Ministop
Japanese convenience store chain hops on the boosted-volume-for-the-same-price train for a limited time.
Japan’s favorite convenience store for ice cream may have just invented the best way to eat it.
This premium ice cream is designed to look like the vegetable from which it’s made, but that’s just one of its many attractive qualities.
The Japanese are known for not being able to handle spicy food. While it is true that traditional Japanese cuisine tends to have rather mild flavors and limit the use of spices, and there are still many who don’t have the tongue to tough out a bit of heat, times are a-changin’. Now, many Japanese people are more than happy to sit down to a hot plate of Indian curry, a fiery bowl of Korean tteokbokki, or enjoy a kick from a spicy snack like Karamucho (カラムーチョ).
These popular hot chili-flavored chips have been around for years, but they’re now being revamped into six new, unique meal items, from bento to fiery chicken, to be sold at the Ministop convenience store chain throughout Japan. So fire up your taste buds, foodies, and come take a look at the hot, new lineup!
One of the manga/anime items that has long caught the fancy of the Japanese public is, interestingly, a kind of meat that has come to be known as “manga meat” (manga niku), or sometimes also as “primeval meat” (genshi niku). From the mammoth meat that appeared in the 1970’s anime First Human Giatrus (yes, the story was set in the stone age and it was supposed to be actual mammoth meat!) to meats appearing in more recent anime such as Dragon Ball and One Piece, the image of the manga niku has captivated us, making us fantasize about taking a chewy bite of the fictional fare.
Well, Japanese convenience chain Mini Stop is currently offering a product that to a certain degree lets you fulfill that fantasy. It’s the Hammer Chicken Primeval-style Meat with Bone (Hone-tsuki Genshi Niku fu Hammer Chicken) which went on sale just this week, and as you might expect, we hurried over to a Mini Stop to get a taste.
Japan has a somewhat confusing take on hotdogs compared to other countries. For example, you’d be hard pressed to find packs of hotdogs on sale at any supermarket let alone buns, and yet they’re readily available on the breakfast menu of every McDonald’s.
Also, people may envision a true American hotdog to have been boiled in murky water on the side of the busy street, slathered with ketchup, onions, and relish and all served on a bun that may or may not have been used as the vendor’s pillow a few minutes earlier. However, in Japan, an “American Dog” is the common lingo to a pancakey kind of corn dog.
Now, Japanese convenience store Ministop is taking the “America” out of American Dogs and replacing it with pizza for some junk food hybrid goodness.
MOST POPULAR
Today
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
Kumamoto earthquake may have created Japan’s newest hot spring inside flooded restaurant [Video]
Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Studio Ghibli unveils new finger puppets featuring anime characters from My Neighbour Totoro
Tired of city life? Try out Japanese rural life for a few days on an active volcano in Kagoshima
Weekly
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy- Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show- New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
7-Eleven Japan adds new chocolate fruit gummies to its sweets range, but are they worth the hype?- Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]- Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
Monthly
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films- Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan- Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo- Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Studio Ghibli unveils new finger puppets featuring anime characters from My Neighbour Totoro
Tired of city life? Try out Japanese rural life for a few days on an active volcano in Kagoshima
This Japanese chopping board sanitising bag might be the handy kitchen gadget we never knew we needed
Japan’s new difficult-to-drink-from beer glass protects your liver, but it’s a brutal experience
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
Japanese convenience store Lawson now has stir-fried noodle-cooking robot chefs
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Coco’s Japan is very confident in their chilled ramen, but should they be? [Taste test]
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store drinks with new Grilled Corn Chilled Soup Smoothie
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Resident Evil’s terrifying Licker becomes a bag in Japan that wants to feed you
-
