Tully's Honey Walnut Donut

Two reasons I'm writing this post: 1. I just got an iPhone and wanted to try posting from my phone and 2. to talk about chains in Japan. There are a lot of familiar chains here in Japan and most are worth checking out because of the drastic cultural differences between the East and West expectations and tastes. 7-Eleven is a popular example. 7-Elevens in the States are usually grimy, often times dangerous and always bad for your health. 7-Elevens here are ubiquitous and offer really good food. It's also a bank believe it or not. I'll probably do a post on Japanese Convenient Stores ("Kombinis" in Japanese) in the near future since they play a big role in Japanese life.

I'm digressing. My main point about chains are that they're worth a peak. I am currently obsessed with Tully's. I lived in Seattle for 4 years and probably hit up Tully's once. (Although, it is worth mentioning that Tully's has really good soft serve.) I go to my local Tully's in Tokyo everyday and get a honey walnut donut warm (ワル なっと ドナッと）and an iced coffee (アイス コ ヒ) and read or study Japanese for a few hours. Cafes are very popular hang out spots here, so it's also a great place to people watch. If you're a smoker, you can also sit in the smoking section which...to be honest, is where all the cool people sit. I'm contemplating smoking just so I can join the cool kids. I hardly ever drink hot coffee but am always annoyed that American chains don't carry simple syrup for iced drinks. (Sugar dissolves much slower in cold beverages...) Not a problem in Japan! Gum syrup is everywhere and is just another example of their commitment to customer satisfaction. Also, I finally caved and tried a Swirkle. It's basically Tullys' version of a Frappacino and I think they're trying to play off the word "swirl" but I don't know why there is a K in it. Oh Japan.