Job Discussion Forums

[freddie's friend daniel]

I was here before in the early 90's for a couple of years and loved nata de coco, which you could get everywhere. Now I'm back and it seems to have disappeared off the supermarket shelves. Can it really be that it has fallen out of favor with the great Japanese consumer? I managed to find some the other day inside some orange jelly concoction but would rather have a nice big pot of the real thing.
Also, when I was last here, Calbee were producing the most superb vinegar-flavor chips. There's no sign of them anymore either.
Do any of you long-termers remember these items or were they just a figment of my tastebuds' imagination?

[spidey]

mmmmmmm...salt & vinegar chips...

The only vinegar flavored chips that I have found are "pringles." The only places that I have seen them are at "Jungle" which is a gift shop chain that has a lot of imported goods and in the Ueno market district in Tokyo at a little mom and pop import shop.
Nothing in a bag however...

If you find some let me know.

S

[JimDunlop2]

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Teacher! Pick me! Pick me!

I had the same troubles with S&V chips... I don't know if this chain is "Japan-wide" or not, but around here "Midas" is the name of a chain of import-shops. They carry everything from cosmetics to food, and assorted widgets/gagets from abroad too..

It's somewhat overpriced but if you're jonesin' for some specialty products, it's worth it...

I saw a similar store in Okazaki, Aichi-ken last summer. It wasn't "Midas" but it had the same store markings/decorations and I think I remember seeing someplace that it was the same chain.

In Tokyo, there is a really nice little import shop at Akihabara station. When you exit JR Akihabara, immediately next to it is a department store. Ground level is all restaurants, but take the stairs/escalator up to the top (I think) floor and they have a fairly well-stocked import store there.

There is another one that I know of, on the xth floor of the Sunshine 60 building in Ikebukuro.... It's called World Import Mart or something like that. It's quite large. Don't know if they have S&V chips though.

Oh yeah. sorry.. One more.. (edit).... There's a large import store/everything store on the bottom floor of "Venus Fort" shopping mall in Odaiba, Tokyo too. It's quality!

Good luck!

[freddie's friend daniel]

Well, it took two months but I have found some salt+vinegar crisps. I just happened upon them in a Daily Yamazaki near here that I have never been in before (it was fate!). The brand is Koikeya and they are a "limited edition". Ahhh, what a happy day.

[Vince]

I remember nata de coco. I liked it, but my wife told me not to eat it because it contained an ingredient linked to health problems. It might have gone off the market for that reason.

[David W]

I've seen nata de coco in a shop called A-Price which is a shop that sells restaurant sized containers of various things, like 4 litres of soy sauce and so on. I don't know if it's a chain or not.

[freddie's friend daniel]

Eh? Nata de coco is bad for your health? I'm a gonner.