because Japan knows how to sucker customers like me with their adorable awesome different packaging, I had to get two.On the back of the packaging has the list of the possible cards you can get from the random draw. I obviously wanted Garou, and I definitely wouldn't mind Saitama (baldy), Genos (popular cyborg boy), or Tatsumaki (translating to Tornado). Although, odds usually are never in my favor, I like the surprise, which is why I continue to buy these with no purpose for the stickers (besides collecting them in a box).I'm not sure if I had these wafers before. They are a little different from Lotte's Bikkuriman Wafers, which are bigger and filled with chocolate. These seem to have a simple vanilla flavor.After trying it, I did not like it at all. I'm not sure if I just don't like boring vanilla taste, or it just was not a tasty flavor at all. I definitely will not waste my money to buy these again (unless it is One Piece collab).I am content with the stickers I received, and I do love how they are individually packaged so that the crumbs from the wafer does not dirty them. I got hero, Kinzoku Batto (Metal Bat) and Tatsumaki's sister Jigoku no Fubuki (Blizzard of Hell/ Hellish Blizzard).Definitely nice addition to my anime sticker collection, however if anyone also collects these wants to share how they store their stickers, I'd love to get ideas!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/ME8JY-foodTue, 23 Jul 2019 00:10:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/ME8JY-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zDRJL-foodWow, it's been a while since I've seen an interesting new Coolish flavor. I did see the Calpico flavor recently that I tried. But this flavor I came across just reminded me of Japan - Melon Soda (float). I remember always visiting Japan and the one thing I remembered about McDonald's was that they had "melon soda" as an option (which I loved). I'm not a huge fan of it anymore because it is too sweet for me now.I love how they always do a great job with their vibrant packaging colors. This bright lime green definitely caught my eye when I wasn't intentionally looking for Coolish.When squeezing the ice cream out of the package, I was expecting a little more bright melon soda colored green, but it was a more pastel honeydew melona color.At first trying it, I was expecting the super sweet (almost sour) powerful melon soda flavor, but it was very subtle. I wasn't caring for it within the first few seconds, but after I started to taste the actual "float" part of the flavor. It was more creamy and the flavors were really balanced. Coolish flavors always do great with not overpowering the sweetness in their ice creams. This Coolish however, was a little different than the rest. It tasted more like I was drinking a melon soda float smoothie, rather than an ice cream. The next thing you know, I was drank it all!If you're not a fan of melon soda, I would still recommend this flavor since it is more on the creamy subtle side than the sweet carbonated side the actual soda really is! It was a pleasant taste.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zDRJL-foodMon, 22 Jul 2019 23:21:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zDRJL-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4ydo-foodIt's been a while since I've tried any region flavored chips. This time I found Saitama Yakitori flavor! Once again, I did not know that Saitama was known for their yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). I think that yakitori is one of the more common Japanese foods, (along with ramen), which is why I never thought of what prefecture may specialize in it. Whenever going out with friends, the yakitori chain restaurant Torikizoku is always one of our go-to spots. Surprising enough, back home in Hawaii, we have the same chain, except it has a different name with the majority of the same menu.Anyways, just like the Yokohama Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen flavored chipsthat I previously tried, I was very excited for this yakitori flavor. I think it's a similar flavor where you can't go wrong with.When opening the bag, it had a very strong umami smell. By looking at the color of the chips, you could tell that this chip was jam packed with flavor. After trying a chip, it did taste like a yakitori, however if I didn't know what flavor the chip was, I wouldn't be able to tell what flavor it is. It just has a meaty flavor, just like the ramen flavored chips. The nice part about these chips was that it is not really salty. I guess that's the difference with the ramen flavored chips which tasted more salty (like ramen).I would definitely buy these again, and maybe preferably over the ramen flavored chips too! Once again, good job Calbee!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4ydo-foodSun, 14 Jul 2019 22:46:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z4ydo-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP72g-foodI haven't seen many different flavors of Koala's March, but I recently came across an irresistible flavor, Cream Pudding. I love Japanese custard pudding or flan so I knew this flavor had to be a good one.It also appears that it is Koala's March's 35th anniversary! Wow, I had no idea Koala March has been around or that long.Opening the package, I am oddly satisfied that I did not see a single duplicate of the same koala design. The little cookies also smelt strongly of a sweet cream pudding.The cream inside looks like white chocolate, almost like the Cocoa and Milk flavor I tried before. I guess you could say it tasted a little similar as well. The better part was that there was a good amount of chocolate filling in the koala.I am looking forward to see what other flavors Koala's March will have next!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP72g-foodSun, 14 Jul 2019 20:02:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP72g-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zayv9-foodPizza flavored anything has to be a popular flavor. I've seen many pizza flavored chips in Japan, but this flavor in particular spoke to me - Margherita! Margherita pizzas have to be one of my favorites, and when I saw the picture on the package (along with Spiderman), I had to get it. I'm not sure why Spiderman is on the package or has anything to do with Margherita pizza, but the movie just came out! I still haven't seen it, but that was also another reason I wanted to get the chips.I was very excited to try the chips when I first opened the bag because the the potato chips were covered in cheese. I was expecting to smell more of a pizza flavor when opening the bag, but sadly didn't. To make it even more disappointing, the chips just tasted like cheese. There was no hint of any Margherita flavor! The cheese was yellow and orange when it's usually the white mozzarella cheese. There was also no taste of TOMATOES and basil. I was eating just cheese flavored chips.As disappointed as I was the chips were decent, mainly because of the ruffles texture. These chips were also a good size, but maybe a bit too big. They should have made them smaller and more bite-size and easier to eat. It was easy to make crumbs since needing to bite the chips in two.I guess I shouldn't have expected much coming from Japan's pizza flavors. They tend to lack on the tomato sauce for everything. Don't really recommend if you like American-styled pizza flavors.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zayv9-foodSat, 13 Jul 2019 17:29:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zayv9-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnm6o-foodO m g !!! I was at the convenience store and randomly decided to check if they had any special Jagariko flavors and I am so glad I did. I found one of the coolest flavors yet, Cheese Dakgalbi!!! If you don't know what that is, you need to look it up RIGHT NOW!!! (And you're welcome!) It is one of my favorite Korean dishes! It is basically chicken and vegetables stir fried with gochujang (a korean red chili paste thats sweet and spicy) and also combined with a bunch of cheese!!I found it at Lawson, but I'm not sure if they are selling these anywhere else. I noticed that Lawson carries a few limited Jagariko flavors, that I only see in Lawson stores. The package is also a little smaller than usual ones. This flavor is particularly cool because it says that it was made with a fan!The packaging is very colorful and reminds me of Korea.When opening the package, it did smell a bit like Cheese Dakgalbi, but sadly when tasting it, it tasted like cheese. As I started to eat more the spice started to tingle my tongue, but it still was a little different from the actual thing. I guess as I started to eat a little more it started to taste more and more like it, but still something was missing.I think this is a fun flavor and I'm glad I got to try it! But, I definitely wish it tasted more like kalbi but you should try it for yourself! And also try Cheese Dakgalbi if you haven't either!