Number 9: Tiramisu Cream Cheese Daifuku

If you have ever had Tiramisu flavour anything in England you have most likely been disappointed by a bitter rendition of what should be a delicious treat.

Tiramisu Cream Cheese Daifuku on the other hand is exactly what it says on the packet.

Traditionally Daifuku (大福) is a serving of Adzuki beanpaste wrapped in soft and sticky rice jelly. If you haven't tried Beanpaste before please don't be put off by the name. For English beanpaste conjures up images of Heinz Baked Beans mashed into a grotesque and sickening mess.

Thankfully this is not the case. Adzuki Beanpaste or Anko (あんこ）is a sweet bean mashed and boiled with sugar. Anko originated in China, but in Japan it is very popular and is placed in many foods from bread to deserts. Or in some cases just eaten as it is with a spoon.

But...that is not the point because this particular Daifuku doesn't actually have any beanpaste in it at all...

...sorry about that...

The rice jelly remains with a delicious soft texture and cradles the cream cheese within. Hidden in the centre is the tiramisu flavour presented as a sort of jam. The taste is exactly tiramisu, even with the rice jelly covering. It's not bitter or too strong, rather it's sweet and modest.

The taste lingers in your mouth for a while and right now having just eaten one, I am wondering if I should go out and get another one. It's cold outside....Tokyo might snow soon...but it might be worth it....

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.