Living in Japan, which food or drink item do you miss most from your home country?
Have Your Say ( 252 )
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What's the difference between an average burger and a great one?
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252 Comments
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-5
some14some
All except H2O !
-1
cleo
Scrumpy. Crumpets. Proper Christmas cake.
Not necessarily in that order, and usually not together (but if i found myself suddenly inundated, I'd probably manage.)
0
cleo
And pickled cauli!
1
sillygirl
good pizza anytime i want.
2
SquidBert
Proper bread.
2
pamelot
NY Yankee dawgs, wit mustid and 'kraut.
0
Maria
Cheshire cheese, crumpets,black pudding, fruit trifle. And apple juice - japanese AJ lacks tartness. Box selections of chocolate, like Terry's All Gold and Black Magic. A leg of lamb.
10
namabiru4me
Turkey day, good, cheap cheese, Mexican food, micro-brew beers
-4
badmigraine
The radioactive-free kind.
1
Serrano
pamelot - You can make yer own dawgs wit mustid & kraut here easy enough, but you can't make yer own Cap'n Crunch.
-1
kurisupisu
Nothing !
If I want it I import it -simple.......
0
zichi
The only one I see in the comments which I'm not sure if it's available here is the Black Pudding (pig's blood pudding)? Personally I can't think of any which I miss.
Last night was the Harvest full moon so we went to Kobe Harborland and enjoy great Guinness, great pizza and other foods.
On the way home, bought some micro-brewery beer, Yona Yona, there are many micro-breweries here. A favorite is Vanryu from Shinano Brewery, and like Yona Yona is in Nagano. Check out the foreign buyers club.
-3
marcels
Bread, cheese,affordable steak,That,s about it, oh yeh Vegemite!!
2
y3chome
Organic West-Country Cider !!!!
-1
JapanGal
White Castle....just kidding.
-2
electric2004
Brown bread and bread with a lot of grain in it. Some of it one can get near German embassy, but this is far from where I live.
Gummibaerchen (Haribo) and Katjes at reasonable prices for the Kids. (Kaldi has some, but expensive).
Pizza without Mayonaise.
Curry Ketchup.
-1
Maitake
organic produce, LONG GRAIN RICE, jalapenos, cilantro, good mexican food, colorado micro-brews, buffalo, rocky mountain oysters...just kidding, turkey, Chinese food -- I swear Chinese food in the U.S. is soooo much better than "chinese food" in Japan. Anyone else agree?
1
Godan
Wasn't gonna say anything, but JapanGal got me thinking. I would love to have In 'n Out Burger here in Japan! Franchise rights would be nice....
2
pamelot
This is true. And also being a fan of the Cap'n, I know the difficulties tryin' to bag a few boxes- it's like gold...
But I gotta tell ya, Yankee dogs taste best in Yankee Stadium!
1
pawatan
Mexican food! We need some proper taco trucks here.
Several have mentioned micro-brew beers: there are several really good Japanese ones but you have to work pretty hard to find them.
0
pamelot
@ pawatan: Frijoles Burritos & Tacos in Roppongi, is great!
3
CHAMADE
Licorice! Reglisse! The good kind. The locals don't like it, so we don't have it here.
0
genji17
A good burger that doesnt cost ￥2000 or more, good bread, micro-brewery beer, cheap beer, white meat chicken
1
genji17
@pamelot: for a chipotle ripoff...something is missing. think its teh tortilla or lack of cilantro in the rice.
-9
Ricardo45
My favorite drink is ramune and favorite food hayashi rice.
0
Nicky Washida
Great question. Could fill a book but here are a few tasters (pun intended):
liquorice allsorts, marmite, Ribena, baked beans without bankrupting myself, jacket spuds, jaffas (obviously), proper Christmas pudding and cake, Tesco jammy doughnuts, salt n vinegar, cheese n onion, that fresh pasta you can buy with a pot of fresh sauce to go over the top, any variety of dunking biccie, PG Tips, Pret sandwiches,proper Cadburys (not the Aussie or NZ versions), Creme eggs, milk sold in more than 1L cartons, fresh (not concentrate) juice, seedless grapes, proper cheese, especially the Cathedral Mature Low Fat cheddar variety, and God, above all else someone please show Japan how to make decent bread!
Other than that, not much though ;) !
some can be found here if you have the time to search, some can be imported and the rest I gorge myself on when I go home. The local ASDA store manager knows me personally - I am the only one in the store dragging two full trolleys of stuff around in mid-August!
1
pamelot
genji17: True. Cilantro, or "coriander" as its named here, is a key ingredient.
It's been awhile since I've visited, before 3-11.
I thought there was cilantro in, but I wouldn't swear to it.
I just loved their burritos, and all the different choices of ingredients.
0
Ivan Coughanoffalot
Crisps that taste of something. What moron decided "potato" was a suitable flavour for crisps? Bring on the salt 'n' vinegar, smokey bacon and cheese 'n' onion. They're not exactly exotic ingredients, are they? But to get any tatse at all you have to spring for a tube of pringles - which aren't proper crisps.
0
seesaw1
Carrot cakes.
1
johninnaha
Maria - get your leg of lamb from "The Meat Guy."
Just Google the name.
REAL sausages!
All kinds of goodies!
1
It"S ME
Noticed lots of the items on the list are readily available and most seem to come from british.
Kaldi, etc stock Vegemite, etc. Black Pudding perse is not available(IIRC) but many German Butchers do Blutwurst(the german version).
Prices vary between shops but Plaza, Carnival, Kaldi, Kinokuniya Foods, Miyuraya, Niku no Hanamasa, Tokyu stores, Worlds cheeses, etc all have a fairly decent selection. Close to me recently opened a british import food shop, selection looked decent lots of cheeses, etc. Finally managed to get some good Muesli bars again(Apple-Crunch, etc).
Personally, pretty happy with food that is available(still recall the rants years ago when people thought Tim-Tams weren't available).
But what I do miss is a good Leberwurst(not the liver-spread) but the actual sausages for frying. Said that starting to make my own sausages so will soon be on my menu again.
Local butcher started about 1yr ago to serve some proper Curry-Wurst, great on a cold day with a cup of Gluehwein.
As they say "Dorothy this ain't Kansas no more.".
-1
ExportExpert
About the only thing you lot have mentioned that i havent been able to find here or import is the black pudding, everything else can usually be found by hunting around, and then if you can't find it get it shipped over.
Vegemite, marmite is easy to find, just go to Kaldi or seijoishi. Leg of lamb can be found at costco.
Foreign buyers club also has some hard to find items and then you can use The Meat Guy for alot of other hard to find food like meat pies, good sausages, leg of lamb, lamb shanks etc.
Never seen watties spaghetti here though and used to import it a little bit but freight was the killer.
Good burgers can be had at the standard cafe in shinjuku (for 1,000yen ish), which is across the road from Takashimiya down the little side street.
If you know where to shop you can find most things easily. Years ago it was an abysmall situation trying to find anything from home, luckily it has got alittle better in recent years.
-1
johninnaha
Maitake - Chinese food in the States is usually horrible.
All dumped on to one plate!
There are good Chinese restaurants in the States, but few and far between.
There are some GREAT Chinese restaurants in Tokyo, Kobe, Sapporo.
0
zichi
Oh yes! I forgot about "The Meat Guy" great sausages too!
0
genji17
Oh and good deli meats...to go along with missing good bread to make good sandwhiches.
1
zichi
What I miss is not the food but not having an oven. In a house we own in the Japan Alps, we have an electric oven but we couldn't bring it to our current rented house here in Kobe, because I would have to install a separate power cable, which the owner does not want me to do. So much good English cooking needs an oven.
0
Maria
I love reading all the Brits' answers! Adding "without bankrupting myself or making it myself" is key for a lot of these answers.
True, The Meat Guy does pack good meat - I've nagged him for years about getting black pudding, but it can't be done.
1
smithinjapan
I just miss the general wealth of variety many other countries offer both in the supermarket or at restaurants. In the case of the former I miss in particularly a proper deli where you can choose from a huge array of meats and cheeses and salads and tell them how many grams (ounces) you want them to slice off, and how thick. I don't like the 30 different kinds of pre-packaged ham slices they have here to go with the 20 kinds of white bread (in 5 or 6 slices). In the case of the latter I miss walking around a city with differing ethnic areas with authentic foods, or even just a street with different types of restaurants on it. Last time I visited home I couldn't stop drooling: here's a Greek restaurant, next to it a place with Montreal smoked meat, next to that a vegetarian place, next to that a Vietnamese and then Indian or Mexican. Sigh.
0
It"S ME
Niku no Hanamasa(atleast local one) stocks Jasmine Rice 5kg at 2.5000Yen. I buy my Basmati or Thai-rice(5kg for 1.900Yen) from Indojin.com(very good service).
