Japanese Snacks

I love trying out new Japanese snacks, they are always so weird and interesting. Of course I like the famous ones like Pocky and such, but I have gotten some really weird shit. Like the ones me and my friends dubbed "squid nuts" they were fish flavored balls with peanut butter inside! They always have really cool packaging, most of which I display, and they come with stickers and cute toys sometimes. My current favorite is the boil-in-the-bag curry, the ones I have have Hamtaro on them. Do you guys have any favorite ones?

My fav is pocky. Men's Pocky. It's the best. I once ate so much I had to go to hospital. No, I kid. Actually i just think it's funny that it's called Men's Pocky.
Mostly I just like the candy that comes with toys, but i dont even like the candy, just the toys. I'm heading to SF soon to pick up more candy than I can hold. I once spent $40 on candy alone. I love candy.

Uwajimaya stocks these nifty candies called EveryBurgers, which are minature hamburgers with chocolate as the patty. There's even a crispy bun on the outside complete with tiny sesame seeds. Yum.

-Tech

Oh I've eaten the EveryBurgers they were yummy! :)

I don't like Japanese candy except as a curiosity. Most of it is borderline tasteless or just flat nasty. About all I can stand is this strange gummi stuff made of rice flour that costs a quarter a pack that reminds me of Turkish Delight, but I'd rather eat TD given the choice...

I really don't understand Pocky, though. I know a bunch of people into anime eat that shit like it was ambrosia, but I could barely taste the crap. If I wanted to eat chocolate covered pretzels, I'd buy chocolate covered pretzels or make some myself for a fraction of what Pocky costs.

I dunno. I do tend to like Japanese food and liquor (although I have yet to have a Japanese beer that I like), but most Japanese snack food makes me retch. Squid jerky is pretty cool, though, if only it wasn't sky-high in cholestorol. :P

On the other hand, the mere mention of German or Swiss chocolate with the milkportion will make my mouth water... :P

I actually tend to agree. I've bought countless bags of japanese stuff that I just threw out because it tasted sickening. I don't even want to get into the whole coffee candy incident....
Probably because I can't read japanese, and if it says "fish flavor" I will not know it. I like Hello Kitty candy :D
Oh yes, that's right.....one kind of candy, i think it was just called "RED WINE CANDY" was really good. Havent been able to find it for years tho.

ADDENDUM: I should also note that my experiences with Japanese candy is limited. Some of it could be excellent, but I have yet to have any of that. Maybe with the new Oriental Market opening in Lubbock....

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On the other hand, the mere mention of German or Swiss chocolate with the milkportion will make my mouth water...

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There was this one chocolate snack.. . Meiji horn I believe. It was similar in style to kit-kat's but tasted so much better. One of the few chocolate snacks I can stand.Not being a fan of the stuff in general.

Pussy.

I'm a fan of 3 Musketeers bars.

From what I've experienced (not much) with Jap candy... it's just not that great. It's really really over-rated. I think the anime fanboys/girls just eat it because it makes them more Japanese.

I have yet to try Pocky though, I can't bring myself to buy it.

Why can't anime fans be normal? Then maybe I won't have to convince people I meet that I am not a raving idiot when I tell them I like anime.

I had this boil bag of curry, and the first few bites were ok, but after a while I was wretching.

Pocky is good, but id WAY rather eat real candy, the stuff doesnt have much taste.

I also had this weird candy that came with something pokemon. It was like this weird flavor (never had before or since) of bubble gum and it rocked!

Last thing is those little jelly cups, those things kick ass

Pocky is decent imaging a pretzel stick without salt covered in chocolate at the end, slightly resembling a thin corndog, but not tasting like one.

Pocky reminds me of "The Pocky Girls" Some japanese group... that should be found, taken advantage of sexually, and shot.

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Why can't anime fans be normal? Then maybe I won't have to convince people I meet that I am not a raving idiot when I tell them I like anime.

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Yeah... cause you know, everyone here is perfectly normal, as well as the rest of the world sharing a resemblence of perfection with one another. And anime is becoming more popular, almost everyone I've met has heard of Cowboy Bebop and at least likes it. With the exception of the close minded idiots which I'm actually finding to be more the minority in this world than I thought.

