On this day, I visited the area around Yotsuya and Yotsuya Sanchome. Oh boy, I made a mistake. I shouldn't have let my excitement get the best of me. When my spirits are high, it's hard to control myself. If it had just looked "delicious," maybe I could have avoided it, but... when there are elements of an amusement park, it's hard to resist. I had to reflect on this later. The shop that made me realize this is located on Yotsuya Shinjuku Street, called "CHOCI TOKYO." It's a chocolatier that abbreviates "chocolate" to "CHOCI," but it's quite different from your typical chocolatier. As soon as you step inside the store, it's clear. Long cylindrical objects on both sides with colorful spherical grains inside. And there's a twisting mechanism that looks like a gacha gacha exit. Unlike fashionable chocolatiers in France or Belgium, this store has a playful setup that would delight children. This is a chocolate ball specialty store. All the items inside the cylinders are chocolate. To get them out, you have to... turn the gacha gacha-like mechanism. When you turn the gacha, the bottom of the cylinder opens and the chocolate falls out. You turn the gacha, the chocolate falls into a paper bag, and then you pay by weight... that's the style. Oh, once you start, you just can't stop turning the gacha. You turn and turn and turn... Oh, is this how it feels to spend money on gacha games on your phone? (I don't think so). There are over 30... no, maybe 40 different flavors available. An astonishing variety. With dried fruits, nuts, caramel, popcorn... so many different things inside, and the colorful display makes you want to try them all. And this gacha is a bit tricky to control... If you're turning it with excitement, you might end up with more chocolate than you expected, which is dangerous. After I finished putting the chocolates in the bag, the staff said to me, "The bag won't close, will it?" It was embarrassing... I put in too much, so they kindly took some out for me. With such a wide variety, it's hard to decide what to buy... The staff kindly said, "You can try any of them," so I tried a few. It started raining a bit, so they even brought out hot chocolate for me... Their customer service is fantastic. So, I bought plenty and went on my way. Here are the things I tried: - Strawberry Lollipop & Cinnamon Banana Lollipop: Chocolates shaped like lollipops. The center is semi-liquid and gooey. - Strawberry: Dried fruits from Argentina coated in friendly strawberry chocolate. It's delicious, with a bright red color and a sweet and sour strawberry taste. - Pistachio Milk Chocolate: Pistachios from Iran blended with French milk chocolate and pistachio-flavored white chocolate. - Orange Coffee Dark Chocolate: Spanish oranges at the center, coated in French dark chocolate and French grand cru. - Sakura Sour Cherry Dark Chocolate: American sour cherries flavored with tonka beans, coated in French dark chocolate and white chocolate. - Blueberry Dark Chocolate: Blueberries coated in French dark chocolate and white chocolate. - Hazelnut Blue White Chocolate: Hazelnuts from Turkey with seaweed essence for coloring, coated in white chocolate. - Popcorn Caramel Blonde Chocolate: Popcorn coated in French blonde chocolate. - Almond Hojicha Caramel Chocolate: Roasted almonds from Spain blended with hojicha tea, coated in caramel milk chocolate. - Hazelnut Coffee Latte Chocolate: Turkish hazelnuts wrapped in dark chocolate with coffee beans, coated in white chocolate. - Pineapple Dark Chocolate.

The staff were friendly and offered samples, letting me know I could sample all varieties. I didn't try all of them, but unlike GODIVA and Lindt, I felt comfortable shopping here. I didn't know they had cookies, so I bought some of those too! I ended up spending around 5000 yen by getting a little of each variety. Overall, I was very satisfied with my experience.

I decided to check out the Chocoball shop that I had been curious about in preparation for Valentine's Day. Despite being in a location easily accessible from the main street, I somehow ended up at a famous taiyaki shop following Google Maps directions. Lesson learned: don't rely too much and make sure to check the map yourself. But at least I found the taiyaki shop's location, so that's good. The stylish shop interior is predominantly white, with various types of chocolate sweets lined up on the walls. Colorful chocoballs are available for purchase by spinning the handle and choosing your favorite flavor. I have a feeling I might end up buying too much! I'm not even sure which flavor to choose! You can try all the flavors. The staff are cute and friendly, and they explained the products in detail. Since I was short on time, I chose the Nut Mix (Jar) S for 1,650 yen and the Fruit Mix (Jar) S for 1,650 yen, which seemed to offer a variety of flavors. I was also interested in the popcorn coated in chocolate and the cookies with plenty of chocolate chips, but maybe next time. The chocolate melts in your mouth and blends well with the flavors of the nuts and dried fruits in each. Not only are they visually appealing, but they are also delicious. They could make a great gift for someone who appreciates quality or as a thoughtful gesture.

