White Gyoza

Restaurant Name : White Gyoza

Location : Kashiwa, Chiba

Item(s) Purchased : Fried Gyoza & Boiled Gyoza

Purchased Price : 420 Yen (10 Pieces)

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Purchase Location : Lawson Store 100

Purchased Price : 105 Yen

Kcal : 100 (15g)

Maker : Kewpie

Kewpie Mayonnaise (Kyuupii in Japanese) is just as about as famous as a brand can get. I would be surprised to find any supermarket in Japan that didn’t carry this legendary mayo.

Mayonnaise in Japan has a unique taste. I have heard many Japanese people who have lived overseas say that Japanese mayonnaise is the best. Actually, I would have to agree. 

On Wikipedia’s mayonnaise entry page there is a good section about Japanese mayonnaise with several Japanese mayo facts I wasn’t aware of.

The bottle pictured above is rather small at 130g. 

Dorayaki - Usagiya

Purchase Location : Usagiya (Ueno, Tokyo)

Purchased Price : 180 Yen

Kcal : Unknown

Maker : Usagiya

Dorayaki is a type of wagashi, which is a traditional Japanese confectionary. It is basically two mini pancakes with sweet red bean paste inside the center. It is very popular and is also the favorite food of the fictional anime character Doremon.

This particular dorayaki is consider by some to be the best in Japan. Personally with my limited experience of eating dorayaki I really can not judge if it is the best. However, of all the ones I have eaten, I can say this one is the best.

This famous wagashi shop is located in the Ueno section of Tokyo. The address is 1-10-10 Ueno, Taito-Ku and a map (Japanese) can be found at this link.

Okayu - Rice Porridge

Purchase Location : Life Supermarket 

Purchased Price : 128 Yen

Kcal : 102 (250g)

Maker : Hikari Shokuhin

When your stomach hurts, or you have a cold, many Japanese people will suggest eating okayu.

Okayu is a type of rice porridge. It can be made in most rice cookers and can also be purchased at most supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan.

There are different pre-made flavors of okayu such as ume, salmon and egg. The one pictured above is shirogayu (plain.)

Wasabi Ochazuke

Purchase Location : Lawson Store 100

Price : 105 Yen

Kcal : 12 (per packet)

Maker : Nagatanien

Ochazuke is a very Japanese dish. In the most basic form, ochazuke is just hot tea poured over rice. It is more common though to included other topping items such as seaweed, salmon flakes, ume, etc.  

I usually eat ochazuke for breakfast, however I was informed that it isn’t necessarily a breakfast dish. It can be eaten at any meal, and many times at the end of the meal. Also, it is not uncommon to eat ochazuke when you have a bad cold, or even after a drinking party.

My personal favorite ochazuke flavor is the one above, wasabi. The spiciness of the wasabi gives it a little bit of a kick. The brand of wasabi ochazuke pictured above is a little hard to find. It’s good to know the local 100 yen shop carries it.