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.

Number 15: Life

Recently a new supermarket named "Life" opened near my town stocking what has turned out to be one of the top Melonpan I have tried so far.
Baked fresh in-store, they were found by my mother in law and quickly bagged up.

The two flavors here are chocolate and melon. Both share the same light, soft texture which almost melts in the mouth. The bread is mixed with flavor giving it a slightly speckled look inside, and he topping is just sweet enough to be desert without being too rich or sickening.

The topping is quite crumbly and sticky but, like the bread, is full of flavor.

Naturally I found the melon one the more pleasing of the two, and bought a further pack of 4 today. Though the chocolate version is by no means disappointing.

Number 14: Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Slime Nikuman

Although sold out at most FamilyMart stores I was fortunate enough to find a small family of Slimes in Ayase. I bought 4...so contributed a little to the problem people have had in finding them. Sorry.

The Slime Nikuman has been created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Dragon Quest games, and is available for a limited time at FamilyMart stores across Japan.

For those of you who don't know Nikuman, it's a steamed bun containing meat popular in Asian countries.

This particular Nikuman is delicious and very juicy. The meat is better than most I have had and is packed tightly within the blue steamed slime-bun. The bun itself is very soft and easy to eat without the chewy, jaw-ache, texture of some other convenience store brands.

I would definitely recommend this Nikuman to anyone. But be fast, they are limited.

Number 13: Green tea, cookies and cream Häagen-Dazs

Possibly the best Häagen-Dazs flavour I have ever tried is the Green tea (Maccha) cookies and cream flavour.While you can buy Maccha flavour on it's own, the cookies and cream add that extra je ne sais quoi.

The mix of flavour, along with the crunchy cookie bits makes this little pot of heaven a must for my freezer.

I hate to say it, but this easily beats Cookie Dough flavour.