Japan Without Sushi - Part 8

On Stamps

I read somewhere before the trip about this and brought a small notebook along with me wherever we went. Managed to collect some unique stamps, most of them were cute and worth seeking for. JR Train stations usually have one. For big stations like Tokyo and Osaka, asking for direction was a must, otherwise we could spend hours looking for it. For really small stations, we also had to ask at the control station, as they usually keep the stamp with them. For medium-sized stations, the stamping stations could be placed anywhere - usually outside the entry/exit gates. Tourist attraction places have their own stamps, too, sometimes in more than one design.

On Tidbits

KitKat is a perfect souvenir for everyone - it's uniquely Japan, affordable and comes in small packages. Their various flavors are interesting too. But, finding them was not an easy feat. In supermarkets, usually only the standard flavors were available - original, and sometimes the dark chocolate and green tea - all of which are available in Singapore.

A souvenir shop in Fujikawaguchiko had wasabi, toast-able cheesecake and apple flavors. Thinking there would be other chances, I only bought a packet, and then realized that it's not freely available anywhere. After scouring through some aisles in various shops to no avail, I googled it and found out that they are usually sold in drug stores/pharmacies in Tokyo Narita airport.

So, presenting my KitKat collection: rum & raisin, toast-able cheesecake, strawberry, sakura matcha, Hokkaido red bean, and Yokohama cheesecake.

Have a break, have a KitKat, Jaga Pokkuru and Osaka Banana!

The toast-able kitkat was finger-licking good! I baked it for about 4 mins, watching it like a hawk - first it melted, then slowly it turned golden brown. The final product was warm, crunchy and sweet.

In Narita, there were long queues in snack shops. Common items in their shopping baskets: Tokyo Banana and Jaga Pokkuru fries.

I felt there was nothing special about Tokyo Banana. So I bought Osaka banana instead :p Their shapes were different but both resembled bananas and smelt and tasted like bananas.

I had not heard about Jaga Pokkoru until this trip, and decided to buy a few boxes home (JPY 800/box). They even limited the number of boxes each customer could buy - up to 5. Perhaps it's part of the marketing ploy. One box contains 10 small bags of fries. It tasted just like fries, just less fresh. Each stick was crunchy and crispy. Nice, but it doesn't warrant the hefty price it's sold at in Singapore. The taste is similar to Jagabee's fries - also a Calbee product sold in Singapore, but Jaga Pokkoru is more crunchy and less salty.