5 stories
A café in Dongyang, China went viral for selling coffee topped with eggs boiled in boys' urine — a centuries-old local delicacy — at 100-plus cups a day on weekends. Medical experts questioned the hygiene, locals debated the tradition, and the shop eventually pulled the drink from its menu once the internet got involved.
Belgium's most famous chocolatier has teamed up with Japanese confectionery company Fujiya to produce chocolate sesame tofu — a dessert that belongs to no recognizable food category and apparently sells out within days of hitting shelves. Now restocked with a cherry blossom sakura edition timed to the season, both varieties are available at supermarkets across Japan until April 30th for around $2.25 each.
Japan has found a way to make its beloved convenience store fried chicken even more comforting: by making it three feet long and impossible to eat. 7-Eleven Japan's latest Happy Kuji lottery prize is a 90cm plushie version of its iconic karaage-bo chicken skewer, complete with detachable pieces — for cuddling purposes only. For 850 yen a pull, you're not buying a snack; you're buying a lifestyle choice.
A Japanese restaurant chain has solved the ancient problem of eating sushi with one hand during cherry blossom season, inventing a push-pop contraption that delivers four pieces of nigiri directly to your mouth without chopsticks or a free hand. Available at just two locations for a limited time — "until the cherry blossoms scatter" — it is proof that Japan's commitment to snack engineering remains unmatched.
Pizza Hut Japan has partnered with the 78-year-old inventor of ie-kei ramen to create a pizza topped with chewy ramen noodles, chashu pork, spinach, and a tonkotsu-chicken sauce — served with garlic vinegar and dried seaweed on the side. The Yokohama Ie-kei Ramen Pizza is available through March 31 and costs around $14.50 for a medium. Whether it counts as pizza, ramen, or a cry for help is left as an exercise for the diner.