Number 21: Mount Fuji Strawberry Mellonpan

Recently a new food court has been built in Ueno near the park between the Kaisei and JR lines. Being my favorite spot in Tokyo, I often visit and was happy to find a great little bread store next to Lotteria.

I bought a few items, but the first I tried was this wonderfull Mount Fuji shaped strawberry melonpan.

The cookie crust is rich with strawberry flavour, but topped nicely with white chocolate.
Unfortunately white chocolate in Japan is not so good and a little bit sickly, but this was thin enough to add only delight to presentation and taste.

Deeper into the core, one will find that which makes any standard melonpan into a great melonpan....a sweet strawberry cream filling.

It must be said though, that most of the shape is hollow. But this is in no way a problem. This melonpan is satisfying exactly as it is.

Every bite was a delight.

Number 20: Raspberry Kit-Kat

With so many flavors of kit-Kat to chose from, it can be easy to miss some of the simpler tastes. While the UK has only a few basic kit-Kat flavors, around the world there are hundreds.

Recently I found a flavor I think most Brits would welcome: Raspberry.

I have to say that the first taste was actually better than the second. This kit-Kat has the unusual property of getting worse the more you eat it; a direct opposite of the cheese kit-kats from last year.

While the raspberry taste isn't too bad, it quickly takes on a slightly chemical nuance and somewhat spoils that first hit.

But, only slightly. This won't stop me from buying a few more packs before they go out of season. If you get a chance, try them. They are pretty good.

Number 19: Maccha Milk Jam

If there's one food that fights against melonpan for top place on my taste buds It's Maccha. Maccha is powdered green tea and quite bitter as a drink. But, mix it up a little with milk, chocolate, bread, cream or anything else you can think of, and it instantly becomes delicious.

From St.Cousair I came across a pile of Maccha Milk Jam pots. Although a little expensive I couldn't resist and bought a pot to try. I haven't been disappointed. This is well worth the money.

The taste is smooth and not too sweet, making it a perfect accompaniment to anything. My first trial was with the old favorite: Toast. Second: crackers. Third: sandwiched between two biscuits and fourth: out of the jar with a spoon. Nothing is too good for this one.

I'm thinking next it might make a welcome accompaniment to some chicken. (Worked with both Nutella and chocolate. Seriously... Nutella and chicken sandwiches are amazing.)

I would fully recommend this to any Maccha fan. It's exactly the right mix of maccha and milk to create that smooth and sticky dream you've been waiting for.

Go on...you know you want to.

Number 18: Choco-Korokke

In the bustling seaside town of Kamakura, where a giant Buddha silently meditates and hawks circle overhead watching for unsuspecting tourists to avert their gaze from snack-onna-stick, I happened upon a small hidden shop selling Chocolate Korokke.

Korokke is usually made by mixing meat, seafood or vegetables with mashed potato, then deep frying in a mixture of egg, flour and breadcrumbs. They are, as a non-desert food, one of the most delicious Japanese dishes available.

However, this unusual Chocolate Korokke was a little disappointing, and to be completely honest I prefer the traditional brand.

Don't get me wrong, it was certainly delicious and worth the 200yen I paid for it. The coating is excellent for korokke, and the crisp feeling of that first bite is exquisite. However, it simply wasn't sweet enough. The chocolate is quite bland and to my British taste buds seemed to be missing about half of it's sugar content.

With a bit more sugar this korokke could be amazing. I would also like to see a custard version. Or perhaps, dare I suggest, melon custard.

Number 17: Melon Cereal

I was extremely surprised to see this Melon cereal at my local Papas store. In England we have the bog standard cornflakes and choco-flakes etc. But melon is surprisingly unpopular as a flavour.

I have no idea why though. These taste great! With the exception of the melon flavouring though, they are pretty much identical to cornflakes, so there is little to say about them. They are not too sweet, but flavourful enough to make them superior to any other, and a perfect way to start my morning.

While the melon version is certainly my favourite, they also come in chocolate or pancake (hotcake) flavour, the latter also being very nice.

I have a confession:

I love Melonpan. I love Melon Soda. I love melon ice cream and candy and biscuits and chocolates and toothpaste. I love melon cornflakes (blog soon) and even the sultry, sweet, intoxicating aroma of Melon based goods.

I love the look of melon, the shape and color. The innumerable melon toys and plushies and patterned everythings.

I love melon in all it's wonderful shapes, merchandise and forms. Except...

...actually...I don't like real melon.
It's too wet and diluted.

Just needed to get that off my chest.
Thank you for reading.

Number 16: Melon Kit-Kat

Undoubtedly the greatest of all the Kit-Kat family is the Melon verity. I finally got my hands on a pack with the aid of a student living in both Hokkaido and Tokyo.

The flavor is perfect and does not disappoint the tongue. But not just the flavor. Let's not forget about the equally pleasing aroma that bounds forth from the package even before opening.

Only one problem caused me trouble with this kit-Kat: It's too small and too far away for daily purchase.