For breads(my weak spot) I hit Linde(Kichijoji Sun-Road) or similar German Bakeries(forget the french ones, they wouldn't know good bread if it bit them in the sausage).
-2
zichi
smithinjapan
You should move to Kobe City then? No doubt you have visited many times. I think Osaka is the food capital of Japan.
-1
It"S ME
zichi.
I learned to make do with the Micro/Oven/Grill but you can buy overseas style gas-ovens, etc here(many of my japanese/foreign friends have them. But usually fitted into their own houses(apartments ....)
1
Johannes Weber
The accessibility of foreign foods depends quite strongly on where You are situated. I miss real (dark) bread at a reasonable price, real buns, pretzel rolls, wheat beer, fresh fruit juice, real cheese and some western sorts of fruit and veggies. The available veggies simply don't taste the same way because they cultivate different sorts of potatoes, apples and the like here. And - well - fruit cakes without loads of cream. Chocolate cakes without loads of cream. Real European desserts.
0
Maitake
Johannes - where is a good Chinese restaurant in Sapporo?
none of the "chu-ka" I have ever had here tastes like Chinese food.
2
TokyoTanuki
English Sausages and Bacon, and Snapple.
0
ExportExpert
What I miss is not the food but not having an oven. In a house we own in the Japan Alps, we have an electric oven but we couldn't bring it to our current rented house here in Kobe, because I would have to install a separate power cable, which the owner does not want me to do. So much good English cooking needs an oven.
Wanna sell me your oven then?
1
genji17
ill say it TACO BELL
-3
zichi
ExportExpert
sorry, still needed for our house in the alps.
-4
Jordan McCown
Vegemite on multi-grain toast and... plain vanilla yogurt
2
JapanGal
Jack in the Box
-1
SquidBert
@Johannes Weber
Hitachi Nest, has Weiss Beer. It won't taste like home, but it works for me when in a pinch.
0
Mark_McCracken
Taco Bell take out with a Bud Light Lime.
0
It"S ME
Just made a nice Bacon Sammy.
Used Austrian Smoked Bacon put inside a nice toasted whole-wheat Muffin.
As was said most food is available if you shop and ask around for a bit.
-7
SquidBert
Each to their own, but Bud Light?
Which reminds me, I do miss Tap Guinness. I'm sure you big city folks can get it. But around here it is all in cans (the few places that have it). And also Carlsberg, has anyone seen it in Japan?
0
smartacus
As an Aussie, I miss Cherry Ripes, lamingtons, vanilla slices, Cadbury Coconut Rough, Snakes Alive, Twisties and corn meat. Oh, and Easter eggs, too.
Everytime I go home for a visit and go into a Coles store, I am agog at all the grocery items which are normal there, but some of which are sold as luxury items in Japan.
0
It"S ME
Guinness in japan is licenced to Sapporo Breweries(that includes tap-stuff at their own pubs, Hub, etc). So most of that stuff is locally brewed and not imported.
Carlsberg is available just hit your local liquor import shop like Kameya,or what your local one is called, they do stock a LOT of overseas liquors and beers and the prices are decent.
Bought a bottle of 12yr old Dimple for 2.400yen last week. ;)
0
genji17
All over in Tokyo...heck the 711 outside work in Shibuya has it in cans.
-1
zichi
There are places selling imported Guinness, I add two pints of it last night. But it does not travel very well so must sit in a warehouse for a few months after arrival which increases the cost?
3
JapanGal
Why do you want it used? Fresh would be better.
2
Ted Barrera
Tim Hortons and real Cantonese style Chinese food. Though honestly, you can find pretty much anything here in Japan, and the food (of any ethnicity) is arguably among the best in the world here.
0
It"S ME
Nitpicking there a bit aren't we? ;)
Of course it was fresh(as can be coming from austria to nagoya than to moi). Anyway was delicious and shattered nicely. :P
3
BlueWitch
When I was an university student in the U.S. 10+ years ago I was in love with the local burger joint called "Varsity", located in Peachtree St. Midtown Atlanta GA. I also liked In N' Out and Checkers very much. Mmmm the chocolate milk shakes left me always so happy! Interesting enough, I don't remember myself missing or even looking to buy Japanese products or goods when I was in the U.S. All I wanted was to enjoy the local foods and eat, eat, eat until I exploded!! lol
I miss Taco Bell and Wendy's.... yes, no more Wendy's in Japan!! Grrrrrr.....can't believe it got replaced by that gyudon garbage. Unbelievable!
About snacks and cereals, I miss Junior Mints, twizzlers, twix, milky way, Cap't Crunch, Smore's, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Corn Pops, Honey nut Cheerios, Raisin Bran, sauerkraut, Farina, Sugar Babies....etc etc etc.
Am I asking too much?? We have no such things in japan....Arrghh!!!
I'll trade my dark meiji chocolate for your Hershey's Chocolate-Creme(white?) any time!
I miss eating so many kinds of food and snacks...I wanna go back again...but I already graduated...hmmm
Can't convince my husband to give up here and move there...damn! (>.<)
-3
sharpie
i miss fat, salt and sugar
1
HumanTarget
Chipotle, of course.
Also, if you're looking for good microbrew beer, The Taproom in Nakameguro cannot be beat. The menu is huge, there's always specials and the prices are equivalent with the HUB. Outside of that place, the last time I went out of my way for a microbrew, it was 15$ for a 12 ounce bottle.
1
TakahiroDomingo
i most miss the taste of olive oil and drinking red wine.
0
Johannes Weber
@Maitake:
@SquidBert:
Thanks for the hint. I think I've seen the Nest Beer once, but I haven't seen it in shops yet. Where do they sell it? I currently stick to Belgian beer in Kasumi if I want something real.
5
iceshoecream
CEREAL!!!!
-3
It"S ME
Like what Veetabix, Muesli, OatMeal, etc need to be more specific as a big variety is available.
2
gyouza
Still get an Indian take-away when I go back to the UK. OK, I know it isn't terribly authentic, but love the taste. Also miss Greek restaurants - not enough here, and haven't found a great one yet.
0
iceshoecream
Precisely, variety.
2
iceshoecream
But if you really want me to be specific, then Captain Crunch (& Berries), Apple Jacks, Fruity Pebbles, Honey Bunches, Froot Loops, Pops and Frosted Mini Wheats. Ooh and Trix!
^-^)o I think that's it...
1
SquidBert
@Johannes,
Around here Hitachi/Mito, Nest is available in many stores and liqueur shops. Also , the micro brewery and restaurant is not too far away.
http://www.kodawari.cc/?en_home/
Tsukuba is a bit further away, so not sure if they carry it around there. Also, a warning, they are doing a lot of flavored beer that might not be to every ones liking (my self included). So trying before buying large amounts is recommended. They have good information about their products and flavors under the product page.
0
lucabrasi
@iceshoecream
"Fruity pebbles" is a cereal ???
Sounds like you're better off without it... :)
0
Serrano
"If I want it I import it - simple"
Could you import some Cap'n Crunch for me?
"white meat chicken"
You can't find any white meat chicken here? That's almost as ubiquitous as tofu and natto.
0
cactusJack
A good Mexican restaurant with tasty margaritas that doesn't gouge your wallet.
0
Serrano
Some Lucky Charms would be nice too. And some Fruit Loops. Wait a minute, I think I've seen them here, I think they're called Fruits Loop.
0
Serrano
I bet a lot of Aussies miss vegemite.
-1
It"S ME
Hrm, Pepsico, owner of quaker oats has a local branch as does Kellogs, etc Guess they decided that the local market for some of their products just isn't big enough.
Pls, direct all complaints at the companies that refuse to import their own products and not japan or shops here.
Joking of course or am I ....
0
Serrano
Bazooka Bubblegum with those corny Bazooka Joe comics.
-1
pawatan
You can get that at my local Aeon...
I did forget the wheat breads. I really don't like white bread sandwiches and toast but you have to go to an actual bakery most times to get bread that isn't white bread. Wheat breads are so much tastier and healthier!
0
Weasel
Habanerio and sour creme topped pretzels
-14
NetNinja
In-and-Out Burger The Double Double.
Japan's NEVER going to get it. NEVER!!!!
As much as I'd love to sink my chops into one right now. I pray I never see one in Japan. Japan will steal the idea. It IS THE BEST HAMBURGER IN THE WORLD!!! I understand why people go bonkers when they open one up nearby. 4 hour car lines down the street. Lines LONGER than any line for an Iphone, Ipad, or Playstation.
In-and-Out is family owned. They don't franchise, won't franchise, and most certainly with their OWN words....NEVER let the platinum vanguard of American culture - The Double Double - go beyond America's borders.
In-and-Out is the only company that I know that can't be bought.
Sorry Japan, I don't want you to have it. Unless you can learn enough English to go over to America, order one in English, pay for it and put some money in my country's economy you don't deserve it. The Double Double = America's Bill of Rights, It's Declaration of Independence, The King James version of the Bible.
