It's been a while, I know. Things have been hectic ever since saying farewell to Japan, including getting a part-time job. What I'd like is something to supplement that job so it'll almost be like having a full-time job. Or maybe a winning lottery ticket? Anyway, I keep meaning to post about all these Kit Kats that I bought. Unfortunately, my complete collection is not with me, so you'll have to make do with this picture:



If you are curious about the other flavors of Kit Kat out there, Wiki has a nice long list. If you can read Japanese or are curious about what the other boxes look like, here's the official Japanese site. The other cool thing is that the medium size boxes can also be sent as a gift, as they have created the boxes with a ready mailing label on the back. Without further ado, the flavors I have tried and spotted, with a rating from one to five (five being the tastiest):

1. Soy Sauce: Are you shuddering, Gross? Not at all! It's actually quite tasty, resembling a caramel flavor. 4.5
   
2. Green Tea: Absolutely delicious. If you like green tea ice cream, you'll like this one.5
   
3. Royal Milk Tea: Tastes just like milk tea, although a friend found it too floral. I like this one too. 5
   
4. Kinako: Tastes like peanut butter. 4.5
   
5. Vegetable Juice: Now this is one to shudder at, unless you like vegetable juice (and not in a V8 way). It's very sweet smelling and tasting, where it's *almost* tasty but crosses the line to disgusting. -1
   
6. Wasabi: I was too wimpy to pay money for this. n/a
   
7. Sparkling Strawberry: Extremely fragrant and bursting with flavor. It reminds me of a berried up strawberry Pocky or the Berry Kix cereal. 4.5
   
8. Corn: OMG this is SO DELICIOUS. It's like eating super buttered corn, I kid you not. 5
   
9. Miso: Not bad, like a super sweet miso. I'd put this under likeable. 3.5
   
10. Purple Sweet Potato: Wow this is super delicious too. I don't think I've ever had purple sweet potato, but it reminds me of a less sweet version of sugar wafers. 4
    
11. Sweet Potato: I've been told this is good. n/a
    
12. Citrus and Pepper: A nice dark chocolate coats this one, and has a slight bite of crisp black pepper at the end. Not a favorite, but a very likeable flavor. 3.5
    
13. Pudding: Hate to say it, but it tasted just like Japanese pudding! :D Vanilla-y with a hint of custard. 4
    
14. Ginger Ale: I found this extremely sweet, like a sweeter white chocolate, although someone else thought it did taste like ginger ale. 3
    

If you're all still gagging at some of these flavors, don't knock it 'till you try it. In summary, I wish they had these awesome flavors here T_T Just looking at the Japanese site is making me envious...Mix Berry and Passion Fruit? Maple? I want to try them all~~

I am no longer in Japan (as you can notice by the cute new layout - not by me because I'm not subscribed for that!) I will relay a last few posts though, I'm actually not done with food! Some quick words on my event and adventure with my bags. First, don't ever pack heavy bags. That's what the post office is for. Of course, this wouldn't be a story if I had been smart and done that. Thankfully though, this time we weren't heading into rush hour traffic at Shinjuku station with our bags. Sadly though our bags were far heavier this time around, and my little arms were too weak to handle them all at once (while also feeling extremely under the weather). It was funny how at the train station though, a very nice lady helped me carry more than one bag up the stairs to the platform. And when I was struggling across the platform to my connecting train, a bucket brigade formed where one woman helped pull a huge bag onto the train, while another woman pushed one of my smaller bags through the doors before it closed.

...all while the salary-men stood by and watched. I found it funny and ironic (although I'll admit I stared daggers at more than one salary-man who were silently pretending to ignore us) that of all people, it was the women who were so kindly lending me a helping hand. Big burly men here in the States don't have a problem with rolling up their sleeves and giving the "lil' lady" hand. As much as I like carrying my own things, I definitely don't mind a helping hand now and then when I know I need it.

(note: Elevators are hit or miss at a lot of stations, especially on the line we were taking. Escalators are a bit more common, but often go only in one direction and for maybe just one or two flights of stairs.)

