Old Donuts

At first, you might not think the name Old Donuts sounds very appealing, and while this donut shop in Ikebukuro (Tokyo) may have chosen an odd name, I think you’ll enjoy the backstory.

After watching The Great Gatsby, where Leo DiCaprio’s character keeps saying, “old pal,” the owners liked the sound of it. In their interpretation, old pal meant good friend, and they wanted their donut shop to represent a place to spend some nice, relaxing time with your good friends. With the Japanese penchant for shortening things, they dropped pal and just went with old, and Old Donuts was born.

As for the logo, I don’t have the backstory. 

The donuts have been featured on local TV shows and thus have a following. There has not been a line the times I've gone, but you’ve been warned.

They are known for their cream-filled donuts, and the way they cook the dough is meant to taste slightly undercooked and “raw”. This is just another reason to visit Ikebukuro.

GU

With locations worldwide, you probably know about and shop at Uniqlo, even if you’ve never been to Japan. GU is Uniqlo’s sister brand. While incredibly popular in Japan, GU is much more off-the-radar for most foreigners.

GU is a less expensive version of Uniqlo, and its styles tend to be aimed more at younger people. That doesn’t mean they don’t have all kinds of solid basics for anyone, and other great finds. 

I think of Uniqlo as Japan’s hipper, better version of the GAP. Also, Uniqlo in Japan stocks clothes that USA locations don’t, so it’s fun to check out even if you’ve been to Uniqlo in America or other overseas locations. 

Like Uniqlo, GU also has various collaborations. Some current ones include Harry Potter, Stranger Things, and Metal Gear Solid.

For a fun and inexpensive shopping experience, check out GU on your next Japan shopping trip.

If you happen to live in New York, they’ve recently opened their first USA location there, so New Yorkers can try them out without flying to Japan. While I haven’t tried to order anything online and have no idea if they ship overseas, here’s the GU Global website.

Unique Drinks

Pocari Sweat - Strange name. Good drink. This is a sports drink a la Gatorade. Perfect on a hot day. It’s designed to replenish the nutrients and electrolytes lost from sweating, hence the name.

Royal Milk Tea - Invented in Japan in 1965 by Lipton (Yes, that Lipton), this is an extra creamy milk tea. If you’ve been to Singapore, Hong Kong, or Taiwan you’ve probably had something similar. Royal Milk Tea pairs nicely with sweets. You can order it at a cafe or get it in a can or bottle from a vending machine or konbini. The cafe version will be fancier, better, and pricier, but don’t sleep on the canned vending machine/konbini ones either. It's a fun pick-me-up when you don’t want a coffee. Gogo no Kocha (by Kirin) and Kocha Kaden (by Coca-Cola) are solid choices.

Canned Coffee - BOSS Coffee is by far my favorite of the too-many-to-name brands of canned coffee. It’s fun to find your favorite flavors. I don’t normally drink coffee with milk and sugar, but their Cafe-au-Lait is my go-to canned coffee hot or cold. Pay attention to the colors under the cans on the vending machine. The blue ones have cold coffee and the red ones have hot coffee.

Calpis - Extra-strange sounding name for Westerners. In America, they changed the name to Calpico because they were worried it would be unappealing otherwise. This drink is not easy to describe and certainly not for everyone, but I like it. It’s a bit like Keefer. There are many flavors, and there’s also Calpis Soda, which is carbonated. I generally prefer the carbonated style.

Yakult Yogurt Drink - This tiny drink is meant to promote healthy probiotics. It’s available worldwide so perhaps you’ve already tried it. It has a mild sweet, tart, and yogurt flavor.

Bikkle - Similar to Yakult, but less well known outside Japan. A bit more of an orange creamsicle flavor than Yakult.

Collagen & Vit. C drink - You’ve probably been aware of the potential collagen benefits for your skin since Jennifer Aniston started promoting collagen. Collagen is supposed to work better in combination with Vitamin C. Lucky for us, Japan has combined the two in a handy little drink available at 7-11. It tastes lemony.

Anti-Hangover drinks - The most famous ones are Ukon no Chikara and Hepalyse. These drinks might be the answer to your hangover, but you need to consume one before you go out and start drinking. You can’t have one of these, then drink 15 drinks and think you won’t have a hangover, but within reason, I do think these drinks are helpful.