1
tokyokawasaki
proper bread, crumpets, egg custards & Cornish Pasties... Problem hundreds more too if i had the time to think about it
1
It"S ME
Forgot a link earlier: http://thepieguy.biz/
1
SquidBert
Someone seems to have a bad case of "thumbs down" OCD.
1
ironchef
second NetNinja, In N Out is some bomb azz burger--animal style.
1
pawatan
Geez, NetNinja, relax! You had me nodding until
Step away from the coffee....
1
LordPounce
Clamato juice. I kid you not.
0
Sioux Chef
You didn't get any In-N-Out in Georgia...or anywhere east of Arizona ten years ago (and there are none east of Dallas now).
0
Sioux Chef
Was the best.
Five Guys is better.
0
rainman1
Just proper smoked English Bacon and decent Sausages. Anything else can be imported, and if you want it that much the price is not going to bother you.
-1
ThonTaddeo
If there's one good thing about living in Tokyo, it's that you can find all kinds of food from back home -- if you're willing to pay through the nose for it!
I like to go to the Seijo Ishii stores; there's one in Bunkyo-ku near LaQua that has all kinds of foreign snacks. I'm addicted!
Cheese - Japanes stores have little variety, and the costs are through the roof! When back in the US I'll stock up on the good stuff, seal it up in my luggage with those frozen gel packs, and carry it back to Japan.
Two things that are hard to find in large quantities are root beer and Mountain Dew. Why can't you get them in 1.5-liter bottles? I hate paying 120 yen per can. Whenever I'm back in Okinawa I see the big PET bottles, but can't be bothered to carry them back because of the weight. If only Tokyoites could appreciate the great taste of these two drinks!
Last item: beer! Very little variety here, and what there is is overpriced. I shouldn't be paying more for a single bottle than I'd pay for a four- or six-pack back home! So many small microbrews that you can't get here, particularly European ones. I really miss them.
2
southsakai
I'm from Fiji so on a hot summer day here, I sure would love to put down a nice cold Fiji Bitter beer. It's really a good tasting beer.
Also miss some local produce from back home mainly root crops cassava and dalo, these a re dry starchy rootcrops we eat with our meal instead of rice, bread, noodles, etc
Also cooking food local style in an underground earth oven called "Lovo" - Ummmm yum yum!
Good thing is Japan has a great selection of beer and I can replace dalo with "koimo" although koimo is like the mini version of Dalo.
In regards to the earth over Lovo, I just need to find a plot of land somewhere here and it's all on :)
In sure thing though, I've never seen such a massive variety of food available anywhere like in Japan. And usually the quality is very good so I'm not complaining
0
southsakai
I just gave you a thumbs up to bring you back to neutral position. Please return the favor and plus 1 me when you have a chance. Thanks a lot.
0
tokyokawasaki
RAINMAN1 - You can get excellent (REAL) sausages from the meatguy. I think the URL is themeatguy.jp I have ordered many times and his REAL sausages are great... He also has a Facebok page.
Actually here is the link for the sausages page http://www.themeatguy.jp/app/en/products/index/12 enjoy :)
-1
JapanGal
Interesting sausage page tokyokawasaki-san. Seems very English though. I enjoy Italian sausages or patties and make them myself. Key ingredient is Fennel besides the other normal Italian spices. Easy to make.
-1
JapanGal
That page is a nice page for sausage, although very English in style. My positive comment to you tokyokawasaki went away. Not sure why. If you like Italian sausages, just add fennel along with the other italian spices. Yummy
1
genji17
agree!
4
BurakuminDes
Flavoured milk from Australia. I know you can get your standard choc and strawberry here - but would love to see 1L cartons of all the other flavours. More Aussie fruits would be great too, especially our bananas which are way better than the Philippines ones they usually get here..
Luckily though with the strong relationship between Oz and Japan, I can get almost everything here I want. Cheese, steak, chocolates, tim-tams, vegemite, fruit juice - heck - sometimes I can get Aussie wines here CHEAPER than back home!
1
Johannes Weber
I have the very strong impression that someone feels insulted that we actually miss foreign foods instead of being happy about Japanese food. There is at least on thumbs down on almost all comments.
Sorry, hypersensitive (thumbs down) guy, whoever You are. You can neither escape from freedom of speech nor from the truth about food quality.
1
Spidapig24
BurakuminDes
Damn you, just sitting here thinking about what lm missing out on banana big M, Mars Bar, real fish and chips (flake of course), decent steak, lamb, kangaroo, and who can forget pub countermeals chicken schnitzel. Totally agree though aussie fruit and veg are much nicer than what is available in Japan.
0
Kevin Lee Brooke
@Nicky Washida
Crikey! Maybe it's time for you to just go home!
1
zichi
I've been voting all up but can't win the bacon or sausage...
0
Kevin Lee Brooke
Johannes WeberSep. 13, 2011 - 03:37PM JST
"I have the very strong impression that someone feels insulted that we actually miss foreign foods instead of being happy about Japanese food. There is at least on thumbs down on almost all comments.
Sorry, hypersensitive (thumbs down) guy, whoever You are. You can neither escape from freedom of speech nor from the truth about food quality."
I can agree about the "freedom of speech" bit - hell, there's a lot of food I miss from the States - but "food quality"? Seriously? Don't mistake food QUANTITY - i.e. selection - for food QUALITY. Japan has some of the highest QUALITY food in the world. They do lack in selection, though.
P.S. Google the number of separate cases of e-coli and other food borne illnesses in Japan vs. the States in a given year. Another example of QUALITY. Overall, sold food (be it vegetables, meat, or canned) in the U.S. is DIRTY.
0
tokyokawasaki
Hey Nicky Washida - You can buy PG Tips from Seijo Ishii. They are 990 JPY for a box of 80. Otherwise, you can order PG or Tetley's from expatessentials.com Hope this helps...
I also miss Shredded Wheat & smoky bacon.
2
Shibuyaku2069
I would like to be able to buy:- Fresh Artichokes, Swede, Beetroot, Rhubarb, Gooseberries, Hummus & Spacecake!
If anyone knows where I can hook some of these items up it would be greatly appreciated.
-1
mousetime
Why is it that so many people have clicked "bad"? I have never seen so many minuses in a poll before. The question is:
The poll is simply asking people what THEY MISS FROM THEIR OWN COUNTRY!!!! There is no need to click bad! It is rude an insensitive! Why are people so insensitive? Somebody says they like this or that and then a moron comes along and clicks "bad"? WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
NO WONDER WE DON'T HAVE WORLD PEACE!! People can't even show each other respect on a poll that ONLY asked what people missed from their own countries. No, people have to go and ruin a simple poll like this by showing their displeasure with what SOMEONE ELSE MIsses.
I am surely not going to write down what I like. Not with people acting like that. YIKES!
Moderator
Don't worry about what other readers think.
-2
pawatan
Yeah, I just ignore the +/- It's really a bad idea.
-1
mousetime
It sure is. Especially with this kind of question. If it a question about politics or along those lines, I could fully understand. But not on this type of question.
1
BlueWitch
@Sioux Chef
My apologies for not being specific, Varsity was GA when I was a student there but the In-N-Out I went was located somewhere in California when I was spending a weekend in Rosemead (perhaps in West Covina?) around the same time. Sorry.
3
Nessie
Yougenkyo, South 12 West 8 - authentic northeastern Chinese food, great cheap lunch special; fine dinners
The Chinese places in the Renaissance Hotel and the Hotel Okura are good, but gentrified. It depends what you consider real Chinese food. There's a decent Chinese buffet in the Plaza 109 building on Route 36 in Susukino, if that's still going.
If you're referring to cheap, gloppy oversweetened Chinese, try the famous Chinese izakaya just east of Bus Center Mae station. I forget the name. Dirt cheap, and full of after-hours businessmen. One part bierkeller, one part Chinese take out, one part izakaya.
I can't eat the crappy takeout Chinese they have back home, although the dinner places with regional cuisines are usually better than the Japanese places and some Japanized Chinese dishes freak me out (ketchuppy ebi chili soosu).
2
Sasoriza
I don't miss annything. Some stuff I was used to in my country I can buy in Japan too, only they are like 10 times more more expensive, and I have to look really hard. I can also prepare some of the stuff myself (jams, sweets), the problem is that many Japanese fruits and vegetables aren't juicy enough and that ultmately changes the taste,because I have to increase water and some other ingredients to cover it. And the price is killing-I'd waste more money to prepare the food myself than simply buy it. I like Heineken, but it is brewed here in Japan, and tastes kind of strange(as most of the beer brands I've drunken here).
0
Mizuame
Vegemite, Christmas cake (the black type), sausage rolls, party mix, and proper jelly beans! Cadbury chocolate with no cardboard in any part of the packaging including the outer packaging.