And... there are some of my life views :/

Animegirl's avatatar is amazingly annoying.

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Last thing is those little jelly cups, those things kick ass

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I used to buy these for my little sister a long time ago. 2 or 3 years maybe. Right around the time a lot of kids started choking on them and dying since they were hard. I think they were banned out here, I don't remember.

Well I was referring to the hArDCOre fanboys who still whine about subs/dubs and such. Basically everyone on the official Otakon board.

I've had...

Pocky. Yeah, I like it and all, but I rarely buy it.

Strawberry Koala Cookies! at least I think that's what they're called. It's a cookie/cracker shaped like a koala and stuffed with the strawberry stuff.

And the worst I've ever had is the chalk tabs that came with a Dragon Ball toy. It was a little white thing about the same size as a smarty but it was a "dragon ball" yippie! It smells worse than any candy like substance I've ever seen and tastes like a bland smarty. That being said, I just got $20 worth of 'em from PriestJPN on the TradeDepot board. :wtf:

I like Pocky and Ramune (soda). Haven't really tried anything else.

Since, uhh, when is curry considered a Japanese snack?

And curry is the s**t, even the boil in the bag stuff.

I like Pocky and that Koala thing.

Anyone see "Chocky"? I can't help but wonder if it's a rip-off.

Almond Pocky sticks, YanYans, Pucci

Peach gummys. Strawberry YanYan. I like the wasabi peas, too.

Pocky forever!

Holy Pretzel Stick, Batman!

That's alot of Pocky.

kinoko no yama chocolate covered trees (cookies snacks)

Those are really good.

Lotto gum (various flavors) & green tea pocky.

From what I've experienced (not much) with Jap candy... it's just not that great. It's really really over-rated. I think the anime fanboys/girls just eat it because it makes them more Japanese.

I beg to differ. I do love anime, and I will admit the first time I tried Japanese candy was to eat some Pockys, which I had seen in an anime. After that I wanted to try all the different flavors of candy they had, not just to seem more "Japanese". I also like British candy and American candy too. Damn, I just love candy in gerneral! On a side note I picked a different Avatar, 50% less annoying! :)

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Originally posted by Thief~Silver
Animegirl's avatatar is amazingly annoying.

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I think it's pretty cute actually, even though twenty pixels to tall.

A friend once bought me one of those GIANT POCKYs for my birthday (i don't know if you guys have seen these things, but they are HUGE) but another friend of mine got to them before I did and he ate them all ;_; I didn't get a one.....*sniff*

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Originally posted by Seven Force
Pocky forever!

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That looks so fucking good.

The best Pocky sticks I tasted were the ones which had the chocolate filling.

A couple months ago when on vacation in Chicago, I went to the Arlington Heights location of Mitsuwa and picked up a shitload of stuff. Lots of green tea, a couple packs of Pocky (good stuff), Meiji Chocolate Macadamias (now these really rock, and the box has a nice Engrish slogan on it saying "Macadamia, called "king of nuts", is very valuable" or something such), and a few bags of rice crackers went into my basket. Calpico Water and Ueshima Coffee Co. canned green tea are very good.

Green Tea Pocky? Hmmm, I might like that.

Lately, I've bought a Joseph Schmidt chocolate truffle sampler at Borders Books. JS chocolates are joy.

Oh Oh have any of you had those flavored water things, where instead of puting a cap on, you suck up this marble into a hole that plugs the top? oh its really hard to explain but its mighty nifty!

That's Ramune I think you mean.....

I forgot to mention Dorayaki. I ate so many of those I almost swore them off:/ It's waffle batter filled with sweet beans. The most common variety I saw looked like a hockey puck but they do come in other shapes. Manju (steamed buns) are great too, although I don't know if those would be classified as a dessert, probably just a snack.

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Originally posted by NApOLm321
Oh Oh have any of you had those flavored water things, where instead of puting a cap on, you suck up this marble into a hole that plugs the top? oh its really hard to explain but its mighty nifty!

