A Small Taste of Tokyo

My son and I have been missing a few things since our return from Tokyo. We stopped at Uwajimaya to stock up on a few of them. He got a few big bottles of his beloved CC Lemon. We also got a few boxes of Kinoko no Yama. The name means "mountain mushrooms." They are pretty much the same as Pocky but shaped like a mushroom with a chocolate cap. In Tokyo I found them at one convenience store in a tiramisu flavor. Those were a big hit. Another Tokyo treat that I can't find in the US is the matcha (green tea) flavored Kit Kats. I read about them online years ago and was on the hunt for them the whole I time I was in Japan. I finally found them at the Narita airport just before we left! (Japan gets lots of limited edition Kit Kat flavors we never see in the US. I don't know how popular Apple Vinegar flavor would be here. There's a whole website for Japanese Kit Kats.) I was also kicking myself for not going to Kinokyniya in Tokyo because the mark up on books is pretty huge. There was a book store in the same building as the hostel but it only had a few knitting books (with lots of crochet).

Other things I miss from Japan:

1. Green Tea Diet Coke. I am a Diet Coke junkie and the little green tea flavor was really delicious and refreshing on a hot, hot day. There's also a shiso-flavored Pepsi but I don't like regular Pepsi so I didn't try it.
2. Delicious, cheap food. What I wouldn't give for some of this right about now. With a Shoju sour. (It's Shoju with soda then they bring you fresh citrus fruit to juice into it. Wonderfully light and refreshing.)
3. Clean public toilets. Toilets in Japan are practically an art form. It's always an adventure heading to the restroom to see just how many buttons are on the toilet. Many have built-in bidet but one restaurant had a motion sensor toilet that raised the lid for you as you entered and turned on a light. Unfortunately a lot of these toilets have heated seats which is lovely, I'm sure, when it's cold out but extremely unpleasant on a super-hot summer day.
4. Clean streets with no grafitti.
5. Great public transportation. The train and subway system in Tokyo is confusing but operates efficiently. It offers you a clean, safe way to get all over the city. Seattle is lightyears behind even most American cities in public transit.

There are a lot of things we don't miss about Tokyo too. Like the oppressive heat and humidity and cigarette smokers everywhere.