0
Mizuame
Oh, I forgot! Party pies and tomato sauce. And decent Muesli.
1
cleo
Yamaya has very decent (not sweet) muesli.
0
tokyokawasaki
Seijo Ishii has an excellent range of Muesli. I am fond of the 'Luxury Muesli' made in the U.K it is almost identical to Alpen.
0
BlueWitch
@Johannes Weber
I second that. I could care less if people thumb me down. I have endless love for the food of my country, especially mochi, miso and tonkatsu but I have great admiration for foreign foods as well. So does that makes me a bad native?? Get over yourselves!
I wish I had a box of Smore's Cereal and a "Cookies & Cream" chocolate bar from Hershey's. YUMMY!!! Ah! and a Kellog's Corn Pops box too!! (^.~)
3
mousetime
Moderator! You first. I commented on other people reactions. What we do here is give info, criticize others opinions. etc. Therefore, fair game. I was on topic when I said that I was not going to say what I miss because of the negativity that was shown in the first part. There is nothing wrong with that. Don't worry about what other people think? Then there is no reason to have a poll and have people debating then is there? You defeat your own purpose by telling me to not worry what others think. That is the whole point of this. To worry about what others think and comment on it, therefore the number of "bad" clicks is fair game as well.
-1
mousetime
Kevin Lee brooks made a great point.
He commented on the same thing. And he is right to comment on such! So, sorry moderator. You first, please.
Moderator
Readers, forget about the thumbs down or up. It's meaningless on this thread.
0
BlueWitch
@cleo
Mmmm...Love every time hubby asks me to drop by the store and get some Tostitos with Salsa. YUM~
For those living around Tsukuba.....Yamaya offers a nice variety of different foreign foods. (Q't Shopping Mall next to Seibu across Tsukuba Express Tsukuba Sta.)
-1
mousetime
Actually I miss, Taco Bell, In N OUT, chicken pot pies, franks n blankets, lasagna and macaroni and cheese. YUM. Let's be nice people.
-2
mousetime
@SquidBert LMFAO!!! You got that right. Don't rag on someone's favorite beer. it is a dangerous business, especially if they happen to be drinking it. Then you might be wearing it.
As for what you said about the Good/Bad, I agree with you. But sometimes we have to show respect to each other especially when it comes to Beer/Food. Food is not something to go negative on. Of all the polls I thought this should be one of understanding and enjoying to see what others like to eat and miss.
So, that I don't get off subject I forgot to mention two more things.
DEEP PAN PIZZA and Beef Wellington. My mouth is watering ridiculously.
Oh, cantaloups and all kinds of melons as well.
I guess I miss a lot that can't be had to easily.
1
TakahiroDomingo
everytime one travels and has local food, it's usually delicious and unique. but when you're back home and try to replicate it, or have it at some restaurant, it's never as good. thought my favorite cuisine was south spain, and now it's in second place. can't tell you what my best food is or i'll get murderated (scratch out) moderated for it.
1
Nicky Washida
Or maybe not - at least here I wont gain 10kgs from liquorice allsorts alone!
Tokyo Kawasaki - thanks for the tip - but 990 yen for a box of 80??! They are about 90p back home! Or 110 yen give or take! Cheeky ba%$&# charging that much!
My Mum just sends them to me in boxes of 250!
1
zichi
One thing I learnt many years ago was that it's a waste of time comparing the price of food stuff here compared with home countries, will just do your head in! All imported food stuff will cost higher than home grown stuff. When comparing prices, many salaries here are higher than in Europe and in the U.S.? You can't just do a straight price comparison.
If you want to eat foreign foods look for the foreign import shops with the best prices, otherwise don't buy it. Certainly, over the last 15 years, the price of all imports have dropped along with domestic prices.
0
southsakai
Mickey Mouse, DEEP PAN PIZZA and Beef Wellington! Ummmm ummmm now that sounds very yummy indeed.
-1
mousetime
@southsakai THANKS. By the way, your stuff sounded pretty good. I will have to make a trip there and check out the food. The earth over Lovo sounds pretty interesting. Never heard of Fijian beer, but I will keep my eye out for one.
0
takoyakitora
White Spot hamburgers and Kraft Dinner! Gatorade in different flavours, and cherry nibs!
2
zichi
Less than 2% of the population are non Japanese and probably only about 1.5% are permanent residents.
The Chinese, Koreans and Indians for decades have been importing their own foods.
The rest of us are rag, tag and bob tails. So many come here and expect to find foodstuffs from their own countries? A food store will stock what it's customers buy.
There were very few foreign import shops compared today, now there are a couple of chains, and the number of stores is increasing. But the demand isn't from the foreigners, it's from Japanese travelling overseas.
2
johninnaha
Nessie -
Yes, yes, yes!
That's exactly what I meant.
Have you tried the hoshidofu salad?
Great stuff!
Tohoku hanten is also excellent. I forget the address now, one is near King Mhu (RIP) and there is another on the East side, E1, S3? I don't remember. I haven't lived in Sapporo for a few years now. But I prefer the one on the East.
And for beer there's always Mugishutei.
Give my love to Phred!
-1
takoyakitora
I forgot to mention The Keg Steakhouse, and cadburys mini eggs.
Someone mentioned Snapple. I think Lipton's Lemon tea is a good substitute for the Snapple Lemon. I actually like it better.
0
Gilberto Nino Yanguas Mori
Balot (Balut)!!!
You may watch this to know what I am talking about. ^^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s31nWSiminI
0
irishosaru
Stuff that I can't find at all: Soda bread, Granny Smith apples, dry roast peanuts, live cultured yoghurt, black pudding, buttermilk.
Stuff that I can't get at a reasonable price, which prohibits me from buying them as much as I'd like: bran flakes, cheddar cheese, brown bread, proper sausages, red peppers.
-2
Jannetto
Bread fans- don't they have bread machines any more? When I lived there a million years ago, some Japanese friends had a a bread maker, and used to make sure there was fresh bread ready when the pet gaijin was coming over. Then again, it was always white bread (but nice and crusty and not wonderbready) - not sure how easy it would be to get some good flour. Back in the day, if anyone was venturing to National Azabu or Kinokuniya, or Meidi-ya at a stretch (cos that's all we had), the request list usually included Twix bars and good cheese (sad to read it's still not widely available).
And many a jar of Branston pickle was carried from Singapore or Hong Kong. When I hear people moaning about what they can't get here in Hong Kong, I just laugh and laugh.
0
kevinintokyo
A good sit down Mexican restaurant with imported draft beers.
0
uzneko
chick-fil-a, chipotle, huge monstrous burgers, granny smith apples and my Grandmother's cooking
also, I find it kind of amusing how many legit "omg I miss this food" posts are getting thumbed down.
0
JapanGal
I want 25 cent white ears of sweet corn!
0
zichi
"Bread fans- don't they have bread machines any more?"
Yes! there are! But unless you are living out in the countryside it's so easy to find a full range of good breads at good prices cheaper than making your own.
0
johninnaha
If anyone wants good beer in Naha, go to Baku: http://baku.ti-da.net/
Mr Miyagi also has Meatguy sausages on the menu.
And a good selection of beers.
And if anyone in Naha wants Sapporo Classic, you can get it at Oroku Jusco (actually now, Aeon) - it's not going to be there for long, it's a Hokkaido only beer. It's left over from a Hokkaido fair. The antidote to Okinawa heat!
Get it while you can!
And Jannetto - You can't get Branston Pickle for love or money in Okinawa, but the ingredients are readily available.
1
Himajin
Rum custard cake that you get in the North End of Boston (just had some in July!)
0
Foxie
I really miss Bounty coconut chocolates, coconut water, quinoa, buffalo mozzarella cheese, cancoillotte, cassoulet, Berliner, DZ licorice, fishfingers.
@Maitake: Try the Chinese restaurant in Duo2 in Shin-Sapporo Station. By far the best I ever found up here.
2
lucabrasi
Aniseed balls!
Pernod tastes the same, but it makes me talk to trees.... :(
0
NuckinFutz
I'll have to go with the first post "everything except H2O"
0
Pukey2
zichi:
GOOD breads?????!!!! We are talking about Japan? Unless you have access to a good bakery (which I don't) and are willing to fork out a fortune, you have to suffer with the typical gross bread from the supermarkets. The ironic thing is that these 'bread' are cheap (in quality) but not cheap (in price).
I just don't understand why the Japanese hate brown (or foreign) rice, brown bread, brown pasta. Lack of fiber and lack of crunchy or hard stuff is not going to do your body or jaw muscles any favor.
Lack of imaginative vegetarian food. And why do they always assume that bake beans MUST have sausages? I miss the variety of fruits, especially Indian mangoes and SE Asian fruits, except durian. Once bought a bag of 3 mangosteens at Laqua Seijo Ishii for 300 yen!!! Went back the following week, and they were selling 2 for 600 yen!!! No thank you.
