Four Japanese Snacks | MARUKAI Market

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Hello and welcome readers, I will be talking about Marukai Market in Little Tokyo.

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I went there recently in the morning to pick up some snacks. Usually, I go there to pick up some bentos or sandwiches from the market. They sell bentos, sandwiches, dessert, and sushi in that section of the market. At Marukai market, they used to sell clothing like t-shirts, but they don’t sell them anymore. As for the carts, you need to use a quarter to be inserted and the cart will be usable. At checkout, there are cashiers and self-checkout. This market is well stocked full of food, cooking ingredients, drinks, vegetables, fruits, and snacks.  

Address: 123 Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka St #105, Los Angeles, CA 90012

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This is a new snack that I have tried. It is rice crackers soy sauce from brand Kameda. They are wrapped in individual wrappers. In a wrapper, there is one rice cracker. The taste of the rice cracker was full of flavor and I could taste the soy sauce right away. The crunch was just right. I gave some rice crackers to my family and they liked the taste and crunch too.

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The next snack is something I have always liked to eat. It is the umaibo snack, Corn Potage. This snack can come in a variety of flavors like cinnamon apple, cheese, chocolate, teriyaki burger, salad and more. Also, the name of the snack literally means “great tasting stick” in Japanese as each piece is shaped like a puffed rod. With one package, there are about thirty umaibo snacks. Each umaibo is wrapped and has an illustration design depicting the flavor. With that amount, I can share with my friends and family. My friends have tried this snack and loved it!

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What interested me with the next snack was the design and the picture. It is the pink salt potato chips. It says Choji approved. I think it may be recognized from Naruto Shippuden from Shonen Jump. The potato chip bag has characters Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. The chips look similar to Lay’s chips. Although the taste is different than expected, the potato chips are light in flavor and crisp. The other flavor that the market had in stock was the scrambled egg.

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Next snack is the Shimi Choco Corn snack. The snack is shaped like little chocolate stars. I believe at first glance; the snack looks like cereal. After tasting it, it has a firm texture and melts like chocolate. It has a very light taste, it isn’t overbearing, and definitely smells like chocolate. I recommend going to the market and buying this snack. I kept eating it, it was very tasty.

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I’d like to mention two art pieces that I have seen while walking around Little Tokyo. The first one can be seen on the back of a bank building called “You and Me,” by Ricardo Gonzalez. You and Me is painted in English and Japanese. You can find the piece at SP120, 120 S San Pedro St. Los Angeles, CA 90012.

A mural painted by artist Yoskay Yamamoto, can be found on the north side of 2^nd street between Central Ave. and San Pedro St. I enjoy seeing it every time I’m walking through on my way to Anime Jungle.  

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Lastly, Terasaki Budokan will open March 12, this Saturday. It will be their grand opening!
249 S. Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles, 90012.

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『Snap Japan in Los Angeles; Little Tokyo Adventure』
Writer: Tribecca Ing
Tribecca blog

(3/9/2022)