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnm6o-foodSun, 30 Jun 2019 00:20:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mnm6o-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrvoD-foodIt's been a while since I ate my favorite Jagariko snack! This time the limited flavor is Edamame and Salted Konbu. Edamame is soybeans and konbu/kombu is edible kelp/seaweed. I grew up eating both of these as a snack, so this was a pleasant flavor combo to see. The picture on the package was very inviting. It made me want to eat the real thing instead though, but I had to try this flavor (of course).Wow, I never usually understand these little comics, but this is the first one I actually did and it is pretty cute and clever! Instead of "ごめんください" (excuse me) the giraffe is saying, "まめんください", with "mame" (as in the edamame bean). "こんぶは" (good evening), instead of "こんばんは" with "konbu" haha. Pretty cute whoever thought of this.When opening the package, it didn't really smell like anything. I had a few potato sticks but it didn't really taste like much. If anything it had a light taste to it. It was a bit salty too (probably from the konbu). As I continued to eat more potato sticks, it started to taste more and more like edamame. When I looked closely at it, I could see a few sesame seeds in it.I actually enjoyed this flavor. It wasn't overpowering with any flavor, but it did end up tasting a bit like edamame, however I prefer to eat the actual soybean as a snack than buying this. If you like more bland flavors, then this one is for you!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrvoD-foodSat, 29 Jun 2019 23:53:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wrvoD-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YRE-foodI recently found out about this character "Chiko-chan" from my students and I looked her up. She is a 5-year old girl who scolds adults for not being able to answer simple but perplexing questions about life. She is apart of an NHK variety show called "Chiko-chan ni shikarareru!", translating to "Chiko-chan will scold you" and titled "Don't Sleep through Life" in English. Sounds like a very entertaining program that I may try to watch now!Anyways, I was browsing through the snack aisle (as usual) and found my favorite Baby Star Dodekai snack with a picture of Chiko-chan. It was in the flavor of "チャーハン" or fried rice. I love anything collabs and limited flavors, so you know I had to get it. The package also came in different facial expressions of Chiko-chan, so I chose my favorite which was a smirk face.When I first opened the package, fumes of the fried rice flavor came flowing out. It was a very strong scent. I also noticed that the ramen chips were lighter than the usual Dodekai ramen chips. It also tasted just as it smelt. It kind of reminded me of msg, which may explain the very addictive flavor. I wouldn't be surprised if the ingredient was in this, but I rather not try to look it up haha.Overall, I recommend this flavor!! There was also another Chiko-chan flavor that I will try next! It had a Chiko-chan with fire, so it looked hot (maybe mustard)?To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YRE-foodSat, 29 Jun 2019 23:38:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6YRE-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVq8p-foodAnother new flavor hit my grocery store. This flavor looked very familiar to my favorite Chili Tomato, however this was Italian Tomato (with basil)!! What caught my eye was the added basil packet at the top of the cup noodle packaging. Yet another interesting Cup Noodle to uncover.The reddish powder reminds me of the Chili Tomato. Also has about the same contents as the Chili Tomato Cup Noodle too.When opening the cup noodle, it smelt almost like Chili Tomato, except maybe more like tomatoes. I was debating whether or not I should add the basil in, but I decided to add the basil after I added the boiling water.I definitely like how this is full of tomato flavor, and with the basil it really reminds me of spaghetti or something in ramen form. It also wasn't as spicy as the regular Chili Tomato, which was nice, but it is still pretty salty.Like I said before, I don't really drink the soup base of these instant ramens, but this broth was really good so I drank it all, regardless it being really salty. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this flavor as much as I did because I have been craving spaghetti, or because it reminded me of my favorite Chili Tomato flavor. Regardless, I think this is a worthy flavor to check out! I'm not too sure if this flavor is for a limited time (most likely), but also Chili Tomato is still my favorite flavor.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVq8p-foodMon, 24 Jun 2019 22:34:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zVq8p-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zayRE-foodIt's that time of year again, a change in the season calls for a new limited flavor! This time it is pineapple - which is perfect for the summer. I was a little hesitant with trying this flavor because of how it may taste, but I'm glad I got it regardless. I was expecting it to be sour like how pineapples can usually taste, but this ice cream flavor had just enough tart mixed with sweetness. Usually I make a scrunched up face when I eat something sour, but I did not make any funny faces while eating this.This flavor definitely beats the tarty sour Dole Whip ice cream from Dole Plantation back at home. I don't think I can eat that ice cream ever again after trying this Coolish flavor.The best thing I love about Coolish ice creams is that they taste very light and aren't heavy at all. I'm never disappointed with their flavors. Just one isn't enough. I'm always trying to squeeze out every last drop of ice cream from the package. I can probably eat a few of these in one sitting because they are so addictive. I can't wait to see what other new flavors they come up with!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zayRE-foodSun, 23 Jun 2019 23:12:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/zayRE-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mqjka-foodWhile in the States, I never really cared for the Cup Noodle instant ramen before. They were just okay to me. I always wondered why different animes would always hype up instant ramen and after moving to Japan I now understand. I've visited the Cup Noodle museum in Yokohama and came to appreciate the instant ramen more. I then started trying the different flavors I've never seen before. I think this may be a new flavor, but anything with cheese sounds amazing. I had to get the Cheese Curry flavor!!I should also really learn how to read the nutrition table soon...Opening the lid, I saw cubes of the dehydrated cheese and was so excited to try it! The cup noodle smelled strongly of cheese, however after adding the boiling water to it, and letting it sit, the cheese smell disappeared.You can see a little cheese, however all the cheese pretty much melted or sank to the bottom. The curry flavor was really good, I can't remember what the regular Cup Noodle Curry flavor tastes like, but I'd assume it tastes the exact same (without the cheese). I think the cheese is a nice addition to this, however you only really taste very little of it. I think they should add more cheese to really make this into a "Cheese Curry" flavor. The broth was also amazing. I usually don't like to drink these instant ramen broths, but I drank the entire thing this time.I think this will be added to one of my top flavors so far, but it does not beat my ultimate favorite, Chili Tomato (which I will share about soon).To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mqjka-foodSun, 23 Jun 2019 22:13:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mqjka-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z8rPL-foodWith summer here, I'm sure everyone has been stocking up on some ice cream! I haven't eaten much ice cream since last summer, so I wanted to see what was new and good. I was craving chocolate so when I saw a familiar chocolate brand I had to get it.I've never seen this ice cream before, but it looked like a wafer sandwich crunch bar. Monaka is actually a Japanese sweet dessert (wagashi) with azuki bean jam filling between two wafers. I thought this was cool for a Japanese style of Hershey's since it is incorporating a traditional snack with a modern twist (ice cream). I love wafers, monaka, and chocolate crunch so this was the perfect choice for me.There are 8 of these small ice cream sandwiches. They are very bite-sized and easy to eat. I ate about 3 in one sitting, but they are so small that I probably can eat all 8 in one sitting.At first I didn't care for the wafer part, but I don't expect much since it is frozen. I opened it up to see just how it compares to the box. Although it appears that there is not much chocolate, you can definitely taste the crunch when biting into it. I wouldn't mind a little more chocolate, but I think it tastes good enough with the crunchy texture. I'll definitely continue to stock up on these throughout the summer!