Japanese candy is pretty good. I think it’s probably why there’s no real crack problem in Japan. Japanese candy has replaced this drug, and it’s way more addicting (okay, maybe not). There are certain candies you can get in Japan AND in other countries around the world. Pocky’s pretty common. Hi-Chew’s like in every grocery store now. Gumi’s pretty common too… then there’s the candy that’s pretty much only in Japan, and you won’t find it anywhere else. Bemmu at CandyJapan.com has decided that it was time to end this injustice, so he started a business that involves him sending you two envelopes of hard-to-find (at least outside of Japan) Japanese candy, twice a month, for ~$24 /month. That’s kind of exciting to me.

CandyJapan.com

Here’s how CandyJapan works, according to the website:

Every two weeks I’ll select some surprise candy and mail it to you in a standard Japanese envelope. There will be variety and you will get to try all sorts of things only available in Japan. There will be some very cute packaging and some new delicious tastes, too.

The envelopes aren’t huge, but considering the cost of buying the candy and shipping it, I feel like $12 per envelope isn’t all that terrible. Sure, it’s more expensive than buying candy from a store directly, but the goal of this service is to get you candy that’s hard or impossible to find outside of Japan.

Now, there are other services that let you get stuff from Japan (if you know what you want or find it in their directory), but what I like about CandyJapan is that you’re on a subscription, and you don’t actually know what you’re going to get every month. You sort of get the thrill that people get when gambling, except you’re guaranteed to win every time.

I’m not sure why I love this idea so much, but I think it has to do with getting a surprise in the mail every couple weeks. I’m hoping that I’ll subscribe then immediately forget I subscribed in the first place. It’s like when you put a twenty dollar bill somewhere in your room, then several years later you find it while cleaning and then you’re like “hey, cool! $20!” Sort of like that, but you get to eat this surprise every two weeks.

If you like Japanese Candy and you like surprises, go check out CandyJapan! I’m literally going to go sign up for it right now to see how it is. I don’t always eat Japanese candy, but when I do I prefer Japanese Candy.

P.S. Want to know when I get my first envelope of tasty Japanese candy? Follow us on Twitter and we’ll tell you there.

P.P.S. Maybe you want to see a video of the candy instead? You should like Tofugu on Facebook to see some of that action.

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If you’re a winner (one of those lucky people pictured above), contact me ASAP so we can choose you a flavor. More info about flavors further down.

So, what if you didn’t win? Well, here’s an option for you, if you want it:

I’ll send you some Gumi, but you’ll have to pay for it. The place I buy it at isn’t the cheapest place, and you might be able to find it for cheaper online, though from what I’ve seen so far other places charge tons for shipping. Still, someone else might have me beat on price; I don’t know, I haven’t really checked. I’ll throw in a handwritten note, though, so maybe that’s worth a little bit? Here are the flavors that are available. Winners, you should pay attention to this too, since you’ll have to choose as well.

• Grape
• Muscat (green grape)
• Kiwi
• Strawberry
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Litchi
• Peach
• Melon
• Orange

Now, I can’t guarentee that I’ll be able to get the one you want (since I get it at a grocery store), so please give me your top three choices, and I’ll do my best to get your #1 if at all possible. You’ve got a week to let me know, because that’s when I’m able to go get them, so if you’re interested in this offer, then do it before then. If you won this contest, please also do it by then. Trying to conserve car trips, ya know?

Here’s the price:

Domestic USA shipping: $10.00 for 1 Gumi + Shipment. $5.00 for each additional flavor.
International Outside USA shipping: $15 for 1 Gumi + Shipment. $6.00 for each additional flavor.

Not the best prices in the world, but I also don’t want to have to send out too many either. Still, I think it’s (somewhat) reasonable. You’ll also be helping me to pay my rent this month, though, profit margin is pretty tiny, I think, especially with gas considered into the equation :(

If you send money via paypal before August 21, I’ll send you tasty Gumi. My paypal address is koichiben@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for all that participated, I hope you enjoy Twitter!

I’ve been using Twitter more and more, and I thought I’d invite all of you to follow us! I wrote about Twitter before, and how it can be used to improve your Japanese, but it also has many more “normal” uses as well. Kind of like what we’re doing over on Twitter.

Over on the Tofugu Twitter page, I do updates about Japanese news, notify people about articles that come out here, give little tips on learning Japanese, share small experiences that would help you live in Japan, and much much more. I even will reply to people who Tweet at me (that’s what they call posting…tweeting)!

Visit Tofugu’s Twitter Page

So, for this week only (Until August 12), anyone who subscribes to my Twitter will automatically be entered into a drawing where they can win Gumi candy (グミ). Five people chosen at random will get one bag of this friggin’ amazing candy each, and you’ll even be able to choose what flavor you want sent to you. Need more information about how amazing the candy is? Hit the jump and watch the video:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwSQ-IfeSY4]

Also, if you watched the video, you’ll know about my other Youtube channel, which is being tromped on by Tofugu. If you’re interested, and want to listen to my poor Japanese, go and check out Koichiben on Youtube! Heh, and also in the video I mentioned you can subscribe to Koichiben on Twitter as well. And yes, it counts as two submissions (twice the chance of winning some ridiculously tasty candy!)

P.S. Oh, and one way to help manage Twitter and make it easier to follow conversations is by using Twitter programs. I use Twhirl, but you can use whatever you want.

Apparently, somewhere in Nagoya, 外人さん (Mr. Foreigner) “costumes” consisting only of a nose and a pair of eyes are being sold. Not the most politically incorrect costume I’ve ever seen, but I thought it might be good for a chuckle (hopefully). Which makes me wonder, what do you perceive as the attitude Japanese people have toward foreigners? Here’s a little blurb from Wikipedia (the source of nearly all hastily gotten knowledge):

By global standards, Japan is highly homogenous ethnically. Thus, there are some issues which many non-Japanese find insensitive. The debate over these issues parallel the debate over political correctness in the West.

Anyway, you guys, have a good night, whatever you may be doing. We (the Tofugu team) probably won’t be doing much in the way of tricking or treating, so maybe we’ll finish up those other articles we’ve got waiting in the wings.

Source: merefflorescence

** 11/2 Edit: It’s not that Japanese don’t like foreigners. In my opinion, I would say that (generally speaking, of course) they merely find non-Japanese people to be intrinsically different from them. Not that foreigners aren’t human or anything, they’re just different. I think, perhaps, that it has something to do with the idea of uchi (内 or “inside”) and soto (外 or “outside”), too. Maybe we’ll explain this concept further in a different article, if anyone’s interested. Also, I feel that Japanese have a better sense of racial humor in general. They’re not too sensitive about that kind of thing. **