Special Editions of Fimiliar Food Brands
Food in Japan is an amazing attraction all by itself.
Whether you’re a vegetarian or a carnivore, you’re definitely in for a treat.
One of my favorite things to do was to find familiar brands which had a Japanese twist.
The most famous one is probably KitKat, which in Japan ranges from cool flavors like watermelon and cherry, to more questionable ones like green tea or lime.
McDonald’s did an all black burger for Halloween, which was really tasty, with the black color not having an effect on the taste. Burger King also did something similar and has regular specials, with the Bacon Avocado Whopper being one of the most memorable ones.
Pringles has a great variety of surprising flavors like baked potato and pickle.
Sports and Health Drinks
Japanese convenience stores, or as the Japanese call them “Convini”, have an interesting array of health drinks. With some designed to provide energy, others to prevent hangovers, and most just for a good daily nutritional intake, like fiber and vitamins(both have designated brands).
Kagome makes natural fruit and vegetable juices, which are very popular and delicious.
The 100 Life original, which is a blend of 21 kinds of vegetables and 3 types of fruits, is an all time favorite.
Another common and totally awesome product is the jelly drink. This is basically a semi solid semi liquid jelly that comes in a pouch that you drink in a few shots, and which in some cases has the nutritional value of a meal. Even this has several brands, with the most common one being Weider’s “in” jelly.
Weider’s “in” jelly. flavors: Protein, Energy, Beauty, Fiber, Vitamin, and Mineral.
Pepsi’s Star Wars Special Edition Energy Cola. It tastes like a combination of Redbull and Coke.
Toys and Gadgets
A portable vacuum cleaner that folds into a ball. Very handy to keep under the coffee table.
An important landmark is Yodabashi which is an insanely giant store(really a whole building of a store) that has everything electronic. It even has an Apple store within the store itself.
It is located in Akihabara, which is the electric avenue of Tokyo that has funny themed restaurants and novelty and manga stores. You can also buy a Japanese toilet there.
Japanese toilets come with a remote control, heated seat, blow dry, automatic flush, and in some models even music that plays along your conference.
The remote hangs on the wall and controls all the functions of the seat, as well as used for flushing, so as to not touch the toilet.
Another two very popular stores to visit are Tokyo Hands, and Donquixote, which both have numerous locations and an infinite number of items.
A small part of the model train section at Tokyo Hands
The Spindash Mini racing bike.
In conclusion, Japan is not just an amazing place to visit, but also a Mecca for shoppers, If you are lucky enough to go there, I recommend you take that into account and prepare accordingly.