As some have said, you can find a lot of the stuff posters have mentioned...but you've got to be willing to travel to buy them and pay a lot. I'd be over the moon if they had Whole Foods in Japan (reasonably priced of course). The locals have absolutely NO concept of what a health store is (it's not a shop which sells only vitamin pills and diet teas).
And why not try make desserts yourself? I made a lovely vegan rice pudding, Indian kheer style. Did a great vegan tiramisu last year. Perhaps trifle later.
Finally, what I really miss, since 3/11, is to be able to buy anything without having to worry about radiation.
-2
Cos
"I would like to be able to buy:- Fresh Artichokes, Swede, Beetroot, Rhubarb, Gooseberries,"
Department stores underground vegetable shops. Red beetroot is available year round. Not sure which you call swede, parsnip... but they have many sorts, depends on season. Rhubarb and artichokes (not nice ones) in season. For cheaper options, there are farmer's markets. There are also farmers that sell directly and mail, but you cannot choose exactly what you will get and when. In suburbs, many amateur gardeners put produce on tables in the street and sell cheaply.
Never seen those berries in a shop and I don't know anyone that have them in gardens here.
"Hummus"
Ask for "hiyoko-mame" (sometimes labeled as garbanzo or chick peas). Most supermarkets, mame-ya, import food stores, Indian stores, on line... It's a bit more effort to find the small ones (tastier in my opinion), but not impossible at all.
"There were very few foreign import shops compared today, now there are a couple of chains, and the number of stores is increasing. But the demand isn't from the foreigners, it's from Japanese travelling overseas."
You are talking about what country ? I don't see the North-Korean importing much from "home". Japan has foreign import shops at every corner of street. It's for Japanese and residents living here, whether they travel or not.
"All imported food stuff will cost higher than home grown stuff. "
It is not the case. Most cheap food is imported. Japanese produce tends to be more expensive. Case by case...
"So many come here and expect to find foodstuffs from their own countries? "
I find nearly everything. My country is a big export country.
"It depends what you consider real Chinese food."
Pate chinois, fortune cookies, chinois aux amandes... If that was gastronomy from China, that wouldn't be called "Chinese food".
1
zichi
Well Pukey2,
I don't know where you are living? In our location we can buy French/German/Italian breads, from white style to brown to dark made from wheat, rye, brown rice, mixed grains. Breads with nuts like walnuts. All for good prices. We never or very rarely buy bread from a supermarket, unless it's an emergency but even then it's possible to find some good bread.
We make out own baked beans using soya beans. When in season, we love mangos from India or Philippines. We don't have to travel further than a 20 minute bus ride for any foods we need.
We buy organic vegetables from the mountains and wild meats, not that I think you would be interested in that. We frequently make 16 grain rice and you can find both brown and black wild rice. Pasta could be better but you could make your own, which we often do.
We can buy Jasmine rice, Basmati rice, Brown rice, Carnaroli rice, wild rice from Canada, organic rice. Bagels, muffins, pumpernickel, and at least 20 other kinds of breads. We can also find gluten-free, kosher, low fat, no sodium, and vegetarian.
There does seem to be a trend for more Yakuzen restaurants which should interest you.
I suppose change jobs and move location?
1
zichi
More than 98% of the customers I see in Foreign Import shops are Japanese.
0
Foxie
zichi, you buy organic vegetables from the mountains??? I just go there and pick them, they are free. We also fish, it is free also.
1
Juan Carlos Barbosa Padilla
When I spent 6 months of my life in Japan, I missed a lot to eat real mexican food, I know that the mexican restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka do their best to approach the flavor of mexican food (indeed one in Osaka had real corn tortillas as the ones we love to eat in Mexico), but I still miss to eat pozole, carnitas or other more difficult plates to be seen in Japan. When I live there some japanese friends that lived in Mexico wanted to have their own mexican restaurant, I also calculated this possibility but always got stuck in the idea of how to import real mexican beans... but, I was happy on that time and i could repeat the experience... at least japanese import a lot of avocado...
0
zichi
Foxie we do go and pick some wild foods sometimes. I like new bamboo in the spring, and mushrooms and various wild plants.
0
johninnaha
zichi - sounds like you need to move Okinawa. I know a couple of good bakeries. Not so expensive and good tasting. Most Japanese bread in supermarkets - and a lot of the small private bakeries are trying to make mochi with flour, I think. Too wet. Too watery. No crunch.
You often get a choice of brown rice or white in Okinawa. They also have a brown rice drink which has the consistency of sick. Don't EVER drink it at room temperature! But the brown rice here is good.
"imaginative vegetarian food."is there you just have to hunt for it.
Try the temples "sho-jin ryouri."
Plenty of mangoes in Okinawa - cheap too. Two medium sized mangos for 200 yen. My mango chutney is to die for.
Dragon fruit - cheap. Start fruit. Shiquasa - like baby limes. Okra. Aubergines. And tons of stuff you may not know. The tofu is wonderful. Quite different to the stuff in Honshu.
Exotic food is expensive. Sashimi is exotic in London and is not cheap.
The locals have absolutely NO concept of what a health store is (it's not a shop which sells only vitamin pills and diet teas).
I wonder what you are talking about. Is there a standard in these things. They have to have health stores a certain way. I wonder what context you heard the word "health" in? It has some really bad meanings too.
Make it your self is the best way and not at all as impossible as it used to be.
-2
zichi
johninnaha you seem to be directing your comment to the wrong person, me? I'm very happy living Kobe City but I do mean to visit Okinawa. You are quoting what Pukey2 said, not me?
0
Ranger_Miffy2
Organic peanut butter. (In lieu of this the tahini butter is a surprisingly satisfying substitute.) The bulk containers at Whole Foods of tamaried almonds, and nuts. Whole Foods, period. Most of all, I miss having to only worry about possible dust and bugs on food, not unrevealed dustings of cesium etc. These things aside, the food here is quite great.
0
Yubaru
Gille's Double Gillie Burger, and a turtle sundae with mint custard!
0
Pukey2
zichi:
Not everyone lives in the big cities. And how much, may I ask, are you paying for these bread? Back home, I can get these at any supermarket for less than 100 yen.
john:
Yeah, and I can tell you, by the time they've reached the mainland, they're nothing like 200 yen!
What, brown basmati? Apart from ten-don and things like norimaki, I just don't want to eat Japanese rice. I can order white basmati from the Indian shops, but they'd be a helluva lot cheaper if the Japanese government didn't impose a ridiculous amount of tax.
Yeah, and go bankrupt at the same time.
0
Foxie
I make very fancy rye/whole wheat breads with my bread maker and they cost less than 100 Yen. I am so lucky to live in the countryside. We get more time to make all these natural foods, no museums, concerts or art galleries to go to up here. Saves a lot of time and money.
0
Gretchen Shinoda
GOOD cottage cheese, and I agree with the "GOOD pizza anytime I want" comment
Gretchen, IUJ
-1
VicMOsaka
Vogel bread and non frozen brussel sprouts. Some supermarkets started selling brussel sprouts but stopped after a short while. Mind you, they were too expensive. The Meat Guy sells frozen brussel sprouts from France but fresh ones always taste and cook better.
0
Darren Brannan
Bowen mangoes,meat pies and sausage rolls are always tempting, but I think I will go for a nice lamb kebab with plenty of tabouleh and hummus and garlic avocado sauce.
-1
It"S ME
Like Foxie.
I also bake a fair amount of my own bread, still want a good european bread though from time to time.
For this I hit the local overseas Bakery/Cafe(usually have lunch there too), they got a fair bread selection like 20 types, kaiser, apfelstrudel, berliner, vanilla/kirschen taschen, linzer torte.
A Full loaf of Bauern-bread or Onion-bread will set you back around 600Yen(yeah pricey but it does last a long time). Of course often we buy their bread-hampers, selection of 4 breads(quarter loaves & Rolls) for 631Yen.
Neither the bread I make at home nor the one from the Bakery is as good as back home, when you buy it still warm from the oven, slap some meats(Butcher across the road), etc inside and eat it.
Agreed the big cities offer more, hence why I often get requests to over-night a food-hamper for friends in the sticks may it be Sausages, Maggi Seasoning, Horseradish, Cheeses, Muesli, Vegemite, whatever. In return I get fruits and veggies, etc.
Just depends on what you make out of your life here and how you use your contacts..
0
Nessie
I'll give it a try. I like the pork rolled in yuba skins with sprigs of leeks and cilantro. One of my favorite dishes in Sapporo.
I've heard of that one, on the east side. A half-Chinese friend recommended it.
-1
It"S ME
Forgot you can get Vogel-bread, Pumpernickel, Kavli, etc at many import shops, of course imported pre-packaged stuff.
1
Erin Okamoto
BBQ. Especially smoked brisket, ribs and chicken-fried steak.
