Nightly Munchies - October 2023
It’s time for you to stack on Halloween snacks for your Horror movie nights! We’ve got it all: spicy wasabi, ramen in a deep black-colored broth, candies that’ll turn your tongue red and more! Discover our Spookylicious Halloween Snack Box!
Zenkoku Men-Meguri Toyama Black Ramen from Sugakiya
Allergens: egg, dairy, wheat, sesame, soy, chicken, pork Cooking time: 5 minutes Flavor: Shoyu Ramen The "National Noodle Tour" series allows you to easily enjoy the local tastes from all over Japan in a convenient cup noodle format. We sourced this original Toyama Black Ramen (富山ブラックラーメン), from the near the Sea of Japan, famous for their deep black soy sauce ramen. 🍜 The broth is a blend of the black soy sauce with fish stock and chicken stock. It has a variety of toppings that go with it, and a side rice pairs perfectly to balance the saltiness. Adding an egg on top makes the soup more mild. The noodles are chewy, with a sharp flavored broth and lots of black pepper! It’s quite spicy, so if you don’t like it, add some dairy to it or have a glass of milk on the side! 🌶️ How to prepare your ramen: 1. Remove half of the lid and take out three bags. 2, Open the seasoning and powder soup over the noodles, pour boiling water up to the indicated line, cover, and place the liquid soup on top of the lid to warm. 3, After 5 minutes, loosen the noodles well, add the liquid soup, stir well, and enjoy.
GAARIANS from Sangaria
Flavor: Mystery (Fruity…?) It’s still hot here in Japan, and a really cold carbonated drink is always welcome for a refreshing experience. Sangaria (サンガリア) released this limited edition GAARIANS drink recently, and when we tried it, we loved it! It’s got a fruity punch, satisfying carbonation, and is caffeine free: perfect if you’re trying to cut down on that! But on top of that, its dark color makes it hard to tell what it actually is. You could also use it to trick someone into drinking it for Halloween… 🎃 Also, can you guess where the name comes from?
Kara-Musubi Kuro from Calbee
Allergens: wheat, soy Processed in a facility that also processes egg, dairy, shrimp, and crab Flavor: Wasabi Crunchy and spicy, that’s all we want from this delicious Wasabi-flavored treat. Calbee (カルビー) came out with those just in time for the spookiest season of the year and developed a unique texture for the occasion! This is the type of snack that is unfamiliar at first, but becomes more irresistible for every bite you take. The spiciness comes from a combination of nori and wasabi, mixed together in this omusubi-shaped snack (おむすび). It’s perfect for Halloween not just in color, but a fun surprise taste for candy collectors, if you are generous enough to share of course.
Harvest Sweet Potato from Tohato
Allergens: dairy, wheat, soy Processed in a facility that also processes egg, peanuts, shrimp, and crab Flavor: Sweet Potato Finally some Harvest biscuits! And this Sweet Potato one is perfect for the season. With freshly harvested sweet potatoes, those biscuits are thin, crispy and light. 🍠 The Harvest biscuit is a nostalgic brand all Japanese grew up enjoying, so we're excited to let you in on the tradition, however this Sweet Potato flavor one is a limited edition for the fall months. Combined with fresh cream made in Hokkaido, it has a smooth sweet potato flavor that just lingers on when you munch on them! The perfect Fall biscuit 🍂
Kuro Warabi Mochi from Nakajima Taishodo
Allergens: soy Processed in a facility that also processes wheat, egg, and dairy Flavor: Black Sugar We love some Warabi Mochi (わらび餅), a Japanese wagashi traditionally made from warabiko (bracken starch) and covered or dipped in kinako. All warabimochi is not created equally! While it’s originally made from warabiko, nowadays only the best quality ones use it due to how challenging it is to harvest compared to alternatives. Now we know what you want to hear; Yes, this one is made with the real deal! 🍡💛 Not luxurious enough for you? It’s flavored with the legendary black sugar from Okinawa. It’s known as Kokutou (黒糖) in Japan, though you may have seen it described as brown sugar as well.🌟 This one is one of our favorite items of the box!
