Maccha Banana Shake

As I bought lots of banana from a market and they started to turn black already, I decided to finish them up by making a banana drink!

I didn’t have much ingredients to use in the fridge, so I just added milk and honey to taste.  With a dash of maccha green tea powder, it turned out to be delicious

It was little thick, just how I like it.

<Maccha Banana Shake> makes 1 glass

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• 1 monkey banana (or 1/2 normal banana)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp Maccha powder

Funcy Japanese Drinks

As you may know, there is a wide range of products available in Japan.  Some of the products, you don’t even imagine that exist in this world!  Although I was born and grew up in this country, these things surprise me every time I go back to Japan.

Because of many businesses running across Japan, there are so many competitions going on between those companies.  Drink is an example.  A company produces a pet bottle of green tea named “oishii ocha” (delicious tea) and another company produces green tea named “ureshii ocha” (happy tea).  Naming of drinks is also a war, as company B can’t use a name which has been already taken by company A.  So, you get to see drinks named “o~i ocha” (hey, tea), “kore ocha” (this is the tea” etc etc

A drink company, Sangaria sells some unique drinks.  Standard drinks such as tea, juice and soda …

and …

Beer for kids! 

… NO, of course this is just a soft drink (non-alcohol)  :p  Looks like beer, and the name is “kodomo no nomimono” (kid’s drink).

Sangaria’s popular drink, Osaka’s cafe style mix juice drink is now available as sake (Japanese alcohol drink).  Sangaria’s mix juice is one of my favorite, and now I’m curious to taste this sweet sake drink!

Japan’s Canned Cocktail / Chu-Hi

Cocktails and Chu-Hi have been my favorite alcohol drink since I was a teen.  Chu-Hi is originally made with shochu and carbonated water flavored with various types of syrups such as lemon, green apple and calpis.  ( I used to make them when I was working at Izakaya few years ago )  You can find many types of cocktail drinks and Chu-Hi in Japan.  Even convenience stores sell cocktails and Chu-Hi cans.

Suntory, Kirin and Asahi are the big beverage companies that make canned cocktails and Chu-Hi drinks.  There are standard ones such as lemon Chu-Hi to unique ones such as chocolate cocktail.

Coke x Vodka

Chu-Hi with Maccha Green Tea. Best chilled.

Classic Canned Cocktails -salty dog & fuzzy navle

       Fruity cocktail with ripe tomatoes.

       Milk chocolate with Rum. Only available at

       convenience stores for

       limited time.