There is a tapioca specialty shop within walking distance from Okubo Station and Shin-Okubo Station. It is located at the first intersection you come across when walking towards Higashi-Nakano from Okubo Station. It was nice that they were still open after 7 pm. When you open the door and enter, the smell of oil fills the air, giving the impression that they also serve chicken. However, the smell of oil was so strong that it was difficult to breathe, so I had to wait outside after placing my order. I ordered a Super Orange Fruit with Nata de Coco and a Strawberry Latte with tapioca, which were not on the menu inside but looked delicious on the outdoor signboard. The shop has a counter and small chairs where you can also sit and enjoy your drink. There were many figures displayed in the back of the shop, giving the impression that the owner may be an anime fan. The Super Orange Fruit was a refreshing and fruity juice with a hint of orange, complemented well by the Nata de Coco. The Strawberry Latte was creamy and sweet, allowing you to enjoy the tapioca pearls. Both drinks were generous in size, truly reflecting the Korean style of the shop. This shop accepts payment via PayPay.

I was looking for tapioca around Okubo and found this shop. I feel like I want to have tapioca regularly for some reason. Maybe because my heart is young? This time, I wanted to drink something with matcha and tapioca, so I ordered this one. It's nice that you can customize the sweetness! I enjoyed chewing on the chewy tapioca while sipping it down. I'd like to try other tea drinks besides tapioca if I have the chance. Thank you for the meal!

I stopped by because I was thirsty and wanted something fizzy. They seem to be big on tapioca, but I passed on it because it fills you up quite a bit. They cut the lime and made it after I ordered, and it was served in a sturdy container with a straw. Well, it's just lime soda at the end of the day, but it was delicious.

The old-fashioned red tea with added tapioca seems to have gotten smaller. It's been a while since I've been to Cha Ka Shou tapioca shop, and my favorite tapioca has a slightly firmer texture which I really like. The red tea is too bitter and too strong, it's overwhelming without milk.

After eating a hearty curry at the Agan restaurant following a Strawberry Latte at Daikubo's tea cafe, I came here. I must admit, it's my first time buying tapioca at a specialty store. I'm a bit late to the tapioca trend. First of all, the size is too big. And I didn't know how to drink it, so my friends had to teach me. I remember when tapioca was popular, there were often leftovers thrown away. It's good for Instagram but leaving them behind or littering is not okay. The taste is actually quite delicious! I love strawberry-flavored drinks. The tapioca is so big that it fills you up. It was quite a generous portion. What is the right way to deal with the large amount of tapioca left at the end? For now, I just wanted to say "tapioca."

An older man entered a popular tapioca shop in Okubo. He had heard that tapioca hardens when it gets cold, so it is best to drink it without ice. However, this time they were serving hot tapioca drinks. He decided to order a hot black sugar latte tapioca with cheese cream, opting for less sweetness. The tapioca was chewy and delicious, and the slightly sweet latte warmed his body on a cold November day. He had always felt a bit out of place with tapioca being a trendy thing for young people, but even as an older man, he found happiness in the taste. Just like how the anime "KonoSuba" became popular despite being a typical isekai genre, it's wrong to judge something just because it's trendy. As he reminisced about Aqua and the others being swallowed by a giant frog, he sucked up the large tapioca pearls through the thick straw.

In the area around Okubo, there are many tapioca shops, but one of the top choices might be a place where tapioca really fills you up. The chewiness and substantial feeling of the tapioca are amazing. It's very delicious. So, it might be better to think of it as a meal rather than just a dessert.

In the evening on a regular day, there was a long line inside the shop. This place is not found in Kansai, so I really wanted to go! The menu includes tapioca drinks, cheese cream, smoothies, and they come in flavors like matcha and black tea. I wondered what cheese cream would be like... Does it have tapioca in it? I decided to play it safe and chose the white peach oolong milk tea, a flavor I had never seen before! You can choose the sweetness level and amount of ice. I was happy that choosing no ice was free. After eating the white peach oolong tapioca milk tea ice, I chose no sweetness to have a refreshing drink. The tapioca had a slight flavor and was soft and chewy. There was a good amount of tapioca in the drink, which was quite large even in a medium size. I felt very satisfied! If I had chosen a large, my stomach would have been too full...

I went around 5 pm on Sunday. There were about 3 customers in the store. There was no line. I had been wanting to try the Uji matcha black sugar tapioca here. I really like matcha flavor lately. Normally, I would have definitely chosen milk tea, but today I chose matcha. It cost 550 yen including tax for the small size. The tapioca was hot when it was put in the cup from the pot, then milk and matcha were added. It seemed like there was ice in it, but it wasn't cold. It was more like room temperature. But I think this room temperature feeling is good. I don't want it to be ice-cold. Maybe it would be good hot too. This was my first time, so I didn't customize anything and just had it normally, but next time I want to have it with less sweetness. It was quite sweet. And next time, I want to try the black sugar tapioca milk tea!