I've been meaning to write posts about this before, but I've been concentrating on well, food. No, this isn't a "tee hee, Japan is weird!" post, but rather things that still perplex me about this country. Do note, there are a lot of things that I DO like about Japan. Those will be noted last, so as to end on a positive note. I've put the explanations behind the cut, since it can be a bit ranty XD

My personal cons

1. Tokyo is an expensive city to live and eat in. Including public transportation.
2. Tokyo doesn't recycle plastic bags and I have too many.
3. Bikers on sidewalks ( further explanation behind the cut )
   
4. Not stopping for the ambulance ( more )
   
5. Smokers ( more )
6. Train suicides and families footing the bill ( more )
   

My personal likes

1. Conbini/convenience stores ( more )
2. No tip/Good customer service ( more )
   
3. Public transportation ( more )
   
4. Family restaurants ( more )
   
5. Clean streets ( more )

It seems I haven't written about tea yet in Japan. So yes, tea is big in Japan. It's great for tea lovers. They sell it and have it available everywhere.

The pros: Milk tea.
They sell small and gigantic liter bottles of milk tea, ready made nice and delicious. Beware of getting the cheaper milk tea in cartons, the flavor may vary from too much milk, or to a strange flowery after taste. Stick with the blue Afternoon Tea Special label, where they advertise it's just like how the Duchess made it way int he 1800s. Royal milk tea is also favorable.

Cons: It's unsweetened.
I'm not against unsweetened tea, but it's definitely not what I'm used to with drinking Chinese tea! Most of the tea is stronger in flavor here, perhaps even bitter. So if you prefer more floral and lighter teas, then stick with what you know. Matcha is also very bitter and strong depending on how it's prepared, so be warned! Also, avoid the cold jasmine tea if you're expecting it to be sweet like the Chinese made kind.

Pictured above is matcha latte at a nice tea place. It was pretty good, strong on the milk. Below is what I believe is a mugi-cha, a lighter and very nice tasting tea. I think it's also made with black sesame.

Today I set up for the first of seven days of my teeny tiny gallery showing at Design Festa Gallery near Harajuku :3 Even though I overslept and arrived a bit late to set up (they're really really laid back -- you can literally do whatever you want), I've been feeling a weird sense of happiness all day. It's pretty neat after all *^_^* I wanted to create one more large piece, but I didn't buy the board in time to do it >_< Let's hope for good luck together for a nice mini-gallery showing!

Now for the main juicy bit of this post! On our way home from delicious kaiten zushi (aka sushi "boat"), we randomly found this at a really weird store called Don Quixote (I think the Japanese spelled it different). I'm a fan of Calpis (Calpico to foreign consumers because well...sound it out for yourself), and if you've never had it before, it's pretty good! It's considered a yogurt drink, but the yogurt is extremely light in taste so that you would barely know it at all. It's delicious alone, as a soda, or mixed with other flavors (or alcohol). So of course when I saw Premium Calpis, I had to try it. Is it really Premium?? Well...yeah, you can say it's premium in the yogurt taste. Instead of having a slight dash of yogurt, it's a lot richer and bold in flavor. So it actually tastes like you're drinking...yogurt XD If you're a fan of yogurt drinks, good luck finding the premium. Otherwise, I'll stick with regular Calpis.

Pictured here is the famous Glico man in Osaka! Apparently there is a drinking game attached to this pose, where you're required to pose, get your picture taken, and take a drink? Either way, I'm sure you could witness this if you hung around long enough. So also by the Glico man, is a bridge (not pictured cuz I'm like, standing on it), where it's all the guys from host clubs come to pick up customers. There was definitely no shortage of metro guys all made up with super gelled hair. A little creepy to see as a female, if you ask me!


