Japanarama: Lots of Goodies from Japan

Japan-in-a-box.

Normally, I don't ask my dad to bring me anything specific from Japan when he travels back to the States- I'd likely be asking for beauty and hair products that would take too long for me to explain to him/for him to find, at which point he'd probably tell me that I can't ask for anything anymore, haha.  On occasion I'll ask for random snack foods, especially Kit Kats, since they make SO many fun and unique flavors in Japan that are only sold there.  Apparently less is more when it comes to asking for stuff, because this time around I asked for Kit Kats, and got a box of ALL THAT STUFF in the photo above.  Score!!  Of course it helps that my mom probably asked for most of this stuff and sent me the duplicates/extra, haha.   

  

Here are the Kit Kats that I got- these are a pretty easy gift to ask for, since the airport carries a ton of these.  They're good gifts for traveling with (light, packs easily, flat) and are often sold only in specific areas, which makes it a worthwhile "I went to _____ and got this for you"-type of gift.  These are all boxes of 12 mini Kit Kats, in a box that is meant for sharing (these are v. popular office/co-worker gifts since everyone can share).  Up front we've got a Rilakkuma-branded Strawberry Milk Kit Kat box- super cute!!!  Back left, we've got a Tokyo-region Kit Kat, Shoyu (soy sauce) Kit Kat box...yup you read that right :o)  Back right, we've got a Kinako (soybean flour) Kit Kat box.  I will be reviewing these flavors in later posts! 

 

  

Assorted Japanese curry mixes.  I love Japanese curry, but the curry roux blocks that are used a lot in making it is pretty unhealthy for you.  Recently they've started making "calorie-off", or reduced calorie curry roux.  The PRIME brand boxes in the back are pretty cool too because they are packaged in single-portion amounts- meaning I can make a single-serving of curry at a time, if I wanted to. 

  

On the left is Hoji tea bags, for hot or iced unsweetened tea.  These will be handy for bringing into work since they are already portioned out and ready for use.  On the right are two bags of quick-dissolving Matcha tea powder- these can be used for baking, like I do currently, or for drinking (mix with water, or even milk to make green tea lattes!)

  

A package of Ningyo-yaki, which are a popular snack which comes in all shapes and sizes in Japan.  Yes, the faces are pretty creepy, but that doesn't stop them from being tasty, haha.  These had a regular red bean paste filling inside.  I wrapped them and froze them, which has helped to keep them fresh for longer.   

 

  

Some fish-based furikake, or rice seasoning mixes.  Might sound sort of strange for some of you, but if you grew up with these, they're a nice addition to bowls of rice :o)

  

Kaki no tane, which are spicy rice crackers that are super duper addictive and delicious.  This particular brand is apparently pretty well-known and sorta pricey.  I say that mainly because normally these rice crackers don't come in a decorated tin, then wrapped in paper, with a bow around it, haha!  Fancyyyyyy. 

 

Last but not least, some fun Japanese treats.  The top row are various flavors of Navona cakes, which are like lighter versions of whoopie pies.  The bottom are chestnut paste-filled shells called "Monaca" in Japan.  These have a pretty short shelf life so I had to eat them pretty quickly- not that I minded, haha.    

So that's a quick roundup of all the fun Japanese goodies I got in the mail- I'm excited for everything, but particularly the new stuff that I haven't tried before.  Huzzah to Japan and all of its fun foods!