≼First Visit on July 8, 2019≽I had decided to come here because it had the highest ratings when I researched beforehand. However, it's quite a walk from the station, and in the opposite direction of the bustling New Okubo. I had some time, so I headed there anyway. This place is also popular, but there wasn't much of a line, which was nice. It might lose its special feeling if there's no line and you can buy right away (laughs). Since I had already had a drink, I decided to get takeout here ▼▼▼✦Tapioca Milk Tea M 500 yenSweetness 70% / Extra tapioca +70 yen✦Tapioca Milk Tea M 500 yenSweetness 30% / Extra tapioca +70 yenI was happy to see hojicha on the menu, but the service wasn't that great. The person at the counter was indifferent and cold. There were so many people in the kitchen, and I couldn't tell who was handling the orders... Oh dear. It was quite disappointing, but I decided it was okay. I'll drink it at home, so it's fine, right? (laughs) I drank it when I got home, and it was decently tasty. It was good that I could adjust the sweetness! However, I feel like many places focus more on the tapioca, and the tea feels secondary. I wish I could taste more of the tea essence. The tapioca was delicious. I wonder if I'll visit again... Thank you for the meal.

Hojicha tapioca milk tea for 500 yen (excluding tax) to go without ice. Normal sweetness level at 70%. In my opinion, hojicha goes best with tapioca. The tapioca has a nice chewy texture. This place really excels in the texture of the tapioca.

In the neighborhood, tapioca seems to be very popular. Just like many others, my kids also enjoy going to tapioca shops whenever they can, and sometimes our outings are planned around visiting a specific tapioca shop. We decided to check out Cha Ka Shou, a popular tapioca shop in the area, with my wife and youngest daughter. We arrived at the shop at 9:25 PM, and there were only 4 people waiting in line. This was lucky for us, considering the long lines during the day. Not knowing how to order, we left it to our youngest daughter. My wife and I ordered the Black Tea Tapioca Milk M for 480 yen (excluding tax) with normal sweetness. We also got the same drink without ice as a souvenir for our eldest daughter who was out. Our youngest daughter ordered the Hokkaido Milk Tapioca for 550 yen. It was our first time trying tapioca. When we sucked it through the thick straw, the tapioca balls came into our mouths. Chewing on them, we felt a chewy and firm texture. We had imagined a sweeter drink, but the black tea was just right, not too sweet and quite delicious. Trying a bit of our youngest daughter's Hokkaido Milk Tapioca, we found it rich and sweet, with the addition of brown sugar. It was a decent first tapioca experience, but not something we would crave to have again. However, with a new tapioca shop opening in our local area and my wife and kids expressing their desire to drink it again, I might end up accompanying them in the future.

I went to a tapioca specialty store in Shin-Okubo to have some tapioca! It was a weekday, but there was a bit of a line. There were many menu options, but I decided to order the popular Black Sugar Latte Tapioca with Uji Matcha in medium size for 550 yen. I chose the sweetness level to be 30%, while my friend chose the Black Sugar Tapioca Milk Tea with 50% sweetness. You could also choose whether to have ice or not, but it wasn't an option for the Uji Matcha. The tapioca pearls were plentiful and chewy! They were big and satisfying to eat. The Uji Matcha Latte had just the right amount of sweetness and was very delicious. The portion was also generous, so after finishing one cup, I felt really full! The Black Sugar Tapioca Milk Tea was also very tasty. I hope they open a store nearby because I want to go again! Thank you for the meal.

Second time at Chagasho! I arrived around 5:30 pm on Sunday and had to wait about 15 minutes. It's always popular no matter what time you come. Last time, I had the regular black sugar milk, so this time I ordered the number one popular item, Uji matcha black sugar tapioca (¥594). The matcha flavor was strong and delicious! The tapioca had a nice chewiness and the black sugar flavor was just right. It was great that there was a lot of tapioca in it! There are so many tapioca shops in Shin-Okubo now, I couldn't tell which one was which (lol).