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Yes. Good.

Rice crackers.

I used to like Pocky - back before all of the smelly American otaku ruined it by always talking about the stuff and thinking they were "more Japanese" by eating it.

"He he, see how hardcore otaku I am, I know about this stuff called Pocky, it's like the mega-popular Japanes snack! Fear my knowledge of Japan!"

You must be a trendsetter, or something.

I'm not playing the "I used to like X band until everybody else starting liking them" thing, just to clear that up.

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Originally posted by shidoshi
I used to like Pocky - back before all of the smelly American otaku ruined it by always talking about the stuff and thinking they were "more Japanese" by eating it.

"He he, see how hardcore otaku I am, I know about this stuff called Pocky, it's like the mega-popular Japanes snack! Fear my knowledge of Japan!"

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My bad.

I guess I read the above and saw it as exactly that.

Yeah, once you posted that, I sort of figured that that was how I came off as sounding.

I was never a HUGE fan of Pocky - but I enjoyed eating it if I found myself in possession of some. What liking of it I did have was forever ruined once the otaku wave hit the US and everybody who wanted to be "cool" and "Japanese" latched onto the snack as proof of being those things.

So, it wasn't a case of my liking it because it was something nobody else knew about and I could look totally l33t by knowing about this particular Japanese snack. It was a case of my either-way feelings turning to hate once I started meeting so many people doing that very thing.

I just like Pocky cause they are yummy!

What the Hell is Pocky?

My favorite Japanese candy would be this stuff, by Meiji:

http://www.calliander.net/pictures/meiji.jpg

I think it's supposed to be yogurt flavored. It's good, but I usually eat that little-ass box like sunflower seeds. And yeah, the bubble-gum soda by Ramune with the marble you push down to open is good. However, the Ramune soda is just like the candy - gone far too soon. :(

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Originally posted by Captain Vegetable
What the Hell is Pocky?

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I think it's like a bread stick dipped in chocolate. Nothing special, if you ask me.

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Originally posted by NApOLm321
Oh Oh have any of you had those flavored water things, where instead of puting a cap on, you suck up this marble into a hole that plugs the top? oh its really hard to explain but its mighty nifty!

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A Exxon by my house sells this... took me a while to figure it out too, the bottle looked like an alien.

Pocky's alright, I had it once outside of otakon and figure that I must have been really hungry when I ate it there, because it wasnt all that and a bag of chips.

And I had some white chocolate and regular chocolate Fran, from Meiji.

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Originally posted by Kenshin Himura
A couple months ago when on vacation in Chicago, I went to the Arlington Heights location of Mitsuwa and picked up a shitload of stuff. Lots of green tea, a couple packs of Pocky (good stuff), Meiji Chocolate Macadamias (now these really rock, and the box has a nice Engrish slogan on it saying "Macadamia, called "king of nuts", is very valuable" or something such), and a few bags of rice crackers went into my basket. Calpico Water and Ueshima Coffee Co. canned green tea are very good.

Green Tea Pocky? Hmmm, I might like that.

Lately, I've bought a Joseph Schmidt chocolate truffle sampler at Borders Books. JS chocolates are joy.

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There are so many flavors of Pocky out there. Ever have Coconut or Almond Crush?

I also like Young Donuts.

I'm boring - I like Pocky...

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Originally posted by Calliander
I think it's supposed to be yogurt flavored.

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That's what the box says. ;)

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I think it's like a bread stick dipped in chocolate. Nothing special, if you ask me.

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Oh! I've had that stuff before! And now that I know what you're all talking about: there are much better sweets out there than Pocky. To say that's your favorite snack is to say grass is your favorite plant...so damned bland.

Its good for someone like me that doesn't particularly like things too sweet. I used to buy Almond, like Seven Force mentioned. I think they used caramel or something to stick the pieces to the pretzel stick.

I saw a commercial for that Ramune stuff a little while ago. They pushed the top of it or something and the liquid just burst out of the bottle. -_o

I really like the dried-out shredded squid strips. It's an acquired taste - at first, I thought they were awful but they got addictive after a while. Here in Hawaii, they sometimes sell a spicy version which is even better.

