What's Trending in Japan?! Weekly Digest (10/29 - 11/2, 2018)
Are you sick of getting late news on the newest hot topics in Japan? Here's a quick and easy weekly digest that'll give you the scoop on the top 3 trends making waves on Japan's social media platforms! This week covers more unique eats, including gachapon pasta, the most beautiful instant soup you'll ever see, and Cobb salad flavored potato sticks! Keep reading to find out all the delicious details.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Mystery Pasta - the Perfect Choice for When You Don't Know What to Order
Gachapon (or "gashapon") is a type of Japanese vending machine in which you spend a set amount to get a mystery prize, usually some sort of figure, toy, or other collectable item. These types of machines are popular all over Japan and even abroad, but have you ever heard of getting pasta from a gachapon??
Well, Merka Italian Food Restaurant, a new restaurant in the Umeda area of Osaka, is currently running a campaign (Oct. 25 - Nov. 7) in which you can get your lunch or dinner from a gachapon machine!
Of course, the pasta itself isn't inside the machine, but each ball you get from the machine will contain a ticket that will tell you what kind of sauce you will get over your spaghetti noodles. Each ball costs 500 yen, and there are 13 possible sauces to get.
Every possible pasta sauce is a great deal, as the cheapest one costs 600 yen on the regular menu, but the grand prize that everyone will surely be after is the Lobster Tomato Sauce, which usually costs a whopping 2,355 yen!
Other choices include classics like carbonara, Genovese, and Bolognese.
This is a limited time event, and they only sell 200 servings per day, so if you have the chance, make your way down to LUCUA Osaka before it's too late!
That Delicious-Looking Chocolate Truffle is Actually....Miso Soup??
While the above picture may look like a delectable box of chocolate truffles, it's actually a box of Misomaru, a type of instant miso soup that comes in ball form.
All you have to do is put a Misomaru into a cup or mug, add hot water, and then voila! You have a delicious and comforting bowl of miso soup within seconds.
* The above video is of a homemade miso ball and not of a branded Misomaru product.
There are five flavors in all: Shredded Daikon and Yuzu, Tomato and Cheese, Sakura Shrimp and Almond, Sea Lettuce and Nori (seaweed), and Carrot and Burdock Root. In addition to the unique form that the miso soup takes, the flavors themselves are quite creative as well! Try to taste them all to pick your favorite.
If you don't want to buy these online, your only chance to find them is during a limited-time exhibition, the next one of which is taking place from November 19th - 27th, 2018, at the Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store in Osaka. Keep your eyes on the official homepage for details about more exhibitions in the future.
The Cobb Salad Potato Snack You've Been Waiting for Is Finally Here
Jagariko is a popular brand of flavored potato sticks that can be found in convenience stores all around Japan. It's normal flavors available all-year-round include Salad Flavor, but now for limited time at the convenience store Lawson, you can get the special Cobb Salad Flavor, which packs even more punch into the popular snack.
There are a few differences between this flavor and the regular salad flavor, one of them being the Mexican spices added to make this a Mexican cobb salad flavor.
In addition, you will be able to taste bacon, avocado, and tomato. This is actually the first limited-time Jagariko flavor in history to combine six different ingredients into one flavor, so try to see if you can taste them all after one bite!
If you're the type who likes to savor your salty snacks over a few days instead of gobbling them all up at once, Lawson also sells this convenient Jagariko lid (pictured above), which you can snap onto the container after removing the paper seal.
Bonus: Learn All About the Best Sushi to Eat in the Wintertime!
Everyone loves sushi, but did you know that there are certain sushi toppings that are best enjoyed in particular seasons? Now that winter is just around the corner, get your stomach ready by reading about all the types of sushi you need to make sure to try during the season!
And that's that! The trends are always quickly changing, so there will always be something new from week to week. Check back in once a week and see if anything catches your eye!
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Check out the weekly trends from the past 5 weeks!
What's Trending in Japan?! Weekly Digest (10/22 - 10/26, 2018)
What's Trending in Japan?! Weekly Digest (10/15 - 10/19, 2018)
What's Trending in Japan?! Weekly Digest (10/8 - 10/12, 2018)
What's Trending in Japan?! Weekly Digest (10/1 - 10/5, 2018)
What's Trending in Japan?! Weekly Digest (9/24 - 9/28, 2018)
Also, if you want to give feedback on any of our articles, you have an idea that you'd really like to see come to life, or you just have a question on Japan, hit us up on our Facebook, Twitter, or tell us through this Google Form!
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.
About the author