Here is where I headed after Somao. When you exit JR Okubo Station North Exit and walk towards the intersection of Kitashinjuku 1-chome, you will see a shop on the right corner. The green sign is a landmark with a glass exterior that is casual and natural. It was a little past 2:15 pm on the weekend, and there were about 10 people in line. The store is small, with a counter to order on the left side and five counter seats on the right, but they were already full of high school girls. Some of the menu items are as follows: Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca & Black Sesame M 600 yen, L 650 yen Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca & Homemade Cheese Cream M 620 yen, L 670 yen Black Sugar & Cocoa M 600 yen, L 620 yen Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca & Peanuts M 600 yen, L 650 yen Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca & Oreo M 600 yen, L 650 yen ■ Summer Limited Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca Uji Matcha M 550 yen, L 600 yen Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca Hokkaido Milk M 550 yen, L 600 yen Waited about 5 minutes to enter. When asked about popular items, it was Uji Matcha and Hokkaido Milk. I decided to order Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca Hokkaido Milk for myself and Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca Uji Matcha for my companion (both in size M). I asked for less ice, but they said the sweetness cannot be adjusted. I paid at the same time as ordering, and was given a receipt with a number written on it, and when it was ready, they called out the number. After about 5 minutes, my number was called, and I went to pick up the drinks. They were handed to me slightly warm. Even though they were both size M, I noticed that the Uji Matcha one had a lid with a straw, while the Hokkaido Milk one was packed and had a straw to pierce. Since it was a hot day, we decided to enjoy them in the shade outside the store. At first, they were separated, but we mixed them with the straw. The milk was rich, creamy, and delicious. The tapioca was large and had a chewy texture, with a gentle flavor of black sugar. The sweetness of the milk tea was subtle, and it was refreshing and had a good throat feel when chilled. I only wanted to drink the milk tea, but since the straw was wide, tapioca kept coming in. The large tapioca pearls made it quite enjoyable to drink. I also tried the Black Sugar Latte with Tapioca Uji Matcha, and it had a refreshing matcha flavor, which was also delicious. Embarrassingly, it was my first time trying tapioca milk tea. I loved the gentle taste of the milk tea, the chewy texture of the tapioca, and the flavor of black sugar... everything was to my liking. I had it after lunch, so I left some, but if I had been hungry, I think I could have enjoyed it more and finished it. I thought it would be better to drink it when you have a little hunger rather than for quenching thirst. In the midst of the tapioca milk tea boom, there are shops where you have to wait 30 minutes to buy. In comparison, this place was recommendable as you could buy it with just a short wait even on weekends. Personally, I want to support Taiwanese sweets and drinks and hope they don't just end as a trend. Taiwanese sweets and drinks really fill up your stomach, don't they! (laughs)

It seems that there is a resurgence of the tapioca boom that was popular in the 90s. I had never experienced the first wave of the trend, so this was my first time trying tapioca. The place had five counter seats and allowed outside food, so I got a takeout of cheese powder chicken and paired it with black sugar latte tapioca and black sesame. The tapioca was similar to nata de coco, and personally, I found it to be a bit underwhelming.

I went to a popular tapioca shop in Okubo. I arrived about 20 minutes before opening time and there was no line, which made me doubt its popularity. However, as soon as they opened, a line of about 15 people suddenly formed. Maybe everyone came to Okubo at the opening time. There were many menu options, so I had a hard time choosing, but I ended up ordering the Black Sugar Latte Tapioca & Oreo. The latte had a perfect level of sweetness, with crispy Oreo and chewy tapioca, creating a drink with a fun texture. It had been a while since I had a tapioca drink, but it was really delicious.

Finally, I came to this long-awaited store. I came to Tokyo for a live performance. Ever since I went to Taiwan last year, I've been obsessed with tapioca drinks (laughs). I ordered the Oolong Milk Tea with Tapioca and the Oolong Milk Tea with Grass Jelly. The Oolong Milk Tea with Tapioca was great. The Oolong tea was a bit bitter, the milk was creamy, and the tapioca pearls were big and delicious. The tapioca was chewy and filling, I even skipped a meal. The Oolong Milk Tea with Grass Jelly was similar in taste, but the grass jelly had a mild bitterness and was easy to drink. I'll try something different next time. Thank you for the meal, I'll definitely come back again.

From Ookayama Station to Kotakibashi Street, there is a tapioca drink shop at the intersection. Every time I pass by in my car, there is always a long line, so I was curious about this shop. I finally visited it as I was nearby for work. On weekends, there is usually a long line overflowing onto the sidewalk, but when I went it was a weekday at lunchtime. There were about 5 customers ahead of me. Good timing, I guess? I was able to place my order shortly after arriving, even though there were many menu options. I decided to go with the Uji Matcha Black Sugar Tapioca in medium size for ¥550, which according to the sign is their number one popular choice. After waiting for 2-3 minutes, my drink was ready. I tried it right away. The matcha milk had a refined aroma, and the tapioca pearls were very chewy with a strong black sugar flavor. There were plenty of tapioca pearls, so even though it's a drink, it was quite filling! It was delicious. However, tapioca drinks these days can be quite pricey. You can have lunch at a fast food restaurant for the same price. But as a tapioca drink lover, I was satisfied to be able to enjoy the taste of this popular shop. By the way, I also tried a sip of my friend's Strawberry Milk, and it was fresh and tasty! It seemed like they used fresh strawberries. The Strawberry Milk alone was delicious! They also offer other options like Milk Tea, Jasmine Tea, Oolong Tea, and juice-based drinks like Pineapple. The menu is extensive, so I would like to try something more unique next time.

Even after 8 PM, there are still some people lining up! I ordered the Hokkaido Milk Black Sugar Tapioca. It seemed to be the second most popular item. The Chaka Shou's tapioca is not too sweet, and the tapioca pearls are incredibly chewy compared to other shops. The tapioca pearls are also larger and have a nice gooey texture. One cup is quite filling! The price is a bit higher than other shops, but it's worth it for the authentic taste.