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z8rPL-foodThu, 20 Jun 2019 21:11:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z8rPL-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9la9-food_shoppingOnce again there is another Coca Cola and One Piece collaboration. Last year, I think also during the summer, there was a Coca Cola x Chopper collab (that I sadly did not post about). This time, I as at my Aeon mall when I saw a Chopper towel hanging from the side of a rack. I love how Aeon always carries the best anime collabs with different snacks and drink products!The deal was to buy 4 Coca Cola products in order to get the towel as a gift. The only problem was... there were 4 different designs (meaning 16 coca cola products). Being a huge One Piece fan, I couldn't let this opportunity pass, to collect and hoard more One Piece merchandise. I needed to get them ALL. Luckily, since I don't drink Coca Cola (yet alone soda), there were options from waters to juices under the Coca Cola brand (hooray!)The towels were a pretty good size and the quality and designs were really nice (especially comparing them to last years Coca Cola x Chopper towels). I really liked the towels because you couldn't really tell that they were the Coca Cola brand. The previous collab had Chopper holding the Coca Cola bottle with the brand logo visible. The quality was very thin and felt cheap and non-absorbing. I knew that these new towels would definitely sell out quick! Unfortunately, I was not able to get all the towels, because I wasn't smart enough to think that the Chopper towel could sell out within a day (I grabbed Luffy and Zoro, Sanji, and Law's towel first). I'm not sure where else they have this collab. I checked Ogino, however they did not have it. Last year, the grocery market in my Apita had the previous Chopper collab (but sadly that mall near me closed). I still regret not buying 16 waters all at once so I could get all the towels, but lesson learned!UpdateI went back to the mall a month later and found that they had another towel collab but with different characters!! The only thing is I may have noticed it late, so I'm not sure if there was only Mihawk (black) and Shanks (orange), or there was another more popular character that sold out. Either way, you know I had to get them! Hah!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9la9-food_shoppingTue, 18 Jun 2019 21:34:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/M9la9-food_shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lqO-foodI must announce that I am a huge One Piece fan. As I mentioned before, I'm always browsing the snack aisle looking for new anime snack collaborations. Lotte's Bikkuriman is known for their awesome collaborations with so many different animes, such as Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan, Pokemon, etc. They've had One Piece collabs before, but I haven't seen one since I moved to Japan! Luckily, I stopped by the snack aisle and poof! My eyes instantly spotted Luffy!This collab seems to be promoting the new One Piece "STAMPEDE" movie that will be coming out on August 9, 2019!! There wasn't a movie last year, so maybe that is why there was no Bikkuriman collab. I bought several packages, because I love collecting stickers, and especially anything One Piece!The snack came in two different package designs, one is their One Piece STAMPEDE movie outfits, and another is Luffy's new awesome Gear 4 SNAKE MAN!!For some reason, every single time I open these surprise things, I almost always get USOPP FIRST (my least fav crew member) - but it's okay... I got love for all One Piece! However, I was not satisfied, so I just opened all the wafer packages to see what other stickers I got! - But first..I noticed that there was more chocolate than I recall in these wafers... (a good thing of course).They are very messy to eat, but they are pretty tasty.And alas, the stickers. I am pretty pleased with the villains stickers I got! It brought back memories from old episodes (Arlong's arc) and it is definitely interesting to see the villain from the previous movie One Piece Film: Gold from 2017. Sorry for the nerding out, but if you're a fan I would stock up on these! I am definitely heading back to the store for more!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lqO-foodTue, 18 Jun 2019 21:13:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lqO-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GlXgq-foodWow, okay I've mentioned before how much I love Baby Star's DODEKAI ramen noodles. It is the one snack I buy week! This time was the first time I have seen a special limited flavor!!! It is Curry House CoCo Ichibanya's Katsu Curry flavor!!! I was so excited to try it, but at the same time was a little hesitant. Actually, what could go wrong with curry flavored ramen chips?I love Katsu Curry from CoCo Ichi and would always eat it back in the States. The difference with the CoCo Ichi in Japan is that there are different spice levels that are not offered back in the States. However, I'm not too sure for other locations outside of Japan.On the back of the package you can see how many countries have Coco Ichi!!!Immediately after opening the package, you can smell the CoCo Ichi sauce fuming out. It was very... comforting I should say. The taste was a little bit spicy for my taste buds, but it wasn't unbearable spicy. The weird part was that it didn't really taste too much like actual curry. I think the smell just overpowered your senses to think your eating curry, even though it didn't taste too much like curry and the texture obviously was crunchy instead.It was definitely good, but I think I finished the bag feeling a bit unsatisfied. I think I may have preferred to eat actual curry than having this as a snack. There is another flavor that is the Cheese Curry that I will try next! Stay tuned for that review! I'm hoping it is more fulfilling with CHEESE!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GlXgq-foodTue, 11 Jun 2019 00:13:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GlXgq-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7EmA-foodI went to Mos Burger the other day to get my usual chicken burger, however I noticed something different while looking at their menu. There was no chicken burger!!! (Unless I totally missed it). Instead there was a limited time "Chilled Curry Chicken Burger". I decided that I may as well try it since it is only for a limited time and because there was no regular chicken burger that I always get. I thought it was weird that they would take a regular item off the menu and replace it with a limited time, but hopefully it comes back in the future. Regardless, I got it anyways since the price was also somewhat cheaper. I would think the curry paste would cost more than the delicious sauce that is in their regular chicken burgers.There was another limited item I noticed on the menu, cheesecakes. You could buy them individually or in a box set. I wasn't feeling dessert so I didn't order it.The curry chicken burger was good, and it literally tasted how it sounded "chilled curry chicken burger". The curry was chilled and on top of a steaming hot chicken burger. If you waited, the curry would warm up from the chicken burger. I thought it tasted better this way.I would definitely recommend trying it during this limited period!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7EmA-foodSat, 01 Jun 2019 19:20:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7EmA-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GO9WO-shopping_fashionI am a huge sucker for Japanese magazines because of the goodies that you can get from them. I used to buy a few back in the States, but they were always overpriced. A lot of the times, you can get pretty sweet deals, like this Sweet issue I picked up this month for April's edition. I had to get it because it was Sweet's 20th and Samantha Thavasa's 25th anniversary collaboration. I am a big fan of the adorable brand Samantha Thavasa, and I own a few of items. This magazine edition came with a cute wallet with a heart keychain. The best thing is that this magazine was only ¥1000! What a deal, I just couldn't not get it.I purchased the magazine at my nearby book store. You can also find these magazines at the convenience stores too. Usually inside the magazine, or behind it is a box that the goods are kept in.This is a close up of what's inside.This is the box that was attached to the magazine. This is probably the cutest packaging I've seen, because usually it's just a cardboard looking box.The quality of the wallet and keychain was very impressive (especially the keychain).The style of the wallet was perfect, because of its trifold for bills, and a a separate zipper pouch for coins. I really needed a new small wallet since the ones I brought from the States are too small for Japan bills. The only thing that this wallet lacked was the space for cards. There are a few slots in the center fold where the bills go, but it is difficult to fold and button the wallet. The keychain has a nice SS engraving for both companies anniversaries collaboration.I am very pleased with this wallet (besides the card slots). I am just a little afraid to use it since it is such a lovely pastel pink color. I've already seen other girls at the store using this wallet, so I'm glad I made the choice of purchasing this popular magazine collab!The magazine is also very nice with lots of fashion and trendy outfits and accessories (sorry I didn't take photos). There are cases where magazines, aren't magazines and just little info booklets of the product it comes with. That made this purchase all the worthwhile!