My First Bite Of Krispy Kreme

Disclaimer: This is not an advertorial entry and I am NOT paid to write this.

I have always wanted to try the famous doughnut from Krispy Kreme ever since I hear people heaping praise for this doughnut. The last time I paid a visit to Shinjuku which happened to be almost a year ago, I was told by one of my senpai that the long queue was due to people lining up to buy doughnuts but I didn't know that it was for Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I was not aware that Japan has Krispy Kreme outlets until Joann forced me to accompany her to get the doughnuts near Shinjuku station as we do not go down to Tokyo that often. Apparently, there are two Krispy Kreme outlets in Shinjuku but I only got to know about it after more than ten months living in Japan.

However, one weird thing about the Krispy Kreme in Japan is that they sell nuts instead of doughnuts.

Okay, that was just one of my missed-shot on the signboard. Anyway, we decided to tapao the doughnuts back to our place as the time to board our train back was approaching. It was a rare chance for we people who live in places so far up north to get to buy these doughnuts, and that is why even when it was drizzling a bit that time, we just queue-up without even bother to look for umbrellas.

The queue was not that long, partly due to the poor weather. It was stated there that the waiting queue will be around 45 minutes, but we got to place our orders in less than 20 minutes after I queue-up. Just like in some other places like Brisbane, they will give you a piece of original flavour doughnut while you are waiting in the queue. That is when I got my first bite on Krispy Kreme.

Prior to this, I was wondering whether Krispy Kreme doughnuts taste just like any other doughnuts and they are merely being over-rated by people. That was until I bite onto the hot fluffy doughnut and it was just orgasmic delicious. It is easily the best doughnut I have ever tasted. I will make sure I will get another dozen of this doughnuts again the next time I go down to Shinjuku. Even when I took them back to Nagaoka and eat them the following day, the fluffy texture of the doughnuts was still there after I put them into the microwave for a few minutes. I couldn't remember if there is any better doughnuts than Krispy Kreme, not even Mister Doughnut, I guess. Trust me, you ought to try Krispy Kreme whenever you have the chance.

While waiting for my turn to come, the glass wall enabled us to look through the process of producing the original doughnuts. First, they were transferred into some instant oven which made the doughnuts turned from yellow into golden brown in just a matter of seconds.

They were later transferred with conveyor belts to be glazed.

The five of us got two dozens of doughnuts – one dozen of original flavour and another one dozen of assorted doughnuts. One dozen of original doughnuts is priced at 1,500yen (RM50) while the assorted ones cost a little bit more at 1,700yen (RM57). Since we bought one original and assorted doughnuts each, we got to buy them at a discounted price of 3,000yen (RM100).

Some people back home must be thinking that I have gone crazy for spending that much for doughnuts.

The Last Sakura

This would be the last entry I am doing relating to cherry blossoms this year as I feel that there were already quite a number of entries I did before this and it would appear a redundant in the end. Anyway, as a continuation from the cherry blossoms sight-seeing or simply known as 花見 (hanami) that I joined last weekend with the rest of the Malaysians in Nagaoka, this entry will have nothing to do with that gathering but solely focusing on the sakura itself.

There is a building looking like a castle which is turned into museum at one corner of Yukyuzan Park, the place where we had our gathering and I took some time off from the whole gang to have a short stroll around the museum. Well, to be fair, it was meant for me to take some shots at that area. This is the only time of the whole year that I believe that the place offers the best sight with sakura trees around the museum.

Standing majestically on top of a small hill, this white museum offers the chance for visitors to have an aerial look of the town of Nagaoka from the highest floor of one of its tower as you could see from the picture above. Although it has been more than one year since I came to Nagaoka, I have never entered this museum yet, that I don't think it will change anytime in the near future. As you might have guessed it, there is an entrance fee about 600yen (RM20), an amount which I think will not be a worthy visit as it doesn't look as interesting as other castles which I have went before like Osaka Castle.

I just settled with taking a few shots on the castles from the lawn surrounding the museum and joined the rest after that. Didn't I mention that this entry will have nothing related to the gathering? Skipping that gathering part, here are a couple of close-up shots on the sakura which I managed to take at the park.

By the way, there is a small water canal which I will pass each time I head to the train station in the middle of the town. When the spring is here each year, the cherry blossoms planted along the canal make it an amazingly breathtaking sight, especially when they are at the peak of full blooms. That once-a-year sight will usually last for just a few days, before the petals finally fall, which made most of the people who walked pass the bridge would stop by it a while to have a few shots at that scenery. They includes people from the white-collar industries like businessman and office workers who were still in their coat riding on their bike, up to old grandpa who were well-equiped with their sophisticated cameras.

And of course, there were a few who were camwhoring along the area as well.

Fast forward half a year later, the exact location offers a complete different view although there will only be dried leaves remaining on the branches. This is the picture I took around November last year, but I would have preferred it to be taken a tad earlier when most of the leaves were still intact.

Nonetheless, it is not too bad, isn't it?