17 Viewer-Recommended Convenience Store Snacks and 3 Keirin Races: Ryuji and Koyuki's Home Drinking Test

Koyuki handles most of the rating, handing out S and "SSS+++" along with original grades like "A Tehepero" and "S Line." Each time, Ryuji retorts, "Could you please stop inventing new standards?" and the exchange repeats throughout.

First up is 7-Eleven's "Cream Cheese Kimchi." It had been a hot topic on social media, and Koyuki says they had been curious about it for a long time. It costs 298 yen, which Ryuji feels is "a pretty decent price."

After tasting it, both found the cheese firm, closer to processed cheese than cream cheese. They rated the kimchi as spicy and delicious. Koyuki had expected a richer, creamier texture, so it came across as lighter by comparison. Koyuki added, however, that plenty of people would probably prefer this when they're in the mood for something light. Both concluded that the difference from what they'd imagined was "a problem with our imagination," and 7-Eleven was not at fault.

Also from 7-Eleven, the "Smoked Pork Liver" was something Koyuki had been especially looking forward to. Dipping it in the accompanying sauce, both exclaimed in unison that it was "super delicious," and Koyuki declared they would buy some on the way home.

In rating it, Koyuki described it as having "hit the ceiling" and said it was the best convenience store snack they had ever eaten. The reasons given were how well it was cooked and the complete absence of any gamy smell. Ryuji responded that it was "edgy" and "bold." The rating Koyuki assigned later was the equivalent of "SSS+++," which set off a general trend of higher ratings for the rest of the episode.

Lawson's "Fried Rice Vermicelli with 6 Vegetables" was Ryuji's own recommendation, heated in the microwave for 4 minutes and 30 seconds. While waiting, the two talked about fried rice vermicelli they had eaten before. What Ryuji remembers most is the oily, glistening, salty rice vermicelli served at Chinese restaurants.

On tasting it, Koyuki described it as having "a depth a convenience store shouldn't be allowed to offer." The strongly salty flavor hit the spot for both of them, and Ryuji added that it might be too salty for those who prefer mild seasoning, though not overly so.

Koyuki gave it an S, citing its low price, its calorie profile, seasoning that goes well with alcohol, and its suitability as a late-night snack, saying they'd like to keep some stashed in the freezer. Koyuki also praised how little space it takes up. When Ryuji asked whether the rating wasn't a bit high, Koyuki explained that the pork liver got an off-the-charts rating because it's the kind of product you wouldn't expect at a convenience store. Rice vermicelli wouldn't be surprising to find at a convenience store, but this one surpasses those limits, Koyuki reasoned.

With FamilyMart's "Flame-Grilled Beef Sagari," the conversation first turned to what sagari actually is. Ryuji explained that it's a cut from the diaphragm, an offal meat that's closer to lean red meat with little fat. Opening the bag released a barbecue-like aroma, and the meat was tender. Ryuji said, "I might actually really like this," while Koyuki said it was incredibly satisfying.

Koyuki's rating was "A Tehepero." According to Koyuki, it means it's something you'd treat yourself to, thinking, "Oops, I'll just go ahead and buy something this pricey and delicious." On why it didn't reach S, Ryuji said that for this kind of product, the sense is that it should be in the 300-yen range, while also acknowledging that it can't be helped since it's beef.

7-Eleven's "Bacon Pepper Macaroni Salad" was presented as a "nothing to do but drink" pick. Koyuki felt it was a flavor designed with drinkers in mind, and also said it had a nostalgic quality. Ryuji praised how adding crispy fried bacon turns it into a grown-up drinking snack.

Koyuki's rating was "Love." Koyuki explained that when adding bacon, the natural temptation would be to make the flavor more stylish, but holding back and adding just a touch of grown-up flair to a nostalgic macaroni salad showed "love." Ryuji summed it up as "it captures the hearts of drinkers," and Koyuki added that "nostalgia becomes a drinking snack."

FamilyMart's "Mala Peanuts" is a convenient snack you can eat straight out of the bag. It also contains chili peppers, and the two hesitated over whether they were meant to be eaten before trying them. The fried chilies were crunchy and tasty, but the heat kicks in once you finish chewing, they said.

Koyuki's rating was "S Line." Right now there are long lines at malatang restaurants, and the idea is that anyone who wants mala flavor but doesn't want to wait in those lines should just eat this. Ryuji described themself as a spice lover addicted to peanuts and recommended it strongly, saying it's sure to hit the spot for that kind of person, especially since it's cheap.