There were many different types of chocolate balls, all of them looking delicious and tempting. I bought some by weight, so I could choose as much as I wanted. I picked a little bit of various types, while my companion filled their bag with their favorite ones. It was reassuring to know that the staff would remove any excess if we put too much. I love the combination of fruits and chocolate, so being able to try so many different varieties in small amounts made me happy. My personal favorites were the orange coffee dark chocolate, pineapple dark chocolate, sakura sour cherry dark chocolate, and banana split vanilla strawberry dark chocolate. They were all delicious.

First visit in June 2022 (No.3706). I had visited the shop in Yotsuya 3-chome before it moved in February 2021, and although I thought it was a good shop, I hadn't been able to revisit. This time, I was gathering information in the Yotsuya area, so I was delighted to visit. This shop specializes in chocolate balls and is operated by "Choci Co., Ltd." established in 2018. A French chocolatier produces the recipes and flavors, using the "Grand Cru" couverture chocolate from the French company "Valrhona," founded in 1922. Valrhona has contract farms around the world to obtain cocoa beans with rich flavors, and is now a top chocolate brand loved by pastry chefs worldwide. Valrhona's "Grand Cru" includes the "Grand Cru Terroir" with distinctive flavors using origin-specific cocoa, and the "Grand Cru Mariage" which is a result of Valrhona's blending technique, known for its delicate and complex aromas and flavors. All chocolate balls are available for tasting, and the basic concept is to purchase by measuring the desired amount by turning the handle yourself. I purchased a variety of products with the help of the staff, including the DIY-MIX (80g) for 1,040 yen + tax and DIY-MIX Premium (20g) for 420 yen + tax. The flavors included Pistachio Milk Chocolate, Pineapple Dark Chocolate, Popcorn Caramel Strawberry White Chocolate, Raspberry White Chocolate, Orange Coffee Dark Chocolate, and Blueberry Dark Chocolate. The products do not contain additives, preservatives, or colorings, making them safe and reliable. Upon trying them, the use of Valrhona's "Grand Cru" was evident in the delicious chocolate balls. The only downside is the slightly high pricing. It may be a good shop for those who appreciate the taste or as a treat for oneself. Thank you for the meal.

■Order: Nut Milk S 1345 yen per 98g (13 yen/g) This is a chocolate ball made by coating various nuts, dried fruits, and other ingredients (such as cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, cherries, bananas, etc.) with various flavors of chocolate (dark, milk, hojicha, Earl Grey, caramel, etc.). There are over 20 different varieties available. Personally, I found the series coated with popcorn to be delicious! The bag shown in the image was priced at 1274 yen for 98g. It seems a bit expensive. It's hard to compare, but in terms of quality, it's like Lindt < Theobroma < Godiva, and Leonidas... around that range. It's tasty, but it may be a bit pricey for everyday use, and it might be perceived as cheaper than the price tag as a gift. ■Miscellaneous: It seems they relocated from Sancho-me at the end of last year. The interior design looks like something from the near future. You can choose your favorite chocolate balls from the dispenser lined up on the wall and twist the faucet. It's fun to choose. I also got to try some samples. The staff, especially the lady, was kind and provided me with various information. They also had a few regular chocolate bars available.

I purchased this very elegant chocolate as a gift, and the recipient was pleased with the stylish packaging. However, be careful in the summer as it may melt easily.

This is a gift I received♡ At first, I thought it was some kind of stone chocolate, but it's totally different and super delicious! It seems to be a product that is particular about not using additives, and when I looked it up later, it seems to be sold by weight, with three types of base chocolate - sweet, dark, and premium - and about 20 different combinations of nuts and dried fruits inside. What I received was a premium assortment♡ It contains four varieties, including mango, strawberry, raspberry, and pistachio. The most popular one is strawberry, which has dried strawberries inside the strawberry-flavored chocolate♡ Mmm♡ Strawberry and chocolate never disappoint (lol) But they're all delicious♡ I want to buy all of them for myself and try them, but it seems to be quite expensive.

★Chocolate Balls★ Made with the finest French chocolate, 100g for 1300 yen ★Strawberry★ Peanut★ Caramel Popcorn