Here I take my eating outside of Tokyo (although I already did that with my last post on omurice). Pictured here is okonomiyaki, made and eaten in the home of okonomiyaki, Osaka! If you ever eat okonomiyaki, you have to at least try it here once. I've eaten it quite a few times in Tokyo, some were quite disappointing and one was quite good. Yet none of them were as delicious as this one. The funny thing is that you can't make your own okonomiyaki on the grill like everywhere else in Japan. The chefs in Osaka have such a specific way of making their famous dish, that they don't want you to mess. They even put the mayo on for you T_T So it was kind of lame that I couldn't mix it and cook it, or put my own condiments on, but at least it was delicious!

This was requested, that I put an omurice recipe up here. So as not to clog up everyone else's LJ, it's ( behind the cut! )

Well everybody (for some reason, I want to say that in a fake Italian accent), my time in the J to the Pan is almost over. I can't believe there are only THREE WEEKS LEFT! ::echoes of screaming Munch style:: So I better keep up with all this food, eh, eh, eh? So little time, not enough belly to eat it with. Before I get to the dericious foods, just a little update on what's been going on in my life (a tired haaa...at that). Trying to get some stories off the ground, mostly submissions and hopefully I'll make it for yet another MICC (the Morning International Competition) this year >_<;; It has been a disappointing year with my lack of stories (C'MON MUSE, I'M HERE!!) and drawings, so I'm doing my best to make up for it. I'm also looking for a paying job. Since, y'know, the publishers don't seem to want me. (okay, no one really wants me) SO I'd like to make a few monies to support my food habit. The addiction that makes the belly go round. And maybe a roof over my head. That'd be sweet. I'm also working mad crazy on various paintings and illustrations for a wee bitty gallery showing in the Harajuku area. I decided to take a stab at putting my work up at the Design Festa Gallery, so I got a small wall space. It's set to appear December 3-9. I know people need Christmas presents!

Alright, enough chatty chat, on with the food already.

Now this is omurice. Omelette + rice = omurice. It's called delicious. In case you're clueless as to what this entails, here are the basics. It's an omelette with ketchup fried rice inside. With more ketchup on the outside, maybe even a cute message or heart if you're into that mush. There's also usually onions, but everything else you put in it is fair game. Pictured here is "hayashi omurice". Hayashi rice (hayashi is normally served with rice) is a bit like curry (similar preparation), but the taste has more tomato to it (and sometimes beef) and is a little runnier like a stew. This is a more jazzed up version of regular omurice (which is only plain ol' ketchup), and was quite tasty with a ketchup flavored fried rice.

My order wasn't really hayashi omurice, but THIS. Just looking at it makes me want it again +___+ And again. This is "chicken cream omurice". Apparently, you can get different toppings AND different flavored rice. There was a curry one available (more of the Indian curry and not Japanese curry), and butter flavored rice. This was butter, and man was it good. Like I always say, butter makes it better! Besides the buttery rice, on the outside is a cream sauce. On top of that was broccoli and very flavorful fried potatoes. Normally I don't eat broccoli (hate it), but the sauce was so delicious that it made broccoli more than bearable (dare I say, tasty?). You can also get different sizes, from two eggs, three eggs, or even FIVE EGGS. Pictured above were all made with two eggs. Five eggs would be damn gigantic.

I'll make sure there's more food to come later. And if you're now craving to try omurice but only have your own kitchen to turn to, it's quite easy to make. Getting the omelette shape perfect is a bit more tricky, but omurice is considered home cooking and is definitely worth a try. Omurice is something I've only ever made at home until now! So let me know if you make it or need recipe suggestions!

So are any of you ladies out there nearing the ripe old age of 25 and are STILL unmarried? (cue gasps of horror) If this were Japan in the 1980s, then you would be compared to a stale Christmas cake that no one wants anymore. You better hurry once you reach your "Christmas Eve" (24), otherwise no sane man will want to marry you after 25.

This is something new I learned yesterday, the kind phrases that people have coined here for women reaching their spinsterhood. I don't know if any of you out there have heard this phrase before, so if you have I'd love to hear stories. After a bit of research and reading up on the good ol' net, I managed to turn up the sad but true info. Please keep in mind though, using the "Christmas Eve"/Christmas cake phrase is VERY out of date now.