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GO9WO-shopping_fashionSun, 21 Apr 2019 21:41:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GO9WO-shopping_fashionhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ775-foodOnce again, I was shopping around the snack section when I came across one of my favorite Sanrio characters, Gudetama. I'm sure you have seen this adorable, lazy... egg. Once seeing this cute packaging, without reading it, and only seeing "popcorn", I threw it into my cart. Little did I know, I have made a terrible mistake haha.Seeing that is is made by Frito Lay, I was wondering what kind of flavor would a popcorn with a picture of Gudetama be?Still without knowing what flavor I have bought, I opened the package and instantly a familiar smell came out. It smelled a little weird to be on popcorn. It smelled exactly like my Tamago kake gohan (TKG) sauce that I put on my egg and rice.... I immediately flipped the package over and saw Gudetama with "Tamago kake gohan" (卵かけごはん), meaning "egg on rice".I was a little grossed out by this flavor. I'm not sure if it's because I did not expect it, or because it reminded me of eating my egg on rice, but as a popcorn, which I'm usually used to a salty and buttery taste (sometimes even sweet). I tried a few pieces, but I simply could not finish it. I was disappointed and had to throw away the entire thing.Unless you really love the Tamago kake gohan flavor (which I thought I did), I would not recommend this. It tastes the exact same as if you were to pour the sauce directly to the popcorn. I guess I learned my lesson, not to be deceived by cute packaging.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ775-foodSun, 21 Apr 2019 20:45:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZ775-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MdRRk-foodI was shopping at Daiso when I came across one of my favorite snacks, Baby Star. I grew up eating the mini packages of the little crispy ramen noodles. This one in particular was bunched up in a shape of a circle. Since I'm usually used to seeing it in individual form, I thought this was another fun way to eat it.Potatoes are great, and instead of ramen flavored, this was potato flavored. I had to get it, because, well who doesn't love potatoes? I am not quite sure what "Usushio aji" (うすしお味) means though. When put into Google Translate, it translated to "sushi taste", but why pictures of potatoes then? I guess I had to try and see for myself.The small circle bites did not taste anything like sushi, and definitely more like a potato. I really enjoyed how the noodles are bunched in a small circle, it does make it easier than eating the individual noodles in the usual packaging. You get more from just a bite. I am hoping they make these in bigger bags (unless they already do) and also in different flavors as well. I did enjoy the potato flavor, maybe even more than their usual chicken ramen flavor since it is not as salty. You should definitely check them out and if you see them in a bigger package, please let me know!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MdRRk-foodSun, 21 Apr 2019 20:31:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MdRRk-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lle-foodCalbee is back again with it's interesting, yet awesome flavors. This time I found a familiar flavor, Japan's chili oil called "rayu" (ラー油). For those who don't know what chili oil is, it is a condiment consisting of chopped chili peppers and chili-infused sesame oil. I'm not too sure how other country's chili oils compare (such as China or Korea). It comes in the exact bottle shown on the chip bag or also in just a liquid form without the chopped chili peppers. I love chili oil, whether it's on my gyoza, dim sum, ramen, or even just rice. When I saw the familiar photo of the rayu, I had to get it. Also, anything with a picture of a garlic and chili pepper will definitely catch my attention.I think the package says that it may look spicy, but it is not that spicy? I'm not too sure, but it is definitely manageable (for those who cannot handle spice).When opening the bag, I immediately noticed how much more orange and reddish these chips were. The picture doesn't do justice, but the color reminded me of Lay's BBQ flavored potato chips (except with chili flakes). One thing I noticed when opening the bag was that I could not smell anything... I thought this was strange, because you would think that chili oil and garlic would have a wonderful aroma to it. I did notice that once I got to the end of the bag, all the smells came to my senses. The flavor of the chips did do justice, although I could not taste much of the garlic, which was probably hidden behind the chili oil taste. I would definitely recommend these to whoever likes spice or chili oil. You MUST try these for a limited time only!!! Stock up if you can, because this is one of the best flavors I had from Calbee so far!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lle-foodThu, 18 Apr 2019 16:43:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lle-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lKv-foodI'm back again and finally redeemed myself with the original Koala's March in Chocolate. In my previous post about Black Koala's March - Cocoa & Milk, I was quite disappointed in one of my favorite childhood snacks. Happy to say that the original's always never disappoint.Once again with the cute winky face packaging on the back."Lucky Koala card"I don't know if it's just Japan that has these cute details in it's packaging because I sure don't remember them when I had it back home in the States.This time, there were several duplicate koala designs - not that it's a problem though haha. These designs however did look different from the Black Koala's March chocolates. I wonder if there is some kind of theme that each box has? I think that would definitely be more appealing to customers to want to try them all.This time though, as you can kind of see, the chocolate is still a little on the frozen side, however it was a lot more softer than the white chocolate I previously had. I'm starting to thing that I just may not enjoy white chocolate as much as milk/ dark chocolate. Regardless, I am satisfied with these again and my childhood memories of this snack has not been ruined. Hooray! For some things, always know that the original may just be your best choice.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lKv-foodFri, 05 Apr 2019 00:55:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w5lKv-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPb2-food_shoppingGrowing up, Meiji chocolates have been one of my favorites growing up. Whether it was the cute apollo strawberry chocolates or the cute kinoko no yama mushrooms, these adorable-shaped chocolates were always fun to eat as a kid, and an adult.While browsing around PieriA and Pierre Riviel (same company) at both of my malls, I came across this cute collaboration of Zebra's Sarasa Select Clip pens and Meiji Chocolate! Japan sure knows how to get you with their amazing stationary selection and who could resist this cute collab??The meiji chocolate collab included the basic meiji chocolate, marble chocolate, apollo, kinoko no yama, and takenoko no sato.What made these pens irresistible was the detailed refillable inks.Obviously, Japan know's how to sucker you into buying everything because how could you not? Everything of this collaboration, from the packaging to little details was calling me out. Luckily, I already have a bad habit of collecting Frixion pens, so I settled for only one pen, the individual Apollo in red ink. I had to visit two stores in order to get it, since most of these were already sold out.I'm not sure if Meiji is making a comeback with their classic chocolates, or if it is chocolate season, but if you can get your hands on this limited edition pen, you may as well get the entire pack! Also I noticed that Uniqlo has a Meiji collab going on right now as well!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPb2-food_shoppingFri, 05 Apr 2019 00:20:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GQPb2-food_shoppinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP8B1-medical_healthI wanted to share this eyewash that I've been using even before moving to Japan, however I am not sure if this product is available in the states. My mom introduced the eyewash to me when she brought it back from Japan one day. I've always had problems with my eyes, and a really bad habit of not taking out my contacts for a long time... This medicated eyewash helped me relieve my irritated eyes that couldn't breathe under my contacts. Of course, this eyewash is intended to "wash" your eyes - clean, refresh, and soothe. My eyes always feel well-lubricated after. Make sure you wait 10-15 mins before putting your contacts back on. I usually do this at night when I change into my glasses.You can purchase this from your nearest pharmacy/ drug store in the eye section? I found it alongside the contact solutions. There are many types of this "Aibon" as you can see in the picture above. I like the cool, minty refreshing feeling, so I got the "cool" one.You can see the many different options, however, I believe that the Kobayashi Aibon eyewash is the most popular (you can also tell by the price I suppose).The instructions are pretty clear and simple. Firstly, you want to make sure that you have no make up on and your eyes and the eyewash cup is clean. You pour the liquid into the little cup until it hits the 5mL line, and then cup it to your eyes. The blue plastic on the cup serves as a little suction so the liquid doesn't seep down your face. Make sure that the long side of the cup is on the outer part of your eyes, closer to your ears vs your nose. The cup should fit nicely. I like to blink my eyes and move them from left to right, up to down. Make sure not to use it for more than 30-seconds. After I'm done, I look at all the little dust particles and other junk that came out of my eye into the liquid. It is pretty neat to see how "dirty" your eyes can be. I rinse the cup with water and repeat the same step for the other eye.One thing to be cautious of is that this is a pharmaceutical eye wash. Make sure you are not under treatment or to see a doctor first before using. I was researching that there is Aminocaproic acid in it's ingredients, which is a drug used to treat excessive bleeding.Nonetheless, before trying, maybe consult with a doctor first, as any other drug. I do enjoy using this eyewash (when I actually take out my contacts), and my eyes always feel refreshed!