drink | nihonshock

Apr

17

2010

Kangoku izakaya: a dinner in prison

Have you been a bad boy or bad girl lately? Well, maybe you should turn yourself in for your heinous crimes at a kangoku izakaya.

Kangoku (監獄かんごく) means prison, and izakaya (居酒屋いざかや) is a Japanese style drinking restaurant. So a kangoku izakaya is a Japanese restaurant/bar that has been styled to look like a prison! And if the thought of vicious felons and dirty prison cells doesn’t whet your appetite, I don’t know what will.

drink food izakaya Read full article

Jan

21

2010

Flavor Success: Chocolate Soda

Seriously, Japan. WTF? “Chocolate Sparkling” from Suntory.

Do you take some sort of sick pleasure in forcing me to drink these ridiculous concoctions!?!?!? Curse you, curse yo….. wait… This is… actually not half bad.

chocolate drink flavor soda success suntory Read full article

Jan

15

2010

Flavor Fail: Chocolate Beer

I’m a Sapporo beer fan. I prefer their brews to Asahi and Kirin, and generally rave about their special releases. So when I saw this on the shelf at my local convenience store, I approached it with an open mind. I like chocolate, I like beer, I like Sapporo. Therefore, I like this, right? right…?

alcohol disgusting drink flavor Read full article

Oct

27

2009

Outlandish Japanese flavors: Azuki (sweet bean) Pepsi

Not long ago you could find matcha (powdered green tea) flavored coca cola at convenience stores around Japan. Thankfully that scourge seems to have passed, but the age old rivalry between Pepsi and Coke wages on, and Pepsi has fired back with… sweet bean flavor? all…. right….