Shittori Nameraka Otona no Baum Cocoa from FLEUR
Allergens: egg, dairy, wheat, soy Flavor: Cocoa Did you know that Japan has a Baumkuchen day (バウムクーヘンの日)? Yes, it’s March 4th. It’s big here, like, really big. And this all started with a German baker who moved to Kobe, many years ago. Juchheim (ユーハイム) brought this traditional cake here, and the Japanese loved it! So much so that you can now find dedicated shops all over the country that come up with new original recipes every year. For you, we went to FLEUR, a renowned producer that, amongst other variations, offers this delicious Shittori Nameraka Onona no Baum Cocoa (しっとりなめらかおとなのばうむ ココア). It’s a long name, but all you need to remember is that it’s moist, smooth, and fragrant.💞
Pizza Potato from Calbee
Allergens: dairy, wheat, beef, soy, chicken, pork, apple, gelatin Processed in a facility that also processes egg, shrimp, and crab Flavor: Pizza A satisfying thick-sliced potato chips with melty cheese and spicy pizza sauce. What more can you ask for? Calbee never disappoints with their classic chip recipe. You might ask; how can chips taste like Pizza? Would it not be more descriptive to call it Cheese flavor? Tomato flavor? Oregano flavor? No, the flavor is absolutely a complete pizza flavor. 🍕 Calbee is based in Hokkaido and is known for their top quality potatoes, so you’re in for a crispy pizza experience rivaling Italy & New York.
Kata-Age Petit Black Pepper from Calbee
Allergens: wheat, soy, pork Processed in a facility that also processes egg, dairy, shrimp, and crab Flavor: Black Pepper Kata (堅) means hard. And those chips are certainly one level of crunchiness above most we’ve seen in Japan. These extra thick kettle chips have a refreshing spice owed to its pepper taste. In a small yet convenient package, those black pepper-flavored (ブラックペッパー) potato chips allow you to enjoy the flavor of potatoes the more you chew.🍟
Fukkoku-ban Sauce Senbei from Yaokin
Allergens: wheat, dairy, apple Processed in a facility that also processes egg, peanuts, soy, shrimp, cashew nuts, sesame, gelatin, orange, mountain yam, banana, walnut, peach, kiwifruit Flavor: Sauce The nights are getting longer, the sky shrouded in mystery, behind the clouds, a large white object is appearing! Is it the moon? A UFO? No, it’s a rice cracker from Yaokin! Rice crackers made with plenty of flour, milk, and with a special sauce. Can you guess what’s inside? We’ll give you a hint, it has a distinct taste reminiscent of certain foods Osaka is well known for. A similar type of rice cracker is often seen in Japanese summer festival stands, served with a fried egg on top and delicious okonomiyaki-style sauce. Perhaps you’d like to make this yourself? 🍳
Mugi-Pom Milk Coffee flavor from Yaokin
Allergens: wheat, dairy, soy Flavor: Milk Coffee This one is another one of the team’s favorites. It’s like having a crunchy latte in your pocket. They are fragrant barley balls and every single one of them is packed with milk coffee flavor (ミルクコーヒー味)! Best enjoyed on the road ☕ Alternatively, it can of course be added to your cereal or eaten as cereal by itself. It has a crispy exterior yet quickly softens, making it a great fit for certain cake or donut decorations for the more crafty snacker. Let’s also not forget to comment on the super clever package design, looking like a can similar to the coffee cans you see in Japanese vending machines 🥫
Texas Corn Yakiniku flavor from Matsuyama Seika
Allergens: wheat, soy, pork, chicken Processed in a facility that also processes egg, dairy, shrimp, and crab Flavor: Yakiniku (Grilled beef) Matsuyama Seika (松山製菓) is famous for their Texas Corn series: delicious corn-based snacks. This release comes with a Teppan-grade yakiniku flavor (焼肉味).🍖 Teppanyaki means that the meat has been grilled on an iron griddle, a technique that developed after World War II. It’s now popular worldwide, and not rare to find Teppanyaki restaurants here and there outside of Japan. For this treat, they’ve reproduced that exact same flavor and packaged it into their classic Texas Corn (テキサスコーン). These puffs are crunchy and easy to eat that you can easily share with children, yet the flavor is sophisticated and exciting for adults. It’s perfect.✨