Here the show moves to the keirin segment. WINTICKET provided 30,000 points, and a representative explained the bare-minimum essentials.

According to the representative, in keirin, riders from the same region sometimes team up to compete, which is called a "line." For example, in the Kinki region, riders from Osaka and other prefectures might team up. The lines can be seen in the "projected lineup" at the bottom of the screen; in this race, 4-1 and 5-2-7 formed lines, while riders 3 and 6 were racing solo. Lines are key to making predictions, but at first you don't need to think too hard about them; it's enough to keep in mind that "these riders are a team" when watching the race. As easy-to-use indicators, the representative pointed to "race points," which show a rider's strength, and WINTICKET's proprietary AI predictions (recommended in the order ◎, ○, △, ×).

Ryuji went with the safe pick of 5-2-1, while Koyuki chose 5-2-7 as a "team pick." During the race, the two got excited without having any idea how it was unfolding, and at the end they thought the white No. 7 had come through, but the actual winner was No. 1. Ryuji said they had mistaken the 7 for a 1. Both missed.

Between races, they also ate a jerky-type dried snack. The product name can't be clearly made out from the subtitles. The two ate it with mayonnaise, saying, "mayonnaise takes on anything" and "you need salt to drink." Koyuki rated it as fitting for a scenario like having a quick drink in front of a convenience store before heading home, and also said it's rare for a dry jerky-type snack to have such a deep flavor. They also talked about how its low fat content lets you drink without guilt.

7-Eleven's "Fried Chicken Wing Midsections" is a frozen food, and Koyuki insisted it tastes best eaten before it's fully thawed. This started when Koyuki couldn't be bothered to heat it up, ate it frozen, and found it surprisingly good. The two compared it frozen and heated.

Ryuji was skeptical at first but, after tasting it, admitted that "the cold one tastes better." As for why, Ryuji speculated that heating it causes the meat juices to be absorbed into the batter, whereas eating it cold might let them come through directly. Ryuji also offered the view that fried chicken is generally frozen after being fully cooked, so it should be fine. However, saying they didn't know why the frozen version tasted better, Ryuji remarked, "I'd kind of like to get to the bottom of this."

For the second race, the representative explained that rider No. 1 was 24 years old and from the 127th class, much younger than the other riders, and that because this was a lower-tier race in the "Challenge" grade, older generations and young riders were mixed together. Koyuki looked at all the riders' faces and built their bet around No. 1.

What they ate during this time was Lawson's "Crispy Salmon Skin Chips." It paired well with mayonnaise, and Koyuki rated it "Triple Salmon." The reasoning was that some people love salmon but dislike the skin, and this snack would win over even those salmon lovers.

The race was decided without them being able to tell which rider had broken away, even while listening to the commentary. Ryuji was impressed by how skillful the commentator's play-by-play was. The result was a major upset, with the trifecta paying out over 90,000 yen on a 100-yen bet. Both missed, but they enjoyed it, saying, "But this is super fun."

With FamilyMart's "Pancetta with Rich, Savory Meat Flavor," the conversation turned to the difference between pancetta and bacon. Ryuji explained that the difference lies in whether it's cooked or not. Besides eating it as is, they also tried an arrangement combining it with egg, which Ryuji said was "practically carbonara." Koyuki's rating was "A+." Ryuji retorted, "If you're going to give it an A+, just make it an S," but Koyuki explained that while it was delicious, the possibilities for arrangements were so endless that it was hard to rate the pancetta on its own. Five pluses would make it an S, but it didn't get that far, Koyuki said.

7-Eleven's "Dried Cured Ham" was a product that had generated a lot of buzz, but it didn't suit either of them. Ryuji said, "It has a smell that cured ham doesn't have," describing it as smelling somewhat oxidized. Koyuki's rating was "Little Green Men," meaning it felt like cured ham from outer space; Koyuki clarified that this wasn't about diversity but "the UFO kind." Koyuki added the caveat that while they didn't care for it much, people who haven't eaten much cured ham might find this one tastier.

The following "Dried Sausage" had an aged quality, and both rated the flavor itself as good. However, it didn't have anything particularly distinctive about it, and their verdict was that it was like tearing open a bag of smoked sausages and leaving it in the fridge.

7-Eleven's "Grilled Salted Beef Tongue" was a product Koyuki had known about for a while, described as thick-cut and satisfying. On its tenderness, Ryuji speculated that it was probably treated with enzymes.