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP8B1-medical_healthSun, 24 Mar 2019 11:57:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MP8B1-medical_healthhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXk6o-living_food_howtoI've been waiting months for strawberry season, and here it is! I finally went strawberry picking "ichigogari" this past weekend in Yokosuka, near Tokyo, with some friends. The season for strawberry picking in this part of Japan starts in January and runs until as late as May! Most places have the strawberry picking for 30 mins all-you-can-eat priced at different amounts depending on the time of season. At the start of the season (January), prices are usually around 1,900 yen, they slowly go down a few-hundred yen and by May it costs about 1,200 yen.Although I am from a tropical island, we don't have fruit picking. The closest I got to fruit picking was picking mangoes or bananas from the backyard, or stealing pineapples from the Dole Plantation (just kidding). I've always heard how deliciously sweet Japan's fruits are and was so excited to finally get to pick some fruit!AccessThis farm is located near Tsukuihama Station. Right outside the station near the bicycle racks, there is a free shuttle bus that takes you directly to the farm. I am not sure how often the bus comes, however I don't think the wait is long since the ride is only about 5 mins or so.Instructions1. Arriving at the farm you will want to check-in at the main open-door building across the shuttle's stop. This is where you will pay. I'm not sure if they accept credit cards, so please remember to bring cash.2. The workers will assign you a number that corresponds to the area's letter along with an admission ticket.3. Find the location of your number on the map outside. The farm is pretty big, as it also has mikan, sweet potato, cabbage, and more growing in the fields.4. Once you arrive at the greenhouse the cute old grandma will take your ticket and give you a container filled with what looks like condensed milk to dip your strawberry in. The strawberries are honestly so sweet that you do not need to dip it in the sweet milk (unless you love sugar).5. At last, you enter the greenhouse, pick your lane and start picking away! Be mindful of the young strawberries and be careful where you step.Cost per person1/1 to 1/5 - 1,900円1/6 to 2/28 - 1,700円3/1 to 3/31 - 1,500円4/1 to 5/5 - 1,200円Hours of OperationI believe they are open daily. On their flyer it says they are open from 9 am to 3 pm.This experience is definitely one for the books, and very enjoyable for all ages! There were many groups of friends, families, and couples picking strawberries together. It was a nice and relaxing excursion out in the "countryside".Also, one tip is that the greenhouses are very warm. I was wearing 3 layers and needed to take off my down jacket since I started to sweat. It is smart to stand near the entrance to cool off a bit. They are also not too strict on the time, which I was very thankful for because I wanted to take many pictures for memories of this great experience. Highly recommended!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXk6o-living_food_howtoWed, 20 Mar 2019 10:25:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXk6o-living_food_howtohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mx3Ky-foodJust like Calbee's Jagariko potato sticks region flavors, I found a potato chip version! This one is the Taste of Kanagawa - Yokohama Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen flavor. I never knew that Yokohama has their own tonkotsu shoyu ramen flavor, but I'd love to try it next time I'm in Yokohama. I know they have the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum, which is like an entire food court dedicated to different types of ramen around Japan. There is also the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama as well. Tonkotsu is my favorite type of ramen though so I was excited to try this!Of course any picture of ramen is a good marketer for me. What can go wrong with ramen?It looks like ordinary potato chips. I was assuming it would be a little darker since it is a tonkotsu and shoyu flavor. The taste was great though. I'm not sure if it reminds me of ramen, however it has a meaty salty taste to it. It kind of reminded me of barbeque chips, but not as sweet. Definitely a must try!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mx3Ky-foodSun, 17 Mar 2019 22:19:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mx3Ky-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Md8aW-foodKoala's March has to be one of the most popular Japanese snacks growing up in the States (besides Pocky). I used to love these snacks as a kid. When I found this aesthetically pleasing black packaging, I had to try it.Of course the packaging is cute with the other side of the box with a winky face.I like how they have a little tab to close the box, but seriously... who doesn't eat the entire thing in a sitting??Okay, one thing that I was really impressed with was that I did not see a duplicate of the same koala. Growing up as a kid (and til this day), I would always eat the duplicates of anything first, so I brought out all the cookies to organize them.One thing that I was really disappointed in was that the white chocolate was pretty much frozen inside the koala bear. I can't really remember how it usually is, but I thought the chocolate was a little more softer. I feel maybe during this cold wintery season, the chocolate just froze. Therefore, the cookie wasn't as tasty as I remembered it. Maybe, it could have also been that I don't care for white chocolate too much. Most likely will not be purchasing this again... pretty disappointed.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Md8aW-foodSun, 17 Mar 2019 16:26:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Md8aW-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/ME5Ev-foodSpring is coming, and the first sign of spring is when every store is bringing out their sakura merchandise, and food! I was walking around my mall when I just so happened to pass by Mister Donut. If you haven't tried their donuts before, they are known for their "Pon De Ring", mochi-like donuts! Previously, they had a huge Pokemon collaboration when Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee came out. For some reason, (I think because I was taking pictures), that a huge crowd came to check out the sakura themed donuts too. I remember when Mister Donut had a huge line for the Pokemon collab too.Their windows were decorated with cute pink sakura flowers.Sadly, at the time I went, the only sakura themed donut that was available was this one, which kind of had a sakura looking shape. Immediately after, I was at the register, they were adding another batch of freshly sakura themed donuts that I missed a chance of taking a picture of.This sakura donut was glazed in a pink sweet "sakura" flavor. I'm not sure what sakura tastes like, maybe I'll have to try some when they start blooming haha jk.After having a bite, the texture was not like their usual Pon De Ring mochi. It was more bready? I'm not too sure how to explain it, but I did enjoy it. This was probably one of the first donuts I tried that was not their Pon De Ring mochi donuts. Next time I want to try their other sakura themed donuts. Mister Donut always impresses. I can't wait for what theme they have next!