-3
zichi
@Pukey2,
I'm not in Okinawa, I live in the international city of Kobe. johninnaha miss quoted me!
"Not everyone lives in the big cities. And how much, may I ask, are you paying for these bread? Back home, I can get these at any supermarket for less than 100 yen."
For breads I pay between ¥300-¥1,000 depending on the type, size etc. Sometimes we buy a German rye bread with walnuts for about ¥1,000 but it actually lasts about 5 days.
You keep talking about prices, so I guess you are still quite new to the country? But can I ask you, do you earn more or less salary than you would in your own country?
I always recommend all foreigners to stop comparing prices with their home countries because it will just do your head in!
0
zichi
@Foxie,
For 8 years prior to moving to Kobe, we lived in the Japan Alps. There I grew all the food we needed. But unfortunately because of age and a severe back problem we had to move and I can no longer grown enough vegetables. But everyone should try to grow something, great thing for kids to do too!
-1
Foxie
@zichi
Sorry to hear about your back. Kobe is a nice town though, regret forever that i didn't have a ride on those pink elephants. I wished i could make good cheese, except for cottage cheese I never tried any other though like brie or swiss cheese. I should gambaru more.
-1
JapanGal
SF J-town Natto, Kusaya, and Shio Kara. They got that non-home made taste.
4
bicultural
REAL bacon
-4
JapanGal
Japanese bacon is great bicultural.
0
gaijintraveller
Coming from Britain, I would say what I miss most is good doner kebab and curry. Doner kebab in Japan always seem to be chicken or beef with shredded cabbage and an industrial sauce, never a pickled chilli. You can ask to have a hot curry, but then, if they do make it hot, it just tastes of chilli and the balance is lost. More Indian restaurants should serve long grain rice. The only curry Japanese rice only goes with is Japanese curry.
Chinese food does seem a problem here. For those who worry about the standard of Chinese food here. I would suggest they check the menu first. If there is no duck on the menu, there will be no real Chinese food, just Japanese dishes with extra oil as Japanese think Chinese food is all oily. Chinese people love duck, and I had never been to a Chinese restaurant that didn't serve duck until I came to Japan.
Then there is the choice of cheese. Someone, I think ,mentioned Cheshire: what about Blue Cheshire or Shropshire Blue?
What is really hard to get is a good pickle that goes with cheese. American pickles are available and maybe acceptable for Americans, but we need Branston and Piccalilli. Tesco has their version of Branston. I must get some before they disappear.
We mustn't forget tea. We can get good tea if we make it at home, but why do cafes and restaurants always serve Liptons, which is definitely not British tea. They even use tea bags to make it and are not ashamed of putting tea bags in a pot.
For those who want good brown bread, I would suggest they make their own. It doesn't take much of your time with a breadmaker. Tomiyama Shoten is a good place to buy the flour.
1
gaijintraveller
And it is so long since I had it, I forgot to mention roast pork with crackling.
0
VicMOsaka
gaijintravellerSep. 14, 2011 - 08:30PM JST And it is so long since I had it, I forgot to mention roast pork with crackling.
Thats one that I forgot as well.
1
johninnaha
gaijintraveller
Do you know that the only place you can buy pork with the skin on is Okinawa and Kyushu?
I had a craving for roast pork with crackling while I was living in Sapporo. I knew a butcher up there who was excellent and asked if he could get some. And that is what he told me.
Why on Earth is pork skin restricted?
Another mystery, as you say, is the absence of pickles.
The ingredients are available though and the solution is to make them yourself.
They taste better too.
Well they do sometimes.
But, I would murder for a Melton Mowbray pork pie!
That, some nice cheese and pickles and a decent ale is my idea of heaven!
0
Jamie in Japan
This might seem really unhealthy, but I really miss Tilamook cheddar cheese spread. I wonder if there is anywhere to order it online. I also miss EZ Cheese, that spray-cheese in a can.
Oh, and TACO BELL. I really, really miss their bean burritos!
Heck, I just love cheese :) Fake, real, whatever. I especially love cheese that I can afford (so basically, only cheese from Costco now that I live in Japan)!
0
Triumvere
Pizza.
I mean real pizza. The kind with a proper crust.
-1
Tahoochi
TriumvereSep. 15, 2011 - 12:59AM JST
Do you mean American pizza? or real Italian pizza?
I miss steaks without the fat mixed in with the meat (Shimofuri). Steaks made only of meat.... that's the way steaks should be.
2
malfupete
Good pizza, proper bread (not furansu-pan), affordable cheese, better selection of fruit and veggies and steak.. speaking of which
I went to a butcher once and asked them if they could give me a top sirloin cut... they looked at me like I was from mars. I had no intention of giving them 3000yen/100g for whatever marbled piece of crap they had behind the glass, BBQ'ing those is tough because once the fat starts to render and drips into the fire.. its flame on!
In the end, I was lucky enough to find a supermarket that had australian beef and it was actually cheaper than the domestic stuff
0
Cho88
When I was there it was digestive biscuits... then we discovered the Tesco in Shin-Okubo and ALL MY BISCUIT PROBLEMS WERE SOLVED. Tesco-samaaa!
0
Badge213
Root Beer (however you can find them at specialty stores like Don Quiote and foreign specialty places). Mexican food (harder to find in Japan, and not as good in my opinion, of course Japan isn't full of Mexicans like back in the states either).
0
TheQuestion
Vernors ginger ale, the option to put cheese on everything, lake perch, the ability to eat Mexican food in a restaurant run by actual Mexicans for lunch and drive 3 miles to eat Greek food at a Greek family restaurant for dinner, and my lakes. I spent my summers on lake Huron, God it's beautiful.
Oh, and micro-brewed beer. I been stone drunk in more countries on more types of alcohol than I care to remember but I'll trade all the wine I ever had in France for a pint of stout made down the street from me.
-1
bass4funk
Yogurt, the various varieties, fruit juices-various varieties that includes 100% pasteurized Orange Juice. Real Gatorade. Real lemonade. Mexican food (which also includes Taco Bell) In n' Out! CEREAL! ONION RINGS, fruit, real fruit! Real spices and peppers-various kinds. Chicken and Turkey pies.
-1
Wurthington
A big steak from the grill and a nice meatball and cheese grinder.
0
HumanTarget
Seasonal Sam Adams
0
HumanTarget
Here's what I don't get: You can order a burger at all kinds of restaurants in Japan, but God forbid a grocery store should carry hamburger buns so you can make them yourself.
1
JacknTakatsuki
Turkey and real American hot-dogs! And, kinda.. pretzels, just plain ol' salty pretzels! Oh, and licorice...not exactly a big deal, but hey, I like licorice!
0
JacknTakatsuki
Jeez, I almost forgot...REAL bacon and Cheerios! Have no idea why Cheerios are banned in Japan??! Anyone know why??...and I too miss Taco Bell, real drek in the US, but funny, I miss the stuff here! Love the combo burritos! In Osaka area here...did I mention pot pies?? :)
0
pamelot
Not exactly the same, but English muffins work well...
There's a mouthful... Floots Roop.
What about Tums?
What is the deal on that? No Tums, anywhere in Japan?!
0
Nicky Washida
Completely agree with this and I really was positive about the whole thing when I loaded my car up with pots, soil and seeds way back in March.
Fast forward 6 months and the best part of 15,000 yen later, we have harvested about 10 tomatoes, 2 strawberries, NO brocolli at all (although the plants themselves look very pretty) we got a weed where the basil shoud have been (which I mistakenly put on pizza thinking it WAS basil) and dont even get me started on the carrots and beans, but I dont think a word exists in either Japanese or English for how pathetic they were.
So I give up. Back to Bunkado and their mysterious ”国産 - origin written on the box" which you can then never find for me.
-2
zichi
Nicky Washida,
I understand everything on that. Japan is a land of super bugs and some places like Tokyo or Kobe are difficult places for vegetable growing. I think because the winter's are not cold enough to kill enough of the super bugs. Last year in Kobe was the same for me. I spent about ¥10,000 only one morning to discover everything eaten. I didn't even manage to get a single dinner. But in the Alps I managed to grow more than 50 kinds of vegetables.
Probably, you need to find some land which is easy, outside of Tokyo. I know people from Nagano, bankers, CEO's who all work in Tokyo but each weekend go home to do farming. The land idea which you can borrow or rent, would work better if you had a small group of say, five or six, each taking turns.
Some guy in Tokyo is rice farming on the roof of tall buildings, maybe the super bugs don't fly that high?
3
JapanGal
@Pamelot
It is easy to get hamburger buns. Say you need 4 of them. You go to McDonald's and order 4 hamburgers, but you tell them no condiments and hold the burger. Tell them to put them in a separate bag. That way you can give the burgers to some poor dog tied up outside only fed rice gruel and make a friend, and then you take your buns home. Cost ¥400. WOnderful!