I also like easting the roasted Wasabi peas, sesame peanuts, and arare crackers. Try mixing arare with popcorn!

The "sugary" Japanese candies don't excite me any more than US candy (aside from the novel packaging, of course). I usually don't buy it for myself.

Edit - Almost forgot to mention the world's best donuts: Okinawan Andagi. I think I ate two dozen of those one night...

I like a lot of Japanese candies and snacks. The problem is I don't know what most of them are called. I just know them by the way they look. One of my favourites are these little sugar candies that look like stars.....

I had access to all kinds of Japanese foods and other goods because I grew up in a Japanese neighbourhood in New Jersey (just outside NYC). There were a lot of Japanese malls and Japanese stores. Almost every single one of my friends was Japanese as well. It's hard to find that stuff anywhere else. I miss it. :(

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Originally posted by Matt
I also like easting the roasted Wasabi peas

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I like these as well, but I prefer the regular roasted peas...Wasabi is some spicy stuff.

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Edit - Almost forgot to mention the world's best donuts: Krispy Kreme. I think I ate two dozen of those one night...

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Much better. ;)

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Originally posted by sggg
I had access to all kinds of Japanese foods and other goods because I grew up in a Japanese neighbourhood in New Jersey (just outside NYC). There were a lot of Japanese malls and Japanese stores. Almost every single one of my friends was Japanese as well. It's hard to find that stuff anywhere else. I miss it. :(

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Hmmm...I believe I may know where you're talking about. There's a Japanese market I frequent to practice my character recognition in NJ. I don't know if the surrounding town is Japanese as well, but the market definitly is. :D

I swear; the little strawbery cream Koala bears are like t3h cr4ck. Im going through the withdrawl shakes already just thinkin about it.

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Originally posted by Captain Vegetable
Hmmm...I believe I may know where you're talking about. There's a Japanese market I frequent to practice my character recognition in NJ. I don't know if the surrounding town is Japanese as well, but the market definitly is. :D

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Is it by the Hudson River? If so you might be thinking of Edgewater. They have a big Japanese mall/market there. :0

Fort Lee, the town where I grew up, has changed a lot since I moved away in the late 80s. It used to be mainly Japanese but (supposedly) now it’s mainly Korean. Most of my friends were children of Japanese businessmen. A lot of Japanese businesses sprung up to support the community. It’s a bit different now. I still have family that lives there but I have not visited in a 1-2 years.

mmm... pocky. ive only had it a few times, but goddamn that shit is good.

and while were at it...
http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2003/20030407l.gif

I's Rocky a candy also? ;)

So, now that you've all gone on and on about Japanese snacks, where can you get them? Any sites on the interweb that ship to US households? I am particularly interested in "the little strawbery cream Koala bears" that "are like t3h cr4ck."

This is the only site I go to:
www.j-list.com
They have a good variety and excellent prices. They also carry a Hello Kitty vibrator! ;)

I like Japanese beer...

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Originally posted by animegirl20
This is the only site I go to:
www.j-list.com
They have a good variety and excellent prices. They also carry a Hello Kitty vibrator! ;)

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Thanks. Do you know the name of those Koala Bear...thingys? That would be a great help. :)

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Originally posted by Rhydant
mmm... pocky. ive only had it a few times, but goddamn that shit is good.

and while were at it...
http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2003/20030407l.gif

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I swear 2:1 odds that I will leave this world this way.:lol:

I found t3h cr4ck!
www.nycjapan.com/ecommerce/snacks.htm+strawberry+koala+bears+japanese+snacks&hl=en&ie=UTF-8]Go here for endless deliciousness![/URL]

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Originally posted by Captain Vegetable
I am a Krispy Kreme fanboy!!!

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Sorry dude - Krispy Kreme is good and all, but there are plenty of better doughnuts out there. They're nothing compared to andagi or portugese malasadas!