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/ME5Ev-foodSun, 17 Mar 2019 16:12:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/ME5Ev-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmV4a-foodI've always seen this popular Coolish ice cream snack while at the store, however I've never been interested in trying it. I'm not sure if it's because I don't really buy ice cream, but I finally decided to try it when I saw this beautiful strawberry packaging!Since it is strawberry season, I may as well take advantage of the seasonal flavors that are coming out. I believe ichigo (strawberry) season is from January to May, since that is when the farms start opening for strawberry picking! I just went to pick strawberries, which I will post about soon.I kept the ice cream in the freezer so it was pretty firm when taking it out. I had to warm it up a little with a towel to soften the ice cream. After twisting off the top, the cream slowly and smoothly comes out in a nice frosty consistency. The strawberry flavor was perfect. As much as I love strawberry flavored sweets, I am not a big fan of strawberry ice cream in the States. This Coolish strawberry flavor was more lighter and sweeter than the tangy strawberry ice cream I've had before. A perfect snack as winter starts to slow down, and spring comes into play. I will most likely be stocking up on this before they disappear off the shelves after this season is done.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmV4a-foodMon, 11 Mar 2019 22:10:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wmV4a-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z88gW-foodI'm not sure why I didn't buy this Jagariko flavor as soon as I saw it. I suppose the packaging of the pictured katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and nori (dried seaweed) did not catch my attention. It just looked like a basic nori flavored chips that I always see around.Whenever I see anything "dashi", it just sounds delicious. If you don't know, dashi is basically a soup or stock made commonly made from kombu (kelp) or katsuobushi soaked and boiled in water. This Jagariko flavor I found is Kanto's Nori Dashi. When looking up what Kanto's dashi is made from, I found that traditionally it is bonito based, while Kansai's dashi is kombu based. There are other variations of dashi such as niboshi, made from small dried sardines, and shiitake, from dried shiitake mushrooms.When opening the package, the nice smell of nori comes out and the potato stick tastes how it smelled. I'm not sure if it's because I love nori on everything, but this Jagariko flavor was definitely a safe choice. It was flavorful with the nori dashi and not at all fishy with the katsuobushi. I can only handle so much of the fishiness. This was enjoyable to eat, however I think I rather have another type of snack if I want the nori dashi taste.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z88gW-foodMon, 11 Mar 2019 21:33:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z88gW-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6ZNW-foodI found another regional flavored Jagariko! This time it is Kyushu Shoyu.The first time I heard, or tried Kyushu shoyu (soy sauce) is from the kaiten sushi chain restaurant, Hamazushi. At this sushi restaurant, they have different shoyus you can use from different regions of Japan. I did not know there were different types of shoyu (besides less sodium LOL). I remember trying the Kyushu shoyu and really liking it for the light sweetness. This shoyu is sweeter and a little more thicker in syrup texture than your standard shoyu of Tokyo "koikuchi" which is darker and saltier. I do prefer that when eating sushi or sashimi, however I think the sweeter shoyu may taste better with other cooked dishes.Once again these barcode art work is so adorable and creative.When opening the package, the potato sticks immediately smelled like sweet shoyu. It wasn't too sweet unlike the Hokkaido Zangi Jagariko I tried earlier. The color of the sticks were closer to little tan-golden French fries. What I must say is that this has to be the hands down best Jagariko flavor I have had so far! The taste of these were lightly sweetened, not too powerful, which makes it easy to eat a lot of it (comparing to the Zangi flavor when I needed to constantly drink water). I definitely will stock up on this flavor, since I am not sure if this regional flavor is for a limited time only.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6ZNW-foodSun, 03 Mar 2019 20:34:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G6ZNW-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z886Y-living_food_shopping_hokuto_shi_yamanashiDuring the weekend before Valentine's Day, I had some girlfriends visit me in my small humble town during the 3-day weekend. We had a little "Galentine's" road trip. We decided to rent a car from the capital of Yamanashi, Kofu instead of taking public transportation for our two-day road trip.The first part of our road trip was a day at the FujitenSnowResort! I think a skiing/ snowboarding date is a typical romantic type of date for Valentine's, White Day, or any kind of date. Sadly, I am not going to elaborate on that date, because on our second part of our road trip, we visited the most magical fairy tale-like place. I will make another post on the ski trip date and link it later.Now, to begin a perfect date spot in a fairy tale village~When asking a local resident co-worker of mine, where I could take my two girlfriends nearby, he suggested Kiyosato, Hokuto. It is about a 45-60 min drive from Kofu with a beautiful view of surrounding ice-capped mountains and the country. The particular fairy tale village we went to visit was Moegi-no-Mura Village. This cozy little village was built in the 70's with European influence, as you can see with the rustic-style architecture of the cottage-like buildings. Just coming here during the winter, you can feel the Christmas-vibe. The village is spaciously spread across a huge lot of land surrounded by forest.ShoppingThere are many cute shops around the village that sell homemade art and craft trinkets and other souvenir items. I bought a cute astronomical watch from one of the gift shops. I also bought some matching cat pins with my girlfriends to remember this eventful date. We bought it from a shop with only cat goods.The exterior decor was adorable.One thing that I thought was interesting marketing was that, depending on the weather, each store had a discount on certain items. The day we visited, the temperature was pretty low, making the discount at 50%! Our lucky day!There was also a lot of dog merchandise that was so adorable!!Food and DrinkThere is a famous restaurant in Moegi-no-Mura Village called "Rock" that many people were waiting in line for. Looking inside it looked like a pub with a brewery selling local beer. I recommend going when the restaurant opens because the line was very long.We did buy a beer inside at the "Rock Store". We tried the Yatsugatake Beer Touchdown "ALT", which was on sale! It had a fruity refreshing taste.What I mainly came to this village for was to try the Kiyosato Milk Plant ice cream. We got it with chocolate, mango, and strawberry toppings. It was 50%-off because of the weather too!Pet FriendlyAnother great thing about this village is that it was pet friendly. It looked like a place where animal lovers met up with their pets. I mainly saw dog meet ups. It was interesting to see 10 different dogs of the same breed all hanging out together.Music Box MuseumThere is a music museum in Moegi-no-Mura Village as well. We didn't enter since there was a small admission fee, but you are free to check out the gift shop, which to me was a museum in itself.There were music boxes in all shapes and sizes, with many familiar tunes from classical to Studio Ghibli, Disney, and Jpop (RADWIMPS)!Merry-Go-RoundTo complete this fairy tale date, we topped it off with a merry-go-round! Wow!! What is more romantic than a cliché merry go round ride?I brought my instax camera to capture the beauty of this wonderful village. The photo came out looking very vintage.Access407-0301Yamanashi Prefecture Hokuto Takane-cho Kiyosato 3545TEL.0551-48-352210:00 to 18:00 (summer)10:00 to 17:00 (winter)Summer: May - November Winter season: December - AprilOpen 7 days a weekTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z886Y-living_food_shopping_hokuto_shi_yamanashiWed, 27 Feb 2019 13:04:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/z886Y-living_food_shopping_hokuto_shi_yamanashihttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MvvVE-foodI love anime, and what more do I love more than anime? I love anime x anime. Anime collaborations are my absolute favorite, and to top that off, collaborating with snacks is the ultimate best!I am always visiting Hobby Zone to check out any new anime merchandise, and I came across this beautiful collab with Love Live! and Granblue Fantasy (I later saw them at the grocery store snack aisle). To be honest, I gave up watching the Love Live anime, however I am obsessed with their School Idol Festival rhythm game for mobile devices. I recently started to play Granblue Fantasy, since it is only available on the Apple App Store in Japan. And being honest again, I mainly play these games to collect the characters with many different outfits! That is why I needed to buy this wafer that comes with a collectible card.Once again, Japan's packaging always gets the best of me. I had to buy each different design.What I liked about this snack in particular is that unlike other wafer snacks that comes with a card or sticker, this one had the wafers individually wrapped, as well as the card wrapped too!Out of my 3 wafer packages I bought, I was lucky to get a shiny Kanan card.Since these are close to ¥200 a package, I try to resist buying a lot of them since the surprise can be addicting!