A practical guide to replacing Taiwanese rice flour, sweet potato starch, taibai powder, glutinous rice flour, and cornstarch with Japanese supermarket ingredients such as 上新粉, 白玉粉, 片栗粉, タピオカスターチ, and コーンスターチ.
A practical Japan-life guide to choosing sugar for Taiwanese cooking: when to use 上白糖, グラニュー糖, 細砂糖, 特砂糖, 三温糖, きび砂糖, and 二砂糖 substitutes.
A practical guide to choosing Japanese sesame oil for Taiwanese cooking in Japan: when to use 深煎りごま油, 濃口ごま油, 黒ごま油, and why 太白ごま油 is too mild for sesame oil chicken.
Use unsalted cooking sake or regular sake 1:1 for everyday Taiwanese cooking in Japan; use rice shochu carefully for sesame oil chicken and other dishes where rice-wine aroma matters.
A practical Japan supermarket guide to choosing vinegar for Taiwanese home cooking: when to use 穀物酢, 米酢, 純米酢, すし酢, and 調味酢.
If you cannot find Taiwanese kansui for alkaline zongzi in Japan, start with two realistic options: edible akujiru for a more traditional ash-water flavor, or food-grade baking soda for the easiest supermarket version.