Instead, consider "New Year's Eve", where 31 is the new 25! Do you think that is really a big step for women's liberation in Japan?

(referenced from/and further reading: here, here, and here.)

First off, credits to greedanddisgust for the current icon, my most favorite scene in Tropic Thunder. Future credits also go to this user for other funny icons I will be using. Seconldy, I have been remiss in keeping up with this journal. Not like I haven't been doing much, but I guess you could say the shininess is slowly wearing off. Doesn't mean I'm not having fun or puzzling over certain oddities in this country! There are still plenty of tourist attractions for me to visit. For today's post, I will be closing the chapter on Mister Donut. I might post now and then on other doughnuts from there, but here are my thoughts and mostly final verdict on MisDo.


So overall, these are the doughnuts I have tried, along with my ratings and thoughts:

• Pon de Ring: The best doughnut at Mister Donut, and not available at home. Chewy texture akin to mochi, a mixture of doughnut and bread dough. 5/5
  
• Honey Pon de Tofu (pictured below): Like the Pon de Ring, not sure if it's made of tofu but it must be? The only difference with this one is that there are black sesame seeds inside. Quite tasty. 4.5/5
  
• Choco Arare Pon de Tofu (pictured above): I don't think you can go wrong with any of the "Pon de" doughnuts. This one is a lot more subtle in flavor, but with a taste that grows on you after a few bites. The chocolate is slightly bitter and mild, but the rice on top adds a crunch to it that makes it taste like a less sweet Crunch bar. The surprise addition of black sesame on the inside adds another layer of flavors to this low key doughnut. 4/5
  
• Honey Cookie Cruller: Disappointing, nothing joyful to be found here. 0/5
  
• Cinnamon Cookie Cruller (pictured above): I think all the cookie crullers are doomed and disappointing. They're not very tasty, and more like a heavy cake doughnut. 1/5
  
• Angel French (cruller, filled with cream and half dipped in chocolate): The cream and the partial chocolate can't save this disappointing cruller either. What it lacks the most is flavor of any kind, it's as if they tried to put in as little sugar as possible. I'm not a sweet tooth hound either! .5/5
  
• Angel Choco French Doughnut (chocolate cruller, filled with cream, half dipped in chocolate): This is a bit better than the regular Angel French, mainly only because it's all chocolate. Chocolate has some flavor on its own. 1/5
  
• Choco Angel Rich Doughnut Chocolate (pictured below): This wasn't bad, it was sort of like having a cream filled chocolate doughnut. Or those Little Debbie things, with half the fat. 3.5/5
  
• Coconut Chocolate (pictured below): This was also in the "okay" category. The first few bites made me comment out loud, "Wow, this is dry." As a whole, I don't think Japan can quite do what America can for doughnuts because of ingredients and availability of ingredients. Although I also think they cut out a lot of oil from this doughnut that's supposed to make the chocolate taste rich. I think a cake from a box is richer than this, but after a few bites you start to get used to this doughnut and think it's not bad. 3/5
  

So in summary? If you ever come across Mister Donut in Japan, stick with the Pon de Ring. It's the best item on the menu, it's different, and it's truly awesome. This won't be the last time I try and sample another doughnut from here, though. My goal is to garner enough points to get one of those prizes +___+

I've gotta get going, but I wanted to post this first! Briefly, this is a festival that's been happening at this temple for about 750 years now. You can read more about it here. It's to honor the death of the Buddhist monk who founding Honmonji Temple, along with certain chants that people at the time found too stringent. It's a three day long festival, starting with a smaller parade and two streets, culminating on the second day with the neighborhood being closed and more streets with vendors.


There were A LOT of people on the second day, so much so that they had special buses and trains to carry them all in. There was also a good variety of food, from Greek kebabs/gyros, to Korean chapchae, jijimae, and tukbogi. There was also cotton candy, shaved ice, ice cream, fried spaghetti, and churros just to name some non-Japanese items. And of course there were the usual takoyaki, okonomiyaki, yakitori and soba. Since there was so much food, I'm only going to highlight the top two things I ate there.

Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, this tops my list. And trust me, I ate A LOT of food here. They have a lot of gigantic potatoes, which is of course, a rarity in Japan. Here they bake and sautee it a bit in butter. Then, they give you a huge hunk of butter (about 1/3 cup), salt it, corn, and you have the option to add mayo (or at some places, miso). This was delicious obviously because of the butter (my motto is "Butter makes it better!"), but just because it's a classic and simple yet so good. I'm also a huge fan of potato, so win win!

A tie on this list is osakayaki. Pictured here is in it's uncooked form. Osakayaki is basically a snack sized okonomiyaki. Yet it was absolutely wonderful. It was fluffy and tasty but in a more portable size. A definite plus. Close behind was this really good omu-soba (soba in an omelet), but I only have so much room here!

I've been a bit lazy about posting more often. Certainly doesn't mean I've been eating any less! :D No food focus today, but commentary on how different Chinatown is in Japan. There are two here in Japan, one in Kobe and another in Yokohama. Both are port cities and were first opened for foreign trading way back when. Makes sense to have Chinatown too then, right? The one in Yokohama is one of the oldest Chinatowns out there (I think the one in the Philippines is the other one). First of all, I've read in a few tourist pamphlets that claim this Chinatown to be "possibly the largest in the world". Whoever's written this stuff hasn't been to San Francisco yet! I bet it was something back in the day, but now? A huge tourist trap with very few Chinese people left living there. Sure, the ones in America (this includes Canada) have their tourist sections, but it's still thriving with commerce where people actually live and buy their groceries. Here, it's mainly for people to look and pay an arm to try some "Chinese" food.

Besides the lack of Chinese people and grocery stores, it was also very quiet (no sound of cricket toys), VERY clean, and VERY EXPENSIVE. One regular sized mooncake ran about 500 yen, and all-you-can-eat dim sum was about 2500+ yen. Dishes were mostly 1400+ yen, and it would be a deal if you could find meat buns for 200 yen (average was 300-500 yen). Opposite of what Chinatown usually stands for, right? Walking around Chinatown also felt a bit weird, because the buildings were right, but something was off. I'm pinpointing it with the landscaping. All the plants, trees, and set-up are very Japanese. It has it's own distinct flavor.

Another thing that was different, was that there were chestnut vendors EVERYWHERE. I think they don't have these at home because chestnuts aren't as cheap as they are here (er, I'm guessing), but I've never seen any in all of the Chinatowns I've been to. Overall, it was an interesting experience, but doesn't have any nostalgia to it at all. I hope the people who only ever experience the Chinatown in Yokohama don't assume that's how they are everywhere else too.

I came upon a newly opened takoyaki place while exploring the hood. It was really cool to see how they made it, and how the guy had to quickly flip each individual piece to get it evenly cooked and round. Pretty tough and hot work!

So I've only ever had takoyaki once or twice, and those few times definitely don't compare to the freshly made takoyaki here. It's gooey soft on the inside with a surprise piece of octopus lurking in the center. Combined with the sauce, seaweed and mayo (optional for anti-mayo peeps!), mmmm~!

Basil fries at First Kitchen. Mmmmm~ Very basil flavored crunchy deelish. Add the provided garlic mayo, double yum. Mayo is here to make me fat. Other flavors at First Kitchen: bbq, teriyaki mayo, cheese, fish eggs. Apparently they introduce a new flavor ever year, but only keep a few. Darn you!

Drinking tea is a bit different here. Now, I'm used to drinking hot tea without sugar. I prefer it that way, straight up green tea or whatever like the Chinese do. But cold tea drinks? I like 'em with sugar. But the Japanese don't do sugar at all in their tea, hot or cold, unless it's a cold Royal Milk Tea or tea latte. The cold jasmine or other tea (non Lipton)? No sugar. The same goes for their bubble tea apparently.