Despite Koyuki's earlier praise, the rating was a fairly low "B-Tongue." According to Koyuki, this was the result of a tug-of-war between how impressive it is to get tongue of this quality at a convenience store and their expectations for the seasoning. Koyuki said the flavor was too strong and felt a bit cheap, adding that since the meat is tender, the seasoning could be more restrained. Even so, Koyuki said it was wonderful that a convenience store carries this meat at all, and Ryuji agreed on that point.

Lawson's "Steamed Shrimp Dumplings" was recommended by Koyuki, who loves dim sum. Both said the texture of the wrapper was good, but felt the filling could use more shrimp flavor. The bamboo shoots came through more than the shrimp, they said. Ryuji suggested eating them with pepper and seasoned salt, or Sichuan pepper salt, and Koyuki said they liked how the distinctive kick of Sichuan pepper made it feel a little more authentic.

The two split on their ratings. Koyuki gave it "A Pao," explaining that they love wrapped, bao-like things and can't help adding an extra notch. Ryuji gave it a "B," judging that while it wasn't bad, it was pricey and, overall, just average.

While 7-Eleven's "Seaweed-Wrapped Chicken" heated in the microwave for 2 minutes and 10 seconds, they ate Lawson's "Crispy Edamame Chips." Both found the flavor a little creamy, and Ryuji said it probably contained an oil like shortening. Ryuji noted that you taste the beans more than the flour, so the bean flavor comes through strongly, while Koyuki's rating was simply "Yum." They also talked about how it resembles the long-standing snack "Beano," but with less of a fried-snack feel, making it lighter and healthier.

The Seaweed-Wrapped Chicken was something Ryuji had especially wanted to try. As soon as they took a bite, both were reminded of sports day lunches. It tasted like eating a rice ball wrapped in aluminum foil with soggy seaweed together with soft fried chicken, they said. They recalled that on sports days at their house, there were fried chicken drumettes seasoned only with soy sauce (with garlic in them, too) and rice balls wrapped in aluminum foil.

Koyuki's rating was "SS Childhood Big Bro." Koyuki started to say "Shut-in Era Big Bro" at first, but rephrased after Ryuji retorted that it was "way too much of an inside joke." Ryuji summed it up by saying that the fried chicken itself is the usual soy sauce flavor and not particularly upscale, but the seaweed's aroma is excellent and it's good that it doesn't do anything unnecessary. Ryuji further noted that deliciousness is also something you feel when memories are evoked, and that there is apparently data showing people find foods they ate in childhood delicious.

Before the final race, Ryuji read the riders' pre-race comments and figured that those who are serious about the main race probably don't talk big. Ryuji bought three combinations spread out from the first and second favorites. Since there had been a string of upsets, Ryuji explained it was "wishful thinking" that the race would finally go according to form.

The 7-Eleven "Snack Crab Sticks" they ate while waiting for the race were highly rated by both. It had a firm texture that tries to replicate real crab meat, giving it an upscale feel, and the mayonnaise flavor was nice too. The flavor is fairly strong on its own, but Koyuki said a light drizzle of soy sauce makes it "taste kind of like a certain conveyor-belt sushi chain," and Ryuji praised its versatility.

The race came down to a close battle for third place, settled with the commentator saying it appeared that a rider who had cut inside from fifth position had made it. The result was 4-5-7. Ryuji missed, but a combination Koyuki had included in their picks hit, paying out in the 15,000-yen range. Having won at the very last moment, Koyuki was openly delighted.

After the experience, Ryuji said that having a bet riding on it made the drinks go down easier, and that it had the same kind of excitement as watching baseball or soccer. Koyuki said that just watching the riders race was moving. They also remarked that it's something you can enjoy when drinking with a group, along the lines of "Hey, let's check out this race."

Ryuji said of themself, "I really can't win, can I," admitting to having a personality that only bets on safe picks. Koyuki said they're the type who wants to take risks.

At the end of the video, Koyuki gave Ryuji a present for their 40th birthday. It was a tool that you insert as a piece of wood into a liquor bottle to add a barrel-aged aroma, with each type of wood giving a different scent. According to Koyuki, it can also be used for arrangements using fruit and the like. Ryuji first chose Mizunara oak and inserted it into a whisky. According to Koyuki's explanation, at this size the aroma changes in half a day to a day, and the difference is most noticeable when used with a young whisky. The video ends as Ryuji remarks that they can already smell the aroma right after inserting it.