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Originally posted by Captain Vegetable
Thanks. Do you know the name of those Koala Bear...thingys? That would be a great help. :)

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It's "koala no march". They come in other flavours too - I remember seeing grape, blueberry, and chocolate. They're pretty common, so you can probably find them locally if you look hard enough.

I don't think they're anything terribly special, but I buy them because my girlfriend likes the cute pictures stamped on them.

I thought those Koala things were just exported "Koala Yummies." Remember them?

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Originally posted by Gymkata
I found t3h cr4ck!
Go here for endless deliciousness!

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I just quoted you to fix your link. ;)

Thanks....I have no Idea what happened there. I tried to fix it a couple of times too. Oh well......cest la vie.

I'm American. I eat fries.

I'm quite fond of Crispy Pizza Pretz.

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Originally posted by Seven Force
I also like Young Donuts.

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Man, that sounds so fucking wrong.

JM

:lol:

There was this dried squid stuff my friend had once when we were playing You Don't Know Jack (this is years ago, in HS). That shit was delicious.

Japanese snacks are ok...but Korean and Chinese snacks...that's where it's at.

pocky is nice - not too rich, and not tasteless. But I wouldn't eat it all day.

I tried dried seaweed one time. Not my thing by a mile. Also had taiyaki (sp) once...gosh, I almost vomitted it back up.

Dried seaweed is fucking horrible. And I think the dried squid was Chinese, now that I think about it...

I remember these old bootleg Dragon Ball Z episodes I used to watch in HS had commercials for Pocky and shit. Hilarious, retarded commercials.

let me add wasabi peas :)... mmmm....

Yeah I like those Chinese and Korean snacks too. I was in a great Japanese class... we would always get snacks. I loved that seaweed stuff (garlic flavored, I think). There was also something that reminded me of corn nuts, some gel-like drink with a guy who looks like a guy from Gundam Wing, and something that seemed like a Rice Krispies square...

Surprisingly, Pocky was nowhere to be found. I didn't really know about it until recently.

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Originally posted by JM
Man, that sounds so fucking wrong.

JM

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No...seriously.:sweat:

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Originally posted by Seven Force
Miyata's Young Donuts, made with pure cream

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And we thought it was disturbing before you posted that pic :blank:

It looks like a package of curly poo. :wtf:

Shredded squid (or cuttlefish) rocks the house. I love it. My girlfriend can't stand my breath after I have some though (and vice versa :p). Kasugai gummies are pretty good, too. They have some interesting flavors (lychee!), and I like their texture. White Rabbit candies are pretty good. They're not too sweet, so I can eat a lot of them. ^^; Sometimes I like arare (with and without nori) snacks, but usually they leave my mouth too salty. I don't love Pocky, but I'll eat it if it's around. Wasabi peas are pretty good, too.

And while these next snacks aren't Japanese (more Chinese, probably), they're still good: The lychees in jelly (which are banned in the US now) are sooo good, especially frozen. I've also had these thin ginger cookies with icing on them that are excellent.

I really need to try lamune sometime. I wonder if there's any at the local international store (my source for all kinds of goodies).

Mmmm, dried cuttlefish snacks. I love those but my boyfriend (not a fan of the seafood products anyway), let's say his face could double for a face that just smelled hot donkey @ss. Same thing goes for when I eat Shrimp Chips... But I'm surprised that noone posted a hard candy called,"Flower's Kiss Candy." (not made from flowers) They're peach-flavored, with a flower imprint on top. After being in your mouth they break off into little peach-flavored petals. Also, Hi-Chews (I think they're Korean) are really good, too! They come in Peach, Blood Orange, Grape, Cherry, and one more (I forget). They're a better-tasting Asian equivalent of Starburst. Try it out!

I eat the Hi-Chews all the time! Cherry is my favorite. Melty Kiss white chocolate is yummy too!

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originaly posted by Yoshi

I'm American. I eat fries.

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Don't you mean freedom fries?

Anyways, where do you get these japanese sanks. I've gotten some when I was in Hawaii and loved it, but I don't think I could find any here.

I posted a link earlier:
www.j-list.com

Pocky owns you all!