Depending on where I am, I can head to a Starbucks (they are everywhere here, just like in the states). Sometimes I stop by to grab a feeling of home, but I don't always want to pay Starbucks prices just for a caffeine fix.
There are other coffee shops as well. The majority of coffee shops here have smoking rooms (not including Starbucks). The burnt tobacco smell can permeate the rest of the restaurant and often does. Since the smell of cigarettes gives me an immediate headache followed by an upset stomach, I tend to avoid these shops.
For a cheap and quick fix, I can stop by a convenience store. Unlike the US, convenience stores in Japan are actually convenient. I pay our electric and gas bills at the convenience store. I can buy all sorts of last minute items, like picnic or school supplies. I can also buy a meal, if I so desire. Of course, there are also numerous ways to get your caffeine fix as well.
On this particular day, I opted for iced hojicha tea. Hojicha is roasted green tea that provides just less than half of the caffeine of coffee. It can take away the caffeine craving without causing the anxiety and jitteriness that coffee drinkers experience.
I grabbed a cup from the freezer labeled "Iced Hojicha Latte". After paying for the beverage, I removed the lid to find frozen dark brown tapioca-like beads at the bottom of the cup along with some ice cubes. I put the cup into the special machine and pushed the start button next to the iced cocoa/iced matcha latte image. The machine whirred, adding steamed milk to the cup, and then beeped at me to indicate it was done. I pulled out my frothy beverage and mixed it with a stir stick to make sure all the little pearls had dissolved.
The hojicha latte was nice. It was cold, refreshing, and gave me just enough caffeine to get over the afternoon hump. Of course, it wasn't the best hojicha latte I've ever had. But it was fast, easy, cheap (less than ¥200/$1.90), and satisfying.
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