unique japanese food

I'm getting a mild headache from trying to get started on my thesis. Or maybe it's just the off-balanced schedule that I'm having now. Since we're done with classes, there is no reason to wake up early. Many of the SD1 people are practically having lunch at 3pm and dinner at 9pm! And I thought it was just me... :D

Anyways, since I've gotten the outline and abstract laid out, I thought of doing this long overdue post which I've always wanted to write - Japanese food. Well, not the traditional sort which one would expect; like soba, ramen, tenpura, sushi, fugu and all those. I'm talking about Japanese version of Pringles or their own chocolates.

One thing I've always found fascinating is their love for packaging. Even the most humble Japanese せんべ（煎餅）rice cracker gets to have its own matt packaging with designs and all that. You can imagine then that luxurious brands such as Mary's get even more elaborate.


This was one of the first purchases I made at the Niigata University Co-op back when I first arrived in April last year. They regularly have cheap items for about Y100, so I would try out different stuff everytime we have a break between classes. Sometimes it would be crackers or biscuits, other times it would be buns and other titbits. For sanity sake, I had to assume that Y100 is like our RM1.


These cute little cup-sized jams was another one of my regular purchases at Uoroku, the nearest supermarket which was within walking distance from where I stayed in Niigata. They have the Y99-day where items such as fishes, meats, vege and a variety of items go on sale for only 99Yen. For that price, the quality is not bad la.


I've always had Milo everyday since I was young. Milo for breakfast, and sometimes Milo for supper too. I think I'll die without Milo. In fact Milo should pay me to be their spokeswoman! Anyways, I find it really strange that they don't stock Milo and milk like how they do in Malaysia. I keep wondering what Japanese schoolchildren drink. This was my Milo substitute when I couldn't find any Milo in the local Uoroku. So much so that I had to ask my Mama to send me packets of Milo over - I'm serious! For about 270g of cocoa powder, I have to pay about Y300 which really is quite expensive considering it only lasts me for a few weeks.


I'm a food fan, so I always relish in trying something new. Coming to Japan only fuelled that obsession interest. This was the first time I saw squeezable butter, I knew I had to take a picture of it, along with the bread for scale. BTW, Meiji is one of the top food brands in Japan. I've seen hard butter, soft butter, margarine, ghee, lard, butter from airplanes, etc but not squeezable butter like this. Of course, it's more expensive than regular tub butter, but no choice since that time I hadn't bought any utensils, so this would have to do.