Ohayo Tappuri Mango Yogurt

"Ohayo" means "good morning" in Japanese and "tappuri" means "plenty". At first, I thought this was talking about "plenty" of yogurt, which seemed odd considering that this is 4 tiny little portions melded together. Though you only get about 70 grams (about 1/3 cup) of yogurt, the "plenty" applies to the amount of fruit. So, yes, you get about three bites, but each one is packed with fruity bits! Somehow, it still seems like lying in advertising, but I'll grudgingly let them off the hook because this is so tasty.

The company that makes this, Ohayo, has one of those quaint and highly contrived company philosophies which sounds like it was designed by a 12-year-old. It has priorities that all begin with the letter "S" (yes, in English). They are "safety, specialty, service, speed, slim, and smile." On the bright side, the company president actually manages to adopt a grim little smile for his profile picture on the web site because he can't have such a philosophy and adopt the usual grim or stoney look of most businessmen in Japan, so that's one benefit of having a goofy philosophy.

Ohayo is a dairy products company and this is my first experience with their products because I rarely consume yogurt with fruit and sugar mixed in. I usually eat plain yogurt if I'm going to have it, but my change in employment circumstances drew me to this. I now have to pack a lunch a few days a week and these looked like they'd be a nice, sweet finish while still bringing just a tad more to the table nutritionally. Besides yogurt and yogurt drinks, they make pudding, ice cream, and fruit/dairy combo products like smoothies.

This contains both  mango and passionfruit bits in generous amounts for such a small portion. It's only 56 calories, but then it really isn't all that much volume. This is more like a few bites of dessert than yogurt, but it's a very nice mix of intense fruit flavors, moderately sour yogurt and sweetness. It's also cholesterol-free, if that is something important to you. These days, everything in Japan seems to be labeled with regard to cholesterol content. That's a bit odd considering that this is hardly a place where heart disease is the highest risk (cancer is the biggest killer). Frankly, I'm not one of those people who is convinced that dietary cholesterol plays a big role in the formation of bad cholesterol in the body, but that may be me justifying my love of eating eggs for which I'll keel over some day soon.

These are delicious little additions to a meal. If you're the kind of person who craves a bit of a sweet but doesn't want to eat candy, I'd definitely recommend giving this a try to fill your sweet tooth. It's not as good for you as plain yogurt, but it's a damn sight tastier and more convenient for eating on the go. You can find these at nearly any fair-sized supermarket in Japan, along with some other variations like blueberry, kiwi, strawberry, and peach.