Morinaga Healthy Snacking Squishy Lemon Gummies

Another Morinaga snack in this box! Everything they've made has been excellent so far like Hi-Chews so this will likely be no different. Though it is supposed to be healthy this time, so maybe it'll be a little less good... or even better due to being healthy.. These gummies are supposed to create a sense of being full with fiber and protein, and I am truly the test case for this as I'm never full... so if it works on me it should be golden!

At first glance and sniff, these gummies remind me of lemon bars. They're not purely the squishy clear lemon juice based gummies I've seen before but they have some bread or egg type element in them which makes sense given that they have protein and fiber. The smell is exactly like a lemon bar too. I get some egg in there and some of a shortbread smell.

The texture is slightly chewy but not as hard to chew as some other gummies. Just enough to be satisfying but not so much as to be difficult. And the taste still reminds me of a lemon bar. It's nice and pleasant, strikes a good balance of being light but fulfilling at the same time. Though I wish all the flavors had some more "oomph" to them. They're nice but they don't really pop. I'd get more out of eating a lemon bar than this, which is fair because this is healthier. But I would like just a little more lemon flavor. It also feels very "dry", I get very thirsty eating this, where some of the other gummies feel very juicy as they dissolve in my mouth. All that aside though, this is a really nice and unique flavor, and healthy to boot! A nice midday snack.

Rating: 7 - Aroof!

Baby Bear Gummies

Gummy bears finally make their way into my grasp! For a while I'd think these aren't a thing in Japan, but they copy American snacks like the best of them. I do remember Haribo being mentioned in a manga, so clearly they have a presence in Japan. The question is whether they've elevated these to a whole level of flavor... they've at least elevated the cuteness level, that baby bear is so adorable!

There aren't many in here unfortunately (this is the whole package), but what's in here smells quite delightful. The sweetness makes its way all the way over to my nose from the package, and I can make out the individual flavors of strawberry, lemon, and orange quite clearly.

They're very chewy which is surprising, although actually a little less chewy than those. Nevertheless, the flavor lasts a long time and it's quite wonderful! The strawberry pops with so much vibrance and sweetness. It's really powerful for a tiny little gummy. The orange is very sweet and tangy and actually pretty natural tasting. And lastly, the lemon is a little sour and has a really nice, albeit artificial flavor. Why did this snack have to be the one with only 5 gummies, they're so good! I'll see if I can find a big bag of these, but for now these are bear-ly enough. Heh heh...

Rating: 9 - Arooooo!

Meigum Puchi Puchi Sherbet

Many of the DIY kits I've gotten outside of the Kracie ones have been very simplistic and nothing groundbreaking (but still very fun and delicious). This one from Meiji looks to buck that trend as there is a lot going on here. It seems to have three molds, all with different textures and colors, and some spherification action going on! Haven't seen that since the sushi kit. I'm not really sure how this is considered sherbet, considering it doesn't resemble the ice cream style dish at all, but no worries. Going to be a lot of fun either way!

About the number of components expected here lies inside. Three bags for the different layers, along with the animal molds and square containers. More animal molds than I thought - there's a snail, cat, pig, panda, owl, and turtle. How exciting! Also the only tool included is a dropper which is good for the spheres but could be trouble for everything else.

Kracie Popin Cookin Bento

Alas, this is the final Kracie product that I ordered from a box on the internet... for now. I'm sure there will be more, but for now it's been a fun journey, wading through all the powders, generic fruit flavored chewy candy, triangle cups, weird utensils, bags, molds... they've really made something special with all of these, where anyone can play with their food and eat it too. And speaking of playing with your food, I've always had an appreciation for bento. It shares a lot of the same concepts, so in a way this is a meta-DIY kit of sorta, and even has some of the cuteness that bento is known for with that panda face!

This one, as expected from the large number of items on the picture, is quite heavy in components: a whopping 7 packets, a bag, fork, lots of molds, and some guides. Unfortunately the bowl shown on the box is looking a little flat and that doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

Pokemon DIY Candy Kit

Who doesn't love Pokemon? I'll admit I was a little jealous when I saw that this was included in the February Japan Crate, so when I spotted it at a Japanese market I had to nab it for myself. I love how prevalent Pokemon themed products are in Japan, and considering how popular the series is in the US too, I have to wonder why we don't get more of them? Regardless, this seems to be a simpler DIY, consisting of a mold and some soft candy, though it could still be just as fun and tasty.

Pocky Colorful Shower, Lemon

First time I've reviewed a Pocky on here, huh? This snack seems to be a staple of the Japanese section in most grocery stores, and for a good reason, with it's fun name and unique stick presentation and tons of flavors. Having had some in the past, I think they're okay, with just a few qualms, mainly that the flavor doesn't go all the way down the stick (there's a filled one called Pejoy which fixes this issue), and some of the flavors themselves aren't as strong as I would like them to be. But this Colorful Shower Pocky seems to be a special one, with colorful sprinkles running down the icing. And a lemon flavor! I love lemon bars so it could be very promising.

November Japan Crate Odds and Ends

Aruff! Hi everyone, this is my first blog post so thank you all for reading as I begin this journey. I have quite the appetite, especially for new and out there stuff, and like any good boy I want to share all my food adventures with you.

But before we begin I'd be amiss if I didn't talk about the Japan Crate that just arrived a few weeks ago, and that would be my first Japanese candy box, the November Japan Crate. I started off getting a three month subscription and we'll see where things go for there. I'm all for whatever gets me the yummiest snacks at the best value.

Now since I've already scarfed up most of the snacks in here I won't do a full review for everything, but I'll give mini reviews for ones that I ate long ago.

Kagikko Chocolate Key - This one's pretty self explanatory - it's a bunch of chocolates arranged in a key shape. Why? I have no idea. It seems there are a bunch of these out there all in different shapes. The candies themselves tasted exactly like M&Ms, maybe a bit smaller. I ate them almost immediately because nobody eats just one M&M. Cool idea to arrange them in a shape I guess, but I wish the candy itself was more unique?

Rating: 3 - Rrr

Rilakkuma Gum - Okay first of all this packaging is ADORABLE! I love how cute Japanese packaging can be and this one certainly made me whimper in adoration. The gum itself surprisingly had a ridge shape to it, but once in my mouth it behaved like any other gum. It had a nice cola flavor which at first was pretty strong then it lost flavor quickly, which is kind of sad. I suppose I'm used to Extra.

Rating: 4 - Boof!