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MvvVE-foodTue, 26 Feb 2019 22:19:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MvvVE-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJ5Lk-foodI've never tried Toppo until I made Galentine's chocolates a few weeks ago. I honestly can't decide if I like it more than Pocky. However, one thing I do love is these special flavors. I'm not sure if this Caramel Latte flavor is seasonal or just a flavor that's year-round, but I did just notice it recently. So, I HAD to try it. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I love coffee/ latte flavored things.First of all, Japan packaging is always eye-catching. The caramel latte on the cover is what made me buy it.There are two separately wrapped packages inside. The snack monster I am, obviously ate both in a sitting.Opening the package, the first thing that caught my eye was the color of the "caramel".As you can see, it was almost grey color, unlike the appetizing caramel color shown on the box. Nonetheless, the taste was purely a caramel latte, spot on. It was a little too sweet for my taste, so I think eating it with some coffee sounds delicious (even though I'm not a coffee drinker). Also strange, but I think it would taste good breaking it up and mixing it in with popcorn - sweet and savory always wins!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJ5Lk-foodMon, 25 Feb 2019 20:12:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/MJ5Lk-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mg6bm-foodOnce again, another snack that I've been eating before moving to Japan. The great part about this yummy chocolate wafer snack is that it comes with a shiny square collectible sticker! You may have seen this original snack Bikkuriman (Surprise Man) at your grocery market, but what caught my attention was the collaborations this snack has with other animes. I've seen collabs from One Piece, Dragon Ball, Attack on Titan, Star Wars, and Hatsune Miku.I recently saw a Pokemon collab. I'm not too sure if this is the same Lotte Bikkuriman, however it is a chocolate wafer, with a shiny sticker (seal) inside.Since Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee came out, it appears that there are many snack collaborations with these famous characters.Inside the wafer is filled with chocolate. I think the original Bikkuriman wafer also has nuts in it. To me, the snack is so-so. I'm not sure if I would buy it if it didn't come with the surprise sticker.This is the holographic sticker I got in this package. I'm so far behind in Pokemon, so I have no idea who this is. I was hoping to get a Pikachu or Eevee sticker, but I guess that's what makes you continue to buy more of these snacks!Collecting the stickers can add up for sure, if you don't want to waste on eating all these wafers, I saw second hand stores such as Book Off and Animate sell packs of stickers as well (if you can find them).I believe there is an actual Bikkuriman anime, however, I have not watched it which is why I haven't bought the original Bikkuriman wafers. I really only look forward to more collabs they come out with (hoping for more One Piece).To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mg6bm-foodMon, 25 Feb 2019 19:50:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/Mg6bm-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXky1-foodAnother snack that I have been in love with before moving to Japan was Tohato's Caramel Corn. I simply cannot get enough of this delicious corn puff snack. One thing different from my other favorite snack Calbee Jagarico, is that I knew there are seasonal flavors for Caramel Corn. The other day at the mall I found the Hinamatsuri edition!!Japan packaging is simply adorable. I had to obviously get the pink momo (peach) flavor! I believe the other flavor the normal flavor.At first glance, I thought that this flavor was strawberry, however to my pleasant surprise, I come to find that this was peach flavored!Opening the package, there was a sweet smell of a fake peach. I'm not a huge fan of bizarre colored foods, but the white and pink caramel corn is my kawaii aesthetics. Both corn puffs share the same flavor of a light, not too sweet peach flavored caramel corn.The more I ate, I came to find this cute heart-shaped puff. To my mistake, was supposed to be an upside down peach. Nevertheless it was a cute idea. I definitely will go back to stock up on this seasonal flavor!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXky1-foodSat, 23 Feb 2019 19:24:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wXky1-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GR43g-foodHere I am, writing this review (again), since my first draft was wiped out.. I'll start off by saying that I've always loved Calbee's Jagariko (Jagarico) snack even before moving to Japan. What I didn't know was that there were many different flavors this tasty potato stick snack came in. Another thing that is cool, is that there are seasonal and regional flavors.Today I found Hokkaido's Zangi flavor Jagarico. Just by looking at the packaging I assumed it was fried chicken (karaage), but I was wondering what "zangi" was? I went straight to Google for some answers.One source was differentiating zangi and karaage by their recipes and flavor. Zangi is said to be pre-seasoned before frying and has more seasonings added, giving it a more deep and rich flavor, after unlike karaage, which is seasoned with powder. Since I've never tried zangi before, I'm not too sure how I would explain the difference, if there is any at all. It is definitely on my list of foods to try and Hokkaido has always been on my list for places to visit.How cute is this barcode with these little zangi.When opening the package, the potato sticks had a sweet sugary shoyu smell. The color of the sticks looked as if they were deep fried in leftover zangi oil. I could instantly tell from just a bite that this "zangi" was different from your ordinary karaage fried chicken. It was packed with a lot more umami than the karaage I'm used to eating. It was a bit too salty for me, as I do prefer things less flavored. But, nonetheless I would still like to try the real thing one day in Hokkaido! I'm sure it tastes 10x better than this potato stick form.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GR43g-foodSat, 23 Feb 2019 15:47:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/GR43g-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7vLn-foodDo you ever get weird cravings, like eating ice cream in cold weather? Well, that is exactly what I did. This past weekend I came across Yamanashi's famous Shingen mochi in a frozen crepe form. My friends and I had just finished skiing at Fujiten Ski Resort near Mt. Fuji and was browsing the gift shop when we saw this interesting snack.If you don't know what Shingen mochi, it is mochi (rice cakes) covered in kinako (roasted soybean powder) and drizzled with kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup). It is as delicious as it sounds. It is one of Yamanashi's best sweet souvenir. The classic packaging is one-of-a-kind.Okay, back to the crepe.At first, when opening the package, it almost looks like I'm eating a taquito... until biting into the frozen stick.When biting into it, it tastes just as a crepe would taste. Take a few bites and you get to the good stuff. You can see the mochi, kinako, and kuromitsu, as well as some kind of cream. It did taste like Shingen mochi, however the texture was too firm.Overall, I hands-down prefer the original Shingen-mochi snack. I also would suggest waiting for the crepe to thaw a bit before eating. This "ice crepe" may also be more appealing if it was summer versus winter season. Definitely an interesting concept though!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7vLn-foodThu, 14 Feb 2019 21:27:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/G7vLn-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZN4q-foodSoGalentine's is a thing in the States, but not too sure about Japan. One thing I know that is gifting and receiving chocolates, to and from loved ones, is common here. Luckily, I got to spend the weekend with my wonderful girlfriends and made some chocolates for Valentine's, I mean Galentine's! I think it is more special to make something rather than buy pre-made chocolates. Also, the experience of making it together is wonderful as well! I love how Japan is so festive with every little holiday. It is so easy to make cute little goodies with materials available from your closest mall. We purchased a few molds at the 100 yen store, Seria, and grabbed some Meiji chocolate bars from the grocery store. If you want a little extra, you could purchase all kinds of little candy decorations such as rainbow colored sprinkles and pre-made cookies that you can fill with chocolate or something else like jelly. You could go also go above and beyond by buying super-cute packaging from the 100 yen store. Japan is known for its beautiful packaging so you should definitely take advantage!Funny story, but instead of melting chocolate in a microwave or in boiling water, we melted the chocolate under the kotatsu! Haha! It was very efficient since we were already using the kotatsu (saving electricity/gas as well).We broke the chocolate bars and put them into a freezer plastic bag to heat up under the kotatsu. The smaller the pieces were broken into, the easier to melt. We bought dark chocolate, milk chocolate, some roasted nuts chocolate, and white chocolate!We cut a hole at the bottom and started to squeeze the chocolate out into the different molds.We tried to be creative by doing some "latte art" on our chocolates, but it came out very messy. Haha! It was all good fun.We also bought Toppo sticks for this mold specifically. Pocky work as well!After putting the chocolate molds into the freezer for the recommended 30 mins, they were ready to pop out! I think the chocolate sticks came out the best! The cat mold was a little delicate so as the chocolates were popped out, you can see that some are missing ears, tails, and even a head!This was a very simple and fun gift idea for friends, family, or anyone! You can be creative or just simple as ours, and the chocolates will look and taste great!