Number 8: Christmas Cake!

In England Christmas cake is a fruit cake with marzipan and icing. If you go to a shop and ask "Where is the Christmas cake?" you will be shown something along those lines.

In Japan however there is no "Christmas Cake." There is only Cake for Christmas.

At this time of year Japanese stores and bakeries produce some beautifully designed cakes. Many feature strawberry's. However, they are all different ranging from Sponge cake to Ice-cream cake.

My father in law ordered this delicious looking cake for us. It's chocolate sponge and ice-cream with a roll-cake added for good measure.

It was delicious, though there wasn't enough sponge or ice-cream....or cake. It was a bit small. But none the less we shared it and enjoyed every moment.

The iced characters and mushrooms were a little too sweet for this Japanese family. So I had the pleasure of eating them all.

I left Santa and the snowman until last because eating it seemed like a waste. It looked so good. Fortunately it tasted even better.

You might realize that this post was made before Christmas Day. Well done you.

Christmas is very different in Japan. For English people Christmas is a time to get together with family and exchange presents. Of course it has some religious significance too, but not being religious I am in it mostly for the family and presents.

...mostly the presents.

Like most families we all get together and have a great time until someone says something stupid and it all ends in blood and baubles.

This year though, my family are all back in England while I am in Tokyo with my wife and her family.

Christmas in Japan is more about romance and partners. Lovers like to spend the day together and exchange gifts. Maybe visit a restaurant or see the illuminations. It is a quiet time for husbands, wifes, boyfriends, girlfriends to spend the day together (or in some cases half a day with one, then half a day with the other).

To be honest I prefer English Christmas. But there is one thing I like more about Japanese Christmas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJAyVZ8HiwE

Number 7: Wagashi 和菓子

During one of my weekly Japanese lessons I was given a selection of Wagashi (和菓子). These are a traditional Japanese confectionery served with tea.

Along with the tea, instead of a plate or dish, Wagashi are served on a piece of paper called Washi (和紙).

You can read more about the tradition and history of Wagashi on Wikipedia here.

The Wagashi are not too sweet but are certainly delicious.

The swirly grey I think is "Rakugan" (落雁) . It is hard with a powdery texture not unlike Britains "Love Hearts". The peach coloured leaf is possibly "Youkan " (羊羹). It has a hardened jelly texture and is a little sweeter than the Rakugan.

The others were not mine to eat. But other members of the class assure me that they were equally delicious.

Number 6: Melon & Melon

I found this while returning from a Job interview in Ueno. At the station is a nice little AM/PM store with the usual variety of breads, sweets and drinks. But this MelonPan stood out like a sore thumb.

Not surprisingly it delivered everything it promised on the label. Melon & Melon.

While this MelonPan does not have the usual Melon segmented cross hatching on top, it fully made up for it with it's taste. The Melon topping is a little wet and lacks sugar. It's not as crisp as some. But it's perfectly acceptable due to it's full flavour.

Inside the bread lies a pocket of MelonJam. I love MelonPan with filling ^-^

The Jam is not too sweet, and lends the bread enough moisture to keep it from being a chore to eat, saving your jaw valuable chewing action.

At only 125円 I see no reason not to get on the train and go get another one now....hey....maybe I'll see you there. ^-^

Number 5: Lemon Tea MelonPan

From a small bread shop in Tateishi (立石) I found this very delicious MelonPan.

The white outer layer was crisp and sweet with a lemon tea flavour which crumbled around me as I bit into it.

Beneath this was a deliciously soft bread. Moist as MelonPan should be.

Sandwiched between the bread and the biscuit topping however, was a hidden layer of cream. Hiding away like a sweet ninja ready to pounce and attack your taste-buds without warning.

The lemon tea is definitely a successful flavour. Go get one!

Number 4: Jumbo Melonpan

Today my wife brought me a surprise. In Asakusa (浅草) there is a famous MelonPan shop selling Jumbo MelonPan. It's not the only good thing about Asakusa. There's a temple there too. It's pretty close to the shop...

The freshly baked MelonPan is soft and light and best eaten warm. It still contains a hint of flour and brings your mind back to cleaning the bowl after your Mom made cake (Tuesday).

Visually this MelonPan looks exactly as it should. The iconic melon segments which some ignore are large and bright. It's almost art.

There is only one failure with this MelonPan: It's not jumbo enough. In truth its not much bigger than regular MelonPan, but since my wife bought 3 I will forgive them.

I would like to see a MelonPan that is at least 3 times the size of regular MelonPan. That will be jumbo.....but perhaps, still not Jumbo enough.

Number 3: Espresso Melonpan

I am a big coffee drinker and I quite like the occasional Espresso. So when I saw Espresso Melonpan at my local supermarket I grabbed one and took it home so fast I forgot what I originally went shopping for.

Unfortunately though Espresso and Melonpan do not mix. Not one bit. It's bitter (as should be expected) but so much so that the sheer taste of the melonpan is lost completely.

The bitterness overpowers what should be a rich Espresso flavour, and completely drowns the taste of the cream in the centre.

I'd give this one a miss if I were you.

Espresso Melonpan tastes like a cattle prod to the face.

Sorry there is no photo. I took one but the memory card has become locked and useless and won't save any new photo's. Useless Sandisk cr*p. I bought it in England so of course it will probably catch fire soon.

Number 2: Cheese KitKat.

In England KitKat's are quite popular. But the range of flavours is fairly limited. We have original, dark, orange, mint and recently Cappuccino.

In the rest of the world however, the flavours are far more varied. In Hokkaido I found Sweetcorn, Baked Potato and Sweet Potato flavour. In Tokyo many more (Ill cover them all later).

I had my reservations about Cheese flavour though. Now, when I was younger I delighted in eating a segment of Cadburys chocolate with a cheese quaver. Absolutely delicious. But my experiences of Chocolate and Cheese in Japan has been quite bad so far.

But Cheese KitKat's were not at all bad. At first the cheese gave a sickening flavour (sorry Nestle) while my tongue fought for sanity. But after a while I found I wanted more and the taste quickly grew on me like a fungus.

They were actually pretty nice, so much so that I bought another pack. If you every have the opportunity then please do try them....but eat more than one because your first will probably not appeal.

Number 1: 7-Eleven Variety Bread Series MelonPan

Did I mention yet that I love MelonPan? I did? Well, it must be true! And where better to start than the plain basic version?

This one I bought from 7-Eleven, which is thankfully a few doors down from my house, and represents the very first Melonpan I bought when I arrived in Tokyo this trip.

In England it is quite hard to find MelonPan. There is the Japan Centre in London. But that is not much use if you live in the North of England. So every time I travel to Japan I make sure to eat as much Melonpan as I can. This time however, I have come to stay and can eat as much as I can afford!

Part of the "Variety Bread Series" the Melonpan itself is deliciously soft with a slightly crunchy biscuit topping. It's just the right amount of sweetness without being sickening and just moist enough to not stick in the throat. It's flavour is subtle, with just a hint of Melon. But, it's a classic and very easy to enjoy.

Simple and understated. Delicious and cheap at only 105yen.

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting MelonPan Monster - A delve into the fascinating world of Japanese sweets (mainly Melonpan) .

Living in Tokyo is awesome and there is nothing I like better here than sampling all of the foods Japan has to offer. And what a variety there is! From Sweetcorn flavour KitKat's to collagen chocolate! In my time here I have eaten some strange things, and in time I will bring some of them to the pages of this blog.