Tohato Caramel Corn

Tohato Caramel Corn Snacks are basically cheese puffs that aren't cheese flavored.  These corn snacks come in a variety of flavors with the original being Caramel Corn.  Just imagine corn puff shaped caramel covered popcorn...mmm...

• Texture: If you get your hands on a fresh bag, then the corn puffs are always light, airy, and crispy.  The outside is coated with a crunchy caramelized coating of sugar which provides a nice contrasting crunch to the softer corn grit insides. Afterwards, the snack quickly disintegrates and melts in your mouth.  A perfect light afternoon snack. Rating: 10 out of 10.


• Flavor: Very yummy flavors including Caramel Corn, Chocolate, Matcha (green tea), Mango Pudding, Strawberry, Vanilla Ice, Chestnut, Honey Roasted Nuts, Almond, and other flavors. Surprisingly, all of the flavors are quite pleasing and none of them taste like disgusting artificial flavors.  Also there's no funky corn grits aftertaste. Rating: 10 out of 10.


• Packaging: Tohato Caramel Corn come in short brightly colored bags with a cute face in the middle.  There are also special  bags designed for holidays like boy's festival and christmas. For some reason I can't explain, the packages remind me of an owl... Rating: 10 out of 10.


• Availability: This is a very common snack and can be found at almost all Asian grocery stores. Rating: 8 out of 10.


• Origins: 100% made in Japan! Rating: 10 out of 10.

Technorati Tags: snacks, tohato, japanese, caramel corn, junk food, asian

Kasugai Flower's Kiss Candy

Kasugai Flower's Kiss Candies come individually sealed in pretty pastel colored wrappers. The packaging claims that they make your breath smell as fresh as a flower so you can kiss.

• Texture: Flower's Kiss is a round hard candy that's a little bit bigger than Starburst hard candies. Be careful not to cut or puncture your mouth on the shards if you bite down on the candy. Rating: 5 out of 10.


• Flavor: The packaging says that plum flavoring is used. I found that it tasted like a cross between apricot and peach. The candies are not too sweet and a bit tart. They remind me of jolly ranchers. All the candies are the same flavor regardless of what color wrapper it has. Rating: 8 out of 10.


• Packaging: The wrappers are very pretty and the product seems to be targetted more towards female buyers. Flower's Kiss Candy wrappers come in pearlescent blue, pink, and yellow. Each wrapper has a picture of a different type of flower on it. There are 19 in total, try to collect them all! Each bag contains approximately 27 pieces of candy. Rating: 10 out of 10.


• Availability: This is a very common candy and can be found at almost all Asian grocery stores. Rating: 8 out of 10.


• Origins: 100% made in Japan! Rating: 10 out of 10.

Technorati: Candy, Fruit, Junk food, Japanese, Sweet, Snacks, Kasugai

Kasugai Gummy Candies

Kasugai gummy candies are one of my favorite things in the world.  These gummies come in a variety of flavors. The gummies are individually wrapped and they are all made in Japan. The are 9 flavors in total.

• Apple
• Grape (Red Grape)
• Kiwi
• Lychee
• Melon
• Muscat (Green Grape)
• Pineapple
• Peach
  
• Strawberry
• Orange
  
• Prune
• Blueberry
• There is also a multiflavor pack available.
  
  

• Texture: Kasugai gummies are always soft and chewy. If they are kept in their individually wrapped packages, they will never be tough or hard. The gummies are very squishy and each bite fills your mouth with a yummy fruit flavor. Rating: 10 out of 10.
• Flavor: I can honestly say that I love all the flavors, even though I hate eating real lychees and grapes. The candies are so fragrant that eating one in a small room will fill the room with the scent of fruit! As with most
  Asian candies, they are not too sweet and leave your mouth feeling refreshed. The flavors do not taste fake or artificial and the sensation of biting into one is like biting into the most ripe and delicious fruit whose flavor
  is so concentrated that it leaves you with a heady sensation. Rating: 10 out of 10.
• Packaging: The backgrounds of the bags are all closeup pictures of fruit. They can be a bit difficult to find if you don't read Japanese, but they all have Kasugai written in the top left hand corner of the bag. If it says Kasugai and the contents are squishy, then you've found it. Each gummy is beautifully wrapped and cushioned with a bit of air. Rating: 8 out of 10.
  
• Availability: While they are available in most Asian grocery stores, the variety of flavors usually leaves a lot to be desired. Your safest bet is to buy them from a Japanese grocery store where there will be the largest selection. As far as I know, these candies are not available in normal supermarkets.
• Origins: 100% made in Japan so these snacks are safe to eat. Rating: 10 out of 10.

Technorati:
Candy, Fruit, Junk food, Japanese, Sweet, Snacks, Kasugai