Apparently they held a vote to choose the flavor, and orange came out on top. I have some more orange flavored goodies I’ll be posting soon–it seems like a really hot flavor right now. I keep seeing it everywhere!

Also everywhere? Sky Tree paraphernalia! It’s just a few short months till the grand opening on May 22nd, and Tokyo is starting to get excited. Or at least get merchandise. I’ve been seeing souvenirs popping up in Roppongi, Shinjuku…clear on the other side of town!

Are you looking forward to Tokyo Sky Tree opening? Do orange-flavored Kit Kats sound like a good idea? What do you think?

The green tea is mixed with a lovely red bean syrup, which reminds me of the Sakura Latte from last year. Sakura time is just around the corner, and I can’t wait for a pretty pink Sakura Frappuccino. This will happily hold me over in the mean time!

In addition to the red bean syrup both in and on the drink, there’s also a sprinkle of kinako, or soy bean powder on top. Kinako is a very Japanese flavor, often used in traditional sweets.

Overall I prefer the frappuccino, as I think the flavors blended better. With the hot latte, mine separated a bit and I was left with a bitter flavor at the end. The beginning was delicious, though!

The current desserts are really nice too. On the left is a chocolate banana tartlet, which had a lovely creamy flavor and a tender crust. On the right is the Berry Heart Cake Pop, which was rich and fruity. My only complaint about these minis is that they’re so small! I could easily eat 4 or 5 of these berry heart things! They’re a bit pricey, but I enjoy them when I feel like splurging a little.

Have you tried any of the Azuki Matcha Line at Starbucks here in Japan? What did you think?

Thanks, Tricia!

That being said, I love these Disney interpretations we found when we went to Tokyo Disney Sea a few weeks ago! I especially loved that they used Mushu from Mulan as the dragon. Very clever!

First up is a lovely papercraft from Paper Artist Takashi Ohta. It was a tiny little thing tucked away in a gift shop near the front. I almost missed it, but it ended up being one of my favorite sights of the day. So delicate and lovely.

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Next up was this lovely tin of cookies, always one of my favorite souvenirs.

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The flavors were quite traditional Japanese, as far as these things go. The green ones are of course green tea, and I was surprised that the black ones were actually black sesame. Yummy!

What do you think? Are you celebrating Chinese New Year? I miss being home for the big family dinner (and little red envelopes!) but I like seeing how Japan ushers in the Year of the Dragon. Very cool!

Speaking of the Fuckin’ Sale, did you see we got Gawker‘d? How cool is that?

This week’s Engrish comes to us courtesy of @Shogannai, who originally posted it on Instagram. Are you on Instagram? I just started (@vyxle, of course), and I’m suddenly addicted. Shame that it’s limited to iPhones, but otherwise it’s great fun. Anyway, thanks again, @Shogannai!

Lost in Tokyo, Mark Bramley

One Week in Japan, Mike Matas

Tokyo Echos, Blue Eden

They’re all beautiful, but I think the first one is my favorite. How about you? Are there any I should add to the list?

First up is the Grand Canyon Burger!

Fried egg, double bun, two kinds of cheese, relish, fried onions, the brown sweet onion sauce from the Texas 2 Burger. Oh, and of course the hallmark oversized beef patty that hangs off the bun. Overall it’s pretty tasty, and after ditching most of the bun I don’t quite feel like death is pulling me tighter into her sweet embrace (see: Idaho Burger.)

That being said, I’m perplexed. What on earth does this have to do with the Grand Canyon? To be fair, I’m not terribly familiar with the regional cuisine, but I can’t honestly think of any food product that I associate with this natural wonder.

After all, with the Idaho Burger, they put a freaking potato on the thing. That just makes sense. And with the Miami Burger you can see the thought process, at least–”Miami means Latin flavors, which means Mexican food, which means Doritos.” But how does this represent the Grand Canyon?

As a special bonus to the Big America series, we have the newest dessert from McDonald’s Japan–the Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie.

Not gonna lie, this thing is effing delicious. First off, all McDonald’s pies are deep fried in Japan, so of course they’re going to be delicious. You could deep fry a shoe and it would probably be pretty tasty, so deep frying a flaky pie full of cream cheese and blueberry jam is an obvious home run.

They’re for a limited time only, which is definitely a good thing. I do not need these tasty little fatbombs tempting me whenever I pass through the train station on a late night out, with my inhibitions depleted and a hundred and twenty yen burning a hole in my pocket. And I’ll do my best to stay away from the “Just one more before they’re gone…” trap. In fact, these things should probably be illegal, and I’m sure they would be in Jaime Oliver’s world. Damn, you deliciousness!

Well, actually the sale is still on until Monday, but I spoke with the people from Gallerie earlier today (hurray, my Japanese is getting better!) and apparently they’ve decided to take down the fuckin’ signs.

They also apologized for any offense taken over their hilariously offensive sign. Personally, I thought it was fuckin’ brilliant, but I suppose they’ve been getting rather a lot of press, and not the sort they wanted. Aw, well. Fuckin’ eh.

They’ve also cleaned up the website a bit, and it’s quite neutralized now.

In the meantime, here’s another fuckin’ fabulous gem from their website. Which bland DO YOU LIKE?

Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll be sure to tell you guys if I hear anything else from the good folks over at Gallerie. Don’t forget to check out part two of the Fuckin’ Sale Saga, and if you like Engrish, you might also enjoy Jew Nail, Little Pricks, and of course, Fukkin’ the Isu. And don’t forget to check back every Friday, for our always entertaining Engrish of the Week!

In fact, here’s another shot from the sale that’s been making the rounds:

I hope somewhere a marketing executive is giggling themselves senseless over all the attention this must be garnering for the sale. It’s still going on till Monday! If you missed the original shot from yesterday, don’t forget to check out the Fuckin’ Sale!

And if you enjoy Engrish, you might also enjoy Jew Nail, Little Pricks, and of course, Fukkin’ the Isu. And don’t forget to check back every Friday, for our Engrish of the week!

Best fuckin’ Engrish of the year?

EDITED TO ADD: This is confirmed, from Gallerie by Spinns, and is a promotion related to their New Year’s Fukubukuro, or Lucky Bags. Get it? Fuku…fuckin’… Beautiful. Well done, Japan. Well done.

Here’s another fabulous image from their website:

UPDATE: But wait, there’s more! Bonus Engrish — Fuckin’ Sale part two!

If you enjoy Engrish, you might also enjoy Jew Nail, Little Pricks, and of course, Fukkin’ the Isu. And don’t forget to check back every Friday, for our Engrish of the week!