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZN4q-foodWed, 13 Feb 2019 19:19:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wZN4q-foodhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wr3X0-living_money_fashionAkemashite Omedetou! I hope you all are having a very Happy New Year!I never thought I'd be living in Japan in 2019! Celebrating my first new year in a different country was definitely memorable. It was especially memorable in my pocketbook with all the traveling that I have done this past year. I took numerous trips across Japan and visited five different countries across Asia. I definitely treated myself more than I possibly deserved, which is why... one of the first things I bought this year was a Housekeeping book! What a great way to start the new year with better budgeting as a New Near's resolution!I used to organize my expenses and bills in a spreadsheet on my laptop. However, after hoarding massive amounts of receipts throughout the months, I've decided that I get too distracted on my laptop to open up my spreadsheet. This year I decided that in order to complete the simple task of noting each expense, I'll need to write it down in a physical notebook. Sometimes, writing things down with pen and paper is more satisfying to me.I purchased a book from the 100 yen store, Seria. They have a variety of choices to choose from depending on how you want to organize everything.The book I chose has a calendar section, a monthly section with your income, recurring bills (rent, gas, electricity, water, mobile, medical, etc.), and a weekly section to write down each individual expense.There is also a section with an estimated budget that you want to set for yourself for each category (clothes, food, etc.), and the amount you actually spent on those things. It even has a cute memo section with smileys on how your budgeting goals went.I really like how this book breaks everything down in an organized and detailed manner. I also like how these housekeeping books are not on a yearly schedule. Unlike a planner, you do have to write the month and date down yourself. Nevertheless, the new year is a wonderful time to start organizing!As I was slowly receiving my bills for the past month, I noticed that some of my utilities, such as electricity and gas spiked up, almost doubling the previous months. Coming from an island paradise, to a very cold country, I experienced my very first winter and little did I know about how much electricity (or gas) my heaters actually consumed. Going forward, this is definitely something that I will take into consideration when budgeting for the cold wintery months. Some tips I've learned is to make my existence smaller by closing doors to unnecessary rooms, and by not using my two heaters and kotatsu at the same time. Haha. Hopefully by being more aware of these tips, my future bills will lessen, and I will be able to budget better.Another common tip when budgeting (that I "try" to abide by) is never to grocery shop on an empty stomach. This is pretty common knowledge, but it does get the best of us (especially me). I do admit that Japanese snacks are irresistible, and I am a sucker for anime collaboration snacks... so a lot of money I could possibly have saved went there. 'Treat yourself 2019,' and 'Live your best life,' right? I think I should live by this motto after I budget better.Hopefully a little bit of saving here and there will add up, allowing me to adventure and explore more of beautiful Japan as well as partake in some wonderful festivals! One day I would like to attend the Sapporo Snow Festival, but until then... I need to budget budget budget! Dreams can come true!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wr3X0-living_money_fashionMon, 28 Jan 2019 15:58:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wr3X0-living_money_fashionhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2XBY-food_galleries_setagaya_ku_tokyoJapan is known for their adorable character cafes, and what could be cuter than a character you grew up with? Studio Ghibli films are my childhood, and My Neighbor Totoro is the first Studio Ghibli film I have ever seen by Hayao Miyazaki. For all you fellow lovers of Totoro (or cute desserts), you must check out Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory located in Setagawa, Tokyo. It's a nice little stroll away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This has to be one of the cutest little cafe's I've seen so far. The cafe serves pastas and side dishes, but my friends and I had lunch earlier, and came here for the sweet cream puff dessert!Make sure to go early, because by the time we arrived at the cafe (maybe around 2-3pm) only a few cream puffs were left. We ordered our cream puffs downstairs and went upstairs to the cafe for a table. Luckily we didn't have to wait and got sat right away (there are only about six to seven tables). The interior design of the entire place is gorgeous. It had an earthy and nature ambiance.We ordered the last two remaining flavors, which were chocolate and matcha (green tea) with azuki (red beans) filling. When the cream puffs arrived, we could not stop taking photos. I mean can you blame us? Look how adorable these are! I had to take them from every angle. Even this tray it arrived in was adorable.We also ordered some teas and coffees. Everything was too cute to eat... but, eventually we had to destroy the poor Totoros. What I was most impressed was the taste of these cream puffs. Most character cafes only have the look appeal, but the taste does not come close. At Shirohige's, the cream puffs are just as fantastic as they look. The texture and sweetness was just right. Nothing was too overpowering.If you are ever in Tokyo, and are a fan of cute things, definitely check out Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory! It was way worth the little journey.P.S. I also found out that during different seasons, they have different fruit flavored fillings! Knowing this will definitely make me come back for another round!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2XBY-food_galleries_setagaya_ku_tokyoThu, 09 Aug 2018 21:12:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/w2XBY-food_galleries_setagaya_ku_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wm5EQ-living_ashikaga_shi_tochigiIt has always been a dream of mine to see the famous wisteria trees at Ashikaga Park in Tochigi Prefecture. I would always see videos of these majestic 150 years old trees online and wished I could see them one day. Fortunately, I was in Japan at the perfect time during The Great Wisteria Festival between April and May. I had the opportunity one weekend to visit the park with some friends. We found a tour online TripAdvisor and Viator. The tour covered transportation to the park as well as admission fees and a lunch. I figured it would be more convenient to take a tour bus rather than public transportation, since it was a two hour commute from Shinjuku, and we were not familiar with the area.The event operates during the day and night. During night, the trees are lit up. Because I prefer natural lighting for pictures, we went during the day. When we arrived at the park, it was magical. There were so many types of flowers to see. Everything was breathtakingly beautiful. The only thing I wished for was less of a crowd and more time to explore (the tour gave us about an hour half).The park is sectioned nicely so you may view whatever types of flowers in whatever order you desire. With the limited time we had, we went straight to the back for the Great Wisteria. Along the way we saw many other beautiful flowers, along with Azaleas which were also in season.I highly recommend this park for anyone visiting Japan, especially those who enjoy walks in the parks. This park is definitely a peaceful and joyous place. These photos don't do any justice. I am hoping to return to the park as soon as possible. There is a Spring Rose Festival that is happening right now from May to June! I am hoping to make some time to make another visit to the park.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wm5EQ-living_ashikaga_shi_tochigiThu, 14 Jun 2018 23:05:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/tifuani/wm5EQ-living_ashikaga_shi_tochigi