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Popcorn in all sorts of flavors is apparently the snack of choice at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. I couldn't believe how long people were willing to wait in line to get their souvenir buckets loaded up with regular, curry, caramel, or honey popcorn! And I thought that popcorn at the movies was expensive...

I wish I could claim credit for such a cute creation! I got it at a Trandor bakery in Nagasaki. It had soft bread on the inside, with no filling. It was actually pretty good and not too sweet.

Happy Holidays everyone!! Only the Japanese can make a snowman pastry so cute! Sorry he's a little blurry.

Looks like it just might be tasty, right??? I thought so too and was horrified to taste it and realize that I used salt instead of sugar. I tried to salvage it and cooked it with just water, replacing the water several times, but it was a futile effort. The whole pot ended up in the garbage.

I really love oinari-san and am always happy to pick some up when they go on sale in the evenings. Here is a particularly fancy pack that I picked up at Isetan. I loved the variety and they were all delicious!

This was one of the items in an oden surprise bag that I bought from a kamaboko shop. I know that this (wasabizuke) is more of a "dressing" than the more traditional tsukemono, but how do all of you eat this stuff? I just ate a little bit along with my rice. There isn't much time to eat it before the expiration date arrives and it was impossible for me to get through half of it before it expired. I hate throwing food away.

I tried this back in the summertime, while enjoying hanabi. It tasted just like a Japanese yogurt drink, with a kick. It was almost a little bit too easy to drink... Yogurt lovers should give it a try!

My small office had a mini Christmas party, put together very spur of the moment. This is what we had to offer! Both of the cakes were purchased at Isetan in Shinjuku (which, incidentally has been recently renovated and looks great!). The chocolate cake was from Antenor and the white cake was from Clover. They were about ¥3500 each. That explains why champagne is missing and the accompaniments look very unluxurious in comparison! I love Christmas cake!! p.s. that mess back there isn't mine!

Ever since Marcia posted these egg molds, I have been on a quest to find them. I've looked everywhere and I haven't been able to find any as cute. In the blog called "Lunch in a Box", she suggested using ice cream sandwich molds as egg molds, which seems to work really well for her. In case anybody is also looking for egg molds, the molds that she uses are currently on clearance at Williams-Sonoma for $6.99, down from $9.99. I like the star-shaped one the most! Paying the $5.50 for shipping isn't really worth it, but if you have other things to buy as well, it might be a nice addition to your cart. Lunch in a Box Williams-Sonoma ice cream molds

Wow, I'm amazed that you've never bought a magazine in Japan. I can't seem to escape from a bookstore without buying a magazine or a cookbook!! Getting all of them back home will be a challenge. I also really enjoy the "slow-life" magazines, with ukatama being my favorite. The most recent issue is featuring beans and there are a lot of nice recipes with pictures of an idyllic life in the countryside somewhere! ukatama homepage

I wanted to bring some to the States as omiyage, but after checking out a grand total of 7 convenience stores, I came out empty handed! The drink has been a big hit, I suppose!!

What a coincidence that my co-worker showed up with a bottle soon after I read the original post! It's a really cool color and generated a lot of "sugoi!!"s and curiosity in the office. I thought that it tasted more like melon flavored candy than cucumber and it was a lot sweeter than I expected. It tastes more like syrup than a refreshing cucumber water beverage, but I think that I will drink it again. If anyone has ever smelled Bath & Body Work's Cucumber Melon line of products, the smell of this soda will be familiar. I'm definitely planning to bring some back home for my friends to try.

I'm so glad that I woke up a little early and managed to check my e-mail! I just saw the segment and loved it! Your children are all so cute and she did a great job.

I can't believe that I bought Pepsi just so that I could get one of those magnets! I stopped drinking soda when I moved here because there are just too many tasty tea drinks, but alas, I fell into the marketing trap. After I saw Torakris's post, I went looking everywhere for the Pepsi bottles with the magnets and finally found them after looking in several different stores. I got the same type as Torakris's blue one, but in red. Getting free little trinkets with your drinks is pretty fun!

You could tell the location from the pictures? Wow, I'm impressed! Yes, you're right--just outside of Yotsuya station, to be exact. Actually, I had to check the internet to see if where I was is indeed called "Sotobori Koen"!! After yesterday's storm, I think that the sakura season in Tokyo is officially over. Please post pictures when sakura appear in your area!