Bubble tea is a bit hard to find in Japan. From what I'm told, it's not really well done either. So it's no surprise this bubble tea from First Kitchen was a bust. First of all, it comes out like a Starbuck's styled drink, with soft serve ice cream on top. Second, their tapioca is of the medium/small variety and is a bit too soft (overcooked). Third? The tea wasn't sweetened AT ALL. The only way this drink was palatable was by mixing in the ice cream.

But then we found another bubble tea place in Saitama, and they were the closest to getting it RIGHT. Pictured is a small, which is half the size of a regular in the States. A large apparently isn't any larger, and far more expensive. The peach bubble tea was actually decent, and the coconut milk tea wasn't too bad (although the coconut was quite strong).

I had been planning to write more about things that are different in Japan, but now I can't remember them all. I'll get back to that when I remember.

After a five hour hassle with the cellphone people giving us trouble for trying to get a phone (because we're foreigners, and I guess the small branch wasn't used to us), we ended up eating out. Again. At this point, cheap (as usual?) was the option. So Jonathan's it was.



(this isn't the actual one we went to, but they're everywhere)

Jonathan's is what you would call a "family restaurant". They're similar to Denny's and IHop, except that their portions are smaller and they have a drink bar. A drink bar is not for alcoholic drinks, but where you can keep refilling your tiny glass as often as you want with whatever you want. There's a good variety from the usual coffee, sodas, healthy fruit drinks, Calpis, and yummy green tea latte (which tastes like hot melted green tea ice cream). So if you like lots of drink, want to hang out and study/work, or something bigger than a small glass, it's worth it. As for their menu, it's a mixture of Japanese-ish food with fried snacks and American style breakfasts. Since I've already tried their breakfast (which I will post another time), and wanted to try something different, I chose something rare for Japan.

This, ladies and gentleman, is a Tofu and Hibiki Healthy Hamburger. It's made with tofu and NO meat. Japan isn't a very vegetarian friendly place (if you happen to be one), and sometimes their idea of vegetarian comes with bacon. So this dish comes with a tofu burger consisting of tofu, mushrooms, peas, and possibly some daikon, surrounded by eggplant and mushrooms, topped with daikon and wasabi. This was a surprising dish, especially for Japan's equivalent of IHop, because it was very tasty and flavorful. The tofu actually tasted like ground pork (there wasn't any, I checked), and well matched with a variety of Japanese mushrooms and eggplant. I wanted to savor every bite slowly and to not ever have it end.

I forgot my camera today, which I regret a lot. SO you'll have to excuse me for borrowing some images from the main site of Mos Burger! But no worries, I definitely plan to return here and take some actual pictures next time.


I was craving really badly something fried and fatty, and wanted to go out to eat. For budget reasons, we ended up going to a fast food joint called Mos Burger. This place and Lotteria, I believe, make up the Japanese fast food burger places besides the ubiquitous McDonald's. I swear, there's a McD's on every corner. The golden arches are the Walgreen's and Starbuck's of this place. Pictured here is a limited time Chickan Namban Burger. This is supposedly special chicken from some southern province (forgive me, I forget where). I also got large fries to go with it. So how was the burger? Absolutely DELICIOUS. The chicken is pretty large, breaded, fried, and slathered in some special sauce. The chicken is really, really tender and juicy, and the sauce has a tangy sweetness to it that definitely makes the burger. I consider myself a big enough mayo fan, so the copious amounts of mayo, chopped onions, and shredded lettuce overall made this one burger I'm definitely returning for. Again. And again. Comparing this to American chicken burgers? Hands down, Mos Burger wins. I've never had something so tender, as if they didn't mess with it, and the sauce is super tasty. If you're curious about how actual hamburgers compare, I've been told that it lacks an oomph of meatiness. This can be explained by the fact that they use a mixture of beef and pork to make their burgers. I believe McD's still uses all beef, but that's because they're McD's.
But comparing the fries and price to home? Hah, nothing can really compare to our Super Size now, can it? In terms of cost, it was cheap for Tokyo, 350 yen for one burger. Add in fries and a drink for about another 350 yen, you got a total of 700 yen. That's not really too bad, but large fries here are about the same size as a small at home. And the drink? It comes out in a small glass, the free water in an even tinier glass. Not only that, you have to request ketchup, and that comes in a small dipping dish. It's just not done to have a lot of ketchup or any at all, which I don't think people here are used to. We really are the fatty fast food leaders, which is kind of sad.