Yaokin Twins
Umai Dama Choco Calchou from Yaokin Allergens: wheat, dairy, egg, soy Flavor: Chocolate If you’re familiar with the Dragonball series, you may be familiar with the main character Son-Goku’s special move, the “Genki-Dama” or Spirit bomb. Genki actually means spirit as in having high spirits or being energized, while dama means ball. While the little Umai Dama will not disintegrate your enemies like in the popular manga, it will energize you! 💥 Choco cream is filled into the fragrant baked choux pastry.🍫 It's a dish with a light texture that will make you wish you had a second ZenPop box on the way! Premium Umaibo Wafu Steak flavor from Yaokin Allergens: wheat, dairy, soy, beef, pork, chicken, gelatin, apple Processed in a facility that also processes egg and shrimp Flavor: Japanese Steak We’ve had plenty of Umaibo (うまい棒) for you over the years, but this time, we’re not talking any ordinary umaibo. This is the coveted, mystical, snack you keep in a special umaibo case (yes that exists), the premium umaibo!✨ This one has Wagyu flavor (和風). Together with a lingering wasabi flavor, it’s a real treat. Wagyu is of course Japan's premium steak, a fitting flavor for the premium king of umaibo.
Small Treats
DraQla no Moto Gum from Marukawa Seika Flavor: Cola A Halloween special: DraQla no Motto (ドラQラのもと) gum is perfect for those of you that want to color your tongue red and scare off some trick or treaters!😈 Or worse, give them the shocking surprise of seeing their tongue change colors unexpectedly! Luckily this horrific gum is not blood, but cola flavored, thank you to all our vampire subscribers for your understanding 🙇♂️ Sour Cola Gummy from Yaokin Allergens: gelatin Flavor: Cola SUUUPER! It’s a bottle shaped like a bottle, reminiscent of a big flask of Cola. 🍹 The secret to its popularity is its clean and refreshing taste, and you can experience its balanced chewiness first hand, right here and now. While it has no carbonation, the sour coating makes up for the fizz, and the taste itself gives Coke a run for their money. Mini Jelly Budou from Kinjo Processed in a facility that also processes wheat, egg, dairy, orange, sesame, soy, peach, and apple Flavor: Grape At the end of Summer starts the grape (葡萄) picking season in Japan. Many farmers invite people to help out in exchange for some delicious free grapes!🍇 To match the seasonal flavors, we got you a bite-sized mini-cup jelly that has plenty of grape aromas. You even get 2 packs to share the joy, just like the farmers share the joy of grapes with city people who need a bit of nature in their life. Share yours with someone who needs a bit of Japan in their life! Kuro Touchi from Kinsen Allergens: soy Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts Flavor: Black Sugar This one’s a real gem.💎 A traditionally made treat from Kinsen (金扇) made from traditional Okinawa Brown Sugar, Kokuto (黒豆), melted around crunchy soybeans. In this round and elevated candy, you get two of the most traditional and coveted ingredients of Japanese cuisine in one wrapped gem. Take this one out the next time you need a peaceful sensation of Japan in your taste buds. 🗾✨
Edo Maki from Yoshimura Kanro Dou
Allergens: wheat, soy Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts and shrimp Flavor: Shoyu A delicious rice cracker that combines crispy rice crackers with crisp seaweed. There’s something special in the way the seaweed gently folds in the crumbs of crackers, as you violently chow down on the hard texture that gives way to your teeth in an almost polite way. Made with domestically produced mochi rice, expect that studio ghibli feeling as you experience the sensation that is this soy savory sensation. 🍘
Pandaro from Yaokin
Allergens: wheat, soy, egg, dairy Flavor: Butter Cookie Pandaro from Yaokin is one of Japan’s all-time classic cookies. 🐼 We’ve written about it extensively on the blog for more information. Here’s the short version: they are cute panda-shaped cookies, with a lot of different designs, they are crispy, buttery and tasty. That’s all you need to know. Take a bite! 🍪