1
Maria
Pork scratchings, then. not the light crispy ones, th heavy, tooth-breaking ones with a thick layer of fat on one side. 3 packets is the calorific RDA of the average adult! Bloody lovely...
0
ojiiu812badboy
authentic ethnic cuisine without the "Japanese touch" and cheap mangos. @JapanGal, u r a trip, lmao
-1
Maitake
Nessie and Johninnaha: Thanks! I will try those, and I go to Phred's sometimes too, if I tell him Johninnaha said "hey", he will know who I'm talking about?
-7
Cos
That's funny to read. If someone that never came to Japan read the huge problems the Brits here have to find proper food... they'd get convinced that it's so much worse than in North Korea. Well roughly, for so many, the thing is you have never walked further than the first supermarket, and never bothered to check that the second had their burger buns, "cereals", pork skin, you name it.
"authentic ethnic cuisine without the "Japanese touch" "
No, what you want is foreign cuisines adapted to your country's taste (or lack of).
-1
Kevin Lee Brooke
Nicky WashidaSep. 13, 2011 - 06:23PM JST
Crikey! Maybe it's time for you to just go home!
Or maybe not - at least here I wont gain 10kgs from liquorice allsorts alone!
LOL. Hope you didn't take offense. Your list was just so long... :)
2
ojiiu812badboy
@cos NO! the topic is Living in Japan...so evidently I refer to foreign foods. Some restaurants advertise as French, Caribbean, Italian, etc. and create their own way out concoctions. If they can't cut it, they shouldn't even try. Authentic is the operative word.
1
johninnaha
Maitake
If he looks blankly at you - tell him the fat, bald gaijin in Naha who loves his beer!
Hokkaido has some great food that I miss terribly.
It's not a foreign country, I know, but I miss the potatoes, tomatoes, ainu negi, boribori (mushrooms), fresh wakame in March, and tachi ("shirakko," the "naughty bits" of tara (cod), in winter.
0
Pukey2
zichi:
I never said you were in Okinawa. I was replying to john!
1000 yen? That says it all.
About the same. I bet you thought I was going to say less. Sorry but I'm not FOB.
You're right there! However, please don't think foreigners are the only ones complaining. My Japanese partner is just as disappointed when we see certain fruits for 2000 yen a piece. When we visited the UK recently, this is just some of the stuff inside my partner's suitcase - packet of ASDA soups for 10p (yes - 13 yen for 3 sachets!!!), lots of cheap chocolate chip cookies (without the ubiquitous trans-fat), Maggie sauce for less than a pound,Terry's chocolate orange, more soups, and the list goes on. I myself got a 1kg (or was it 2kg?) tub of pure peanut butter (without the hydrogenated fat crap or sugar) and this cost me about 300 yen. Double that price for a typical small jar of Japanese peanut butter (triple if you want it without trans-fat). Got 1kg bags of brown basmati 1 pound each. The list goes on.
Half the stuff you can't get in Japan. The rest you can, but you'd better be prepared to travel and lose a lot from your wallet. Not all of us are made of money.
1
JohnJude
Mexican food. Tamales, Burrittos,Tacos.....Turkey on Thanksgiving. Baked Ham. Pizza.
0
Cos
@Ojiu
In every country there are restaurants that adapt foreign cuisine. That doesn't mean you don't have "authentic" cuisine too. There are even some shops that gives you a choice, with a part of the menu "classics", and some creations for local taste. Even if they add a natto mayo pizza on a side of the menu, that won't affect the quality and authentic baking of their margherita. If the baker has meron-pan in the same shop as the bagels, the baguettes and the ciabattas, they don't get contaminated. Surely you don't find all the cuisines of the world, but I have never seen a place like Japan where you find a so big density of restaurants that import the chef and a team of cooks (or send theirs to train abroad), the equipment and necessary ingredients, or even start producing them especially. It's usually easy to know which doing the classic, which is not, before entering, ordering... if you know what the authentic looks like, tastes like, it's very obvious.
" Authentic is the operative word."
That's your personal problem if you are so traditionalist. I really care more about the quality and freshness of ingredients and the talent of the cook. For instance, Mc Donald, KFC, Subway, I'm sure it's authentic. Idem if I see a Yoshinoya abroad.
"If they can't cut it, they shouldn't even try. "
But why ? I see no problem at all with adaptation and fusion. After, you like it or not... Surely Wiener Schnitzel is more authentic than tonkatsu. So what ? Nobody is forced to go to a tonkatsu restaurant.
1
Jerry Johnston
southern barbecue. especially ribs.
0
pamelot
@ Japan Gal:
I'm not looking for them.
Notice when the type is slightly faded, you are quoting someone...
0
jamplass
I'm missing similar items to what's already been written here: turkey, cheap micro-brew and cheese, licorice, decent mexican food, and reuben sandwiches!
0
It"S ME
You can get turkey at "Niku no hanamasa"(all year round) stores like Kinokuniya Foods, Miuraya, etc also stock around Thanksgiving/X-Mas season Plus of course various stuffings.
I know of a local farm that raises Turkeys here.
2
JapanGal
Was just having fun Pam. Got to stay humorous in any country you live in.
0
globalwatcher
A thick juicy Angus beef steak (medium rare ) with a cinamon buttered mashed sweet potato. Chipotle.
0
cloa513
Yogurt in big tubs in wide range of flavours. Plain yoghurt in vanilla.
0
FightingViking
Danish Rye bread (black), escargots (have to pay their flight from France - in 1st class - over here...) and cuisses de grenouille... (the Japanese ones seem to be far too "athletic" they're FAR too big...)
2
Hunter Brumfield
No question... Tennessee white pulled pork BBQ, smoked, side order of beans and slaw. Then the next day cheese enchiladas San Antonio style.
Repeat.
0
Takuma7
Pizza without Mayonaise
0
Piltdown Man
Turkey, baked potatoes with all the condiments (bacon bits, sour cream, loads of butter, chives, etc.), good and inexpensive pancake breakfasts with buttermilk pancakes and hash browns, split pea soup, lasagne, a good reasonably-priced and readily-available selection of non-mass produced craft beers, home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner and other meals made from scratch — oh yeah, and Taco Bell, too.
0
Azida Primus
I just missed the rice and halal foods that hard and expensive to get in Iwakuni.
0
zichi
Azida Primus,
move to Kobe City!
0
Isthiezak
Alcoholic Cider, especially Strongbow. You can buy it in some English pubs here, but not in the shops.
-1
It"S ME
Ishiezak.
Can check tomorrow as I will hit my local liquor Import shop, they usually stock Strongbow, Castle Lager, Hunters, etc. Ditto for Yameya.
0
KOJINSARU
Good old southern comfort food.
0
Sophie Shimizu
The only thing I miss in Japan is the seasoning on KFC chips. I mean why on earth make KFC chips plain and boring!? Isn't the point of KFC those chips!? Eating them with a little tub of potato and gravy is better than eating the chicken... Which in Japan is usually over done anyway. Oh! And zingers! Ok. I'm not a junk food addict.... I'm just able to fine all the other things people are listing ;) for anyone with the time check out the foreign buyers club. You will find lots of goodies there.
0
Kris Gaethofs
For those making their own dark bread with a breadmaker. Any recommendations for an online shop that sells the needed flour?
Things I miss most are the incredible assortment of bread we can get at home (Belgium) and fine meats, cheese to go with the bread.
0
SpanishEyez37
Being able to get ingredients to make Puerto Rican food, like gandules, sazon, achiote. Oh and pernil YUM! Wish customs here weren't so damn strict with everything sigh
0
It"S ME
Kris.
Try Cuoca. http://www.cuoca.com.
A few of my friends that bake their own bread buy from them online, I buy from their brick and mortar store a 2 stations away. They also have pre-mixes for bread-makers, good way to get started initially.
I can get most stuff in western Tokyo and we also get many specialised stores, butchers, bakeries.
4
Virtuoso
Thanks to being in Japan, I've discovered lots of new foods that I probably never would have encountered back home, in a town of 37,000 souls. Like katsu-kare and oyako-don. Unagi. Yaki gyoza. Hiyashi Chuuka (which is apparently native to Japan, or so my Chinese friends tell me.) Or kabocha flavored bagels. Living here has been a voyage of gustatory discovery!
0
Foxie
Kris,
Cuoca has a great variety of things but I find their flours too expensive. Try this one: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/kusumoto/c/0000000108/
-1
Frungy
Biltong (South African jerky is the closest description I can think of, although biltong is thicker, and juicier, not dry like cardboard).
For the rest I either buy it or can make it myself. I bake my own bread (including a killer chedder cheese, bacon and onion bread). I notice a lot of people want proper Christmas puddings and Christmas cake. I cook 3 puddings and a christmas cake every year, and yes, it's tedious and takes a day or two of soaking fruit in brandy and guinness and allowing the batter to settle properly, but it is possible to make your own (although my first attempt was a bit of a disaster).