Either way, I'd like to try one of these rice burgers later. I've made rice burgers before, but to actually have it done in a more pro way? Yes, please. I'll be coming back for you Mos Burger, and with a camera too +____+

Oh Japan. Apparently Umbilical is a whole baby clothing line. How...cute?? I'll go for slightly disturbing. Today's post will be a bit long, since I didn't post anything yesterday. First, let's drool over food.



So, you can buy croquettes pretty much anywhere. At a little alley way bento shop. In a bakery. Or even at your local conbini (convenience store)! Pictured above is a pretty tasty croquette from 7-11. Yep, I wish our 7-11 sold that! Then again, conbinis here are different from home, with more variety and less of a cheap-late-night-gas-station feel. They're also located everywhere (more than Starbuck's), truly living up to it's "convenient" name. And instead of hot dogs, microwaveable food, and slushees, they've got a nicer selection of baked goods and pastries. I guess this says a lot about American food, huh?




Without further ado, ( Tokyo Game Show behind the cut! )

I've got cleaning and stuff to do today, so no Tokyo Game Show post for now. Just another semi-quick post, on yet another Mister Donut conquest! Now for a short history on Mister Donut. Some of you already know that Mister Donut was once an American franchise. It was founded in the 1950s and was a big competitor against the great Dunkin, until they also got bought out and changed their names to Dunkin Donuts too. Currently only one supposedly exists in the US, and that's in Illinois. In the early 1980s, a Japanese company got the rights to Mister Donut and their original doughnut recipes for Asia, and now it reigns nearly supreme with their little lion mascot.


Continuing my doughnut quest, pictured here are the 'D-pop' (donut holes) and 'Cookie Cruller Honey'. Evan tried the D-pop, while I had the Cookie Cruller. According to Evan, the D-pop was ok, basically a collection of doughnut holes from other bigger doughnuts. The chocolate ones had the most flavor, and the strawberry one the least (and worst). While I generally like the fact that Asian pastries aren't as sweet as America's, I have to agree with Evan on these doughnuts. They're just not sweet or tasty enough. My shiny love for Mister Donut is starting to fade a bit as each one fails me. The cookie cruller was ok, it tasted like a cake doughnut. Nothing special or improved upon, it was too heavy and blah for me. So far, the pon de ring is still a winner.

Quick post for today, I need to run off in a bit for an event and I will be posting about Tokyo Game Show (the equivalent of E3) later. For now, DOUGHNUTS! Currently there is a 100yen sale on doughnuts at Mister Donut, and I wants to try them all +___+ Pictured above are two different kinds of crullers, the 'Chocolate French Angel French' and 'Angel French', along with Mister Donut's gem, the pon de ring. My 'Angel French' dipped in chocolate with cream filling wasn't that good...even though there was powdered sugar on it and a lightly sweet cream filling, there sadly wasn't enough sweet. This would be good if you're REALLY not a sweet tooth and like it bland. But I wouldn't consider myself one either, so this was quite disappointing because it didn't have that extra glaze on it. Next time, I'm going to try a honey glazed and cookie one. The chocolate one was a bit tastier, so thumbs down for the 'Angel French' and a meh for the chocolate.


But this 'pon de ring'? It's the pièce de résistance. They compare the chewiness of the dough to mochi, and indeed they're right. This is no regular doughnut. Each little piece can be ripped off, or eaten however you like, and it's sweet like a honey glazed. Yet somehow, they made the dough to be soft and chewy, with a pull to it just like mochi. Not only that, if you become a member and get enough points, you can get the Pon de Lion!



I'm already planning which doughnuts to get tomorrow, and will work on getting enough points to get one of these prizes. I think I have about 180 doughnuts to go...