-1
Andrew Grimes
Marks and Sparks mince pies, walnut whips and ginger beer
-3
Nicky Washida
None taken - had a good laugh myself after hitting submit!
As luck would have it - got a package yesterday! I can now supply the greater metropolis of Tokyo with PGTips if anyone fancies popping over for a cuppa, and can I add to my list "anything from Marks and Spencer" including their undies, which I know you cant eat (unless you are so inclined) but which deserve a special mention just for being so utterly fabulous?!
Right - off to scoff some percy pigs and fruitella!
0
cleo
Good on Frungy for making your own Christmas cakes/puds! I get a small pud sent out each year by a dear, understanding friend; a small one is all I need since son and I are the only ones who like it. I'm the only one on my radar who likes Christmas cake, and while actually cooking and decorating one is no great hassle (I used to do it), getting all the right ingredients is such a bother that I can't really justify the time and expense just for me - and then it lasts so long even I get sick of it. Instead since family and friends all like mince pies I've got the creation of veggie mincemeat down to a fine art; making too much is no problem, what doesn't get used in mince pies goes into baked apples/bread pudden during the year.
Thanks to those who posted links to bread flour! I get good Canadian bread flour from seikyo, but it's good to have access to different varieties.
-1
smithinjapan
zichi: "Osaka is the food capital of Japan."
Well, they do have the 'kuidaore' expression, to be sure, but that more or less applied to a period in history and doesn't hold true as much today. You CAN find one or more authentic places from various cultures if you look hard enough, but it's still pretty barren all told. Kobe has the only Greek restaurant I've found in all of Kansai, but it's pretty weak. That aside, there's still a major lack of diversity.
mousetime: "Why is it that so many people have clicked "bad"? I have never seen so many minuses in a poll before."
Thumbs up or down, I agree that it's a bit odd that people would rate someone's comment on what they miss either way. But then again, try to see it not as someone saying another person is right or wrong, but that they do not agree with another's tastes. For example, when I saw the word 'vegemite' my gag reflex quite naturally kicked in, so if I were to click 'bad' on said post (which I didn't), it would simply be a kind of folksy way of saying 'yuck!'.
Anyway, one more thing I miss is a big, fat, block of cheese. You can buy slivers of cheese for the price of a block back home, or a dozen kinds of shredded and sliced cheese, but unless you order from an importer it's pretty tough to find a good block of old cheddar or otherwise. Oddly, until recently I found small blocks of jack cheddar and mild cheddar at Speed -- yes, the 100 en shop (although the food section is not subject to the 100 yen limit -- but they stopped selling cheese of late.
-2
mousetime
smith. For once I respect what you are saying. Don't take that the wrong way. We are just at odds on an issue. But I do find it more tasteful than anything to criticize food /music culture. We all have different taste and respect is something that is required. YOU and I probably have different tastes in food and music (although I get my big cheddar cheese(not old) from Costco) so I find it pathetic to rate someone's food or music. It just seems ridiculously arrogant to click bad over something that someone likes. Taste is in the taste buds of the taster. Music is the ears of the listener.
Personally, I didn't think that this would be one of those forums where people should click good or bad on what someone likes. If you clicked bad on something that someone likes it just seems ridiculous. We need to look at the things that people like and try to understand it for it is. Just my opinion.
-2
mousetime
"tasteful" should be "tacky" Duh, on my pat.
-2
mousetime
Duh, on my part again. LMFAO @ myself!!!!!
0
Africanist
I don't miss most from my own country. I miss good Mexican food, I miss Ghanaian food, I miss several European cuisines that are totally mangled in Japan. But there's not so much I miss from my own country.
-3
steve@CPFC
Birds Instant Custard, Ginsters Cornish Pasties, Walls pork sausages, Liquorice Allsorts, Quorn, Double Decker, Toffee Crisp, King Edward potatoes, Fruit Pastells, Frey Bentos Steak And Ale Pies, and Steak And Kidney Pudding, Angel delight, Heinz Salad Cream, Tunnocks Tea Cakes, Princes tinned Cod Roe, M and S Red Tea Bags, Burger King Spicey Bean burger, Tango, Manzes of Angel Islingtons pie and mash and liquer.
0
Saoirse
red lemonade
1
JapanGal
I miss the water from America
0
troyinjapan
I hate to say this, and I know all the Mexicans are going to scream bloody murder or anyone else who appreciates good Mexican food, but I miss El Torrittos and even Taco Bell. Can't stand El Pollo Loco. SORRY!!!!! Don't hate me for that. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
0
Mark Wilson
When I came back to the UK on a business trip, i dumped my case at the hotel, hailed a black taxi and commanded "Take me to a fish & chip shop". A few hours later, it was "Take me to the donner kebabs", one of which I ate in the pouring rain, not caring a bit. Also, there used to be a website called britsabroad which delivered non-perishable groceries worldwide.. I ordered malt vinegar, a box of BBQ beef Hula Hoops, chicken & beef Bisto & OXO, a big box of Extra Strong Mints. Mainly, I missed the huge range of microwave food in the UK. The nearest edible equivalent I got was branded Imperial Hotel. Even then, emergency use only. A pub in Ebisu, What The Dickens, used to do British food sometimes- wasn't much good though - cold shepherd's pie was their best shot.
0
Equality
The list used to be small, but now includes practically everything, since I don't have to worry whether it's irradiated or not.
0
smithinjapan
mousetime: "But I do find it more tasteful than anything to criticize food /music culture. We all have different taste and respect is something that is required. YOU and I probably have different tastes in food and music (although I get my big cheddar cheese(not old) from Costco)..."
I get mine from FBC (though they probably go through CostCo). Anyway, to each their own. Like I said before, I think the ratings on this particular thread are merely a reflection of taste and not meant to be insulting or anything else (again, the only exception being NetNinja's massive 'bad' rating because of what he said about Japan). People aren't saying, "You're wrong!" or, "You're right!", they just showing they share similar tastes or different tastes. If I saw someone say they miss a nice cheesesteak hoagie I might give it a thumbs up because I miss them as well.
Today I miss Greek food.
-1
It"S ME
Agree with smith.
Personally agree with smith but don't agree with people that want x-food by y-brand. Get adventurous, we got a saying back home "What the farmer don't know, the farmer don't eat nor taste.". Said that little of our true cooking comes pre-packaged and is always home-made.
Lots of good foods and most can still be cooked with local ingredients and can be nearly as good. Nothing beats the "Fukuro-no-aji".
Surprised that many posters here claim to have cooking skills but don't cook the food the crave themselves? I cook foods from a variety of countries.
With the net now recipes are dime a dozen and most ingredients can be sourced online, local butcher sees my face and knows I want meat that he can't sell standard but he will oblige and help me out.
Was way different 15yrs ago but now there are so many options to get ingredients, recipes, etc.
No excuses really for missing anything. Of course prices are higher and thus the foods become a treat and not daily consumables.
-1
It"S ME
Said that still looking for a proper "mint-sauce" recipe to go with my lamb-chops
No brand just the flavour I like and got to know.
-1
It"S ME
Will ask "TheMeatGuy" on my next order if he will consider doing Biltong, his Boerewors is great(if skinny and I am not even South African). Also love his pies. Lets get a drive going, I know he does read this forum.
All the people that I know that ate Biltong preferred it over Beef Jerky, that fat on the outside is oh-so yummy. He got the equipment to do it properly. Reckon would be a good seller for him and I would order a lot.
Also glad he does offer some great foods from my home-country(ham, bacon, cheese), he got a major order incoming soon.
0
ukguyjp
Decent Bacon.
-1
It"S ME
Uh-Oh, got a thumb down.
Was it because I said there is better stuff than jerky(which is dried and hard to chew).
Or for any other reason.
Would agree to a thumb-down if said poster had actually tried proper Biltong and replied with why he/she don't like it.
0
It"S ME
Plenty of posters here said "Decent Bacon" but NONE of the readers know what it means. Clarifiy.
Plenty of bacons across the globe(many varieties) yet my english friends swear by the Austrian Smoked Bacon I serve.
0
sctaber56
I'm sure it's out there, but whole grain breads and my mother-in-law's homemade chicken tacos = to die for.
0
Rosemary Godley
Porridge...Jungle oats (south African brand) normal or instant...toffee and banana flavour!
0
butterfly123
soft licorice
soft, sandwich sliced multi-grain bread
tasty or colby low fat cheese
cordial
good sliced fresh ham
leg of lambs often
0
ZENJI
our local beers, fish and chips
-1
JapanGal
Japanese bacon is great. What is wrong with you people. It is how you cook it, not the pig itself.
0
Rosemary Godley
What I wouldn'[t do for a Thai pie from South Africa and bakers biscuits and some simba chips!
0
Rosemary Godley
That should read Thai chicken pie...yumm!
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