Japanese snacks are so good that they've been sold in supermarkets worldwide. You may know and have eaten some of them, but going to Japan will let you have opportunities to get others that are very different from what you've tasted before. You'll be amazed at the expanse of cakes, chocolates and potato chips in so many flavors that you will want to buy as many as possible there. Are you coming to Japan on a trip? If so, good for you! People around you are probably jealous. You can make them feel like kind of they also went to the country by buying cool things for them to eat in the country. Here are 10 snacks as souvenirs to bring back home from Japan and make everyone know how great the country is. You can buy them in supermarkets, convenience stores, drug stores and at the airport.
10 Snacks You Should Get In Japan
Ishiya Co., Ltd. Shiroi Koibito (White Lover)
This is a European-style cookie sandwich manufactured and sold by a Japanese sweets maker Ishiya Co., Ltd. in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Rich chocolate is sandwiched between the cookies. There are two versions of the sweets: Shiroi Koibito White with white chocolate and Shiroi Koibito Black with milk chocolate. You can find them at major airports.
Royce' Potato Chip Chocolate
The unique combination of the salty potato chips and the rich chocolate makes a good harmony of the flavors. Once you begin eating them, you can't stop. Purchasable at big airports.
Rokkatei Marusei Butter Sandwich
Marusei Butter Sandwich is the best long-selling product by a popular sweets company in Hokkaido. Creamy white chocolate spread mixed with raisins is between the biscuits. Available at major airports.
Tirol Choco
Tirol chocolates are as small as blocks of caramel and have been popular with Japanese children since their introduction in 1962. They're highly varied, and more than 114 varieties have been produced. They were originally sold at 10 yen! The company president wanted to let poor kids with little money eat sweets, so he decided the price even before they were made. However, chocolate was expensive those days, and it would have been necessary to determine the price to be more than 15 yen for the cost of the ingredients if the sweets had been made entirely with chocolate, so he lowered the cost by putting nougat in them! Regular ones are available for 20 yen and premium ones are for 30 yen now. Still cheap! You can give many people a little treat as a souvenir if you buy lots of them in a supermarket. Enjoying many flavors of them by yourself will be nice, too.
7-Eleven Fried Potato Shreds Hot Chili
This is my most favorite potato snack these days! I buy it whenever I go to a 7-Eleven store in my neighborhood. The crunchy texture and the taste of it like barbecue with a distinct flavor of red pepper make me addicted to it. A bag of it contains plenty of the shreds. The spiciness keeps me reaching for more until I empty the bag. We make not only savory Japanese treats but also good western snacks like this one. It's a great match to beer! Why not get some bags of it to enjoy?
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Calorie Mate Block
Calorie Mate is a nutritionally balanced food designed to provide modern people who are having a busy life with a dietary support. It can be taken anywhere and gives us nutrients our bodies need. It contains lots of major nutrients (protein, fat, sugars, vitamins, and minerals). When there isn't enough time for a regular meal, it lets you easily supply your body with the nutrients. It's a big problem that many people don't have breakfast these days. Calorie Mate Block was originally created to be a good food to eat in a short time of the morning. Four blocks of shortbread are in a box that is so easy to carry. The cookies taste great with coffee! The snack is very popular in Japan and sold in supermarkets, convenience stores, and drug stores. I love it so much! I eat it with hot black coffee when I'm tired. There are five flavors (original, cheese, fruits, maple, and chocolate). My favorites are the original one and chocolate. I think it's a very good idea to buy some for yourself and your friends when you're traveling in the country.
Kameda Kakinotane (Rice Crisps)
Kameda Kakinotane is a rice snack that is baked and contains no trans fats. A healthier food to snack on than fried snacks. Mixed with peanuts. It's not only for a tea break but also to eat with alcohol. It's a very good match to green tea and wine! The original one is seasoned with soy sauce. There are also other flavors of them like wasabi. Buying a big bag of the snack that contains six small packs is a good idea. Available in supermarkets.
Glico Pocky
This is one of the most well-known Japanese sweets sold in the world. A good combination of high-quality, creamy chocolate and crispy pretzel sticks. The sticks are generously coated with the chocolate except for a small portion at one end, creating a handle to keep your hands off the chocolate and clean. With lots of sticks in a box, Pocky is a great snack to bring people closer. Just open the box and pass it around to share happiness with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Also, bring some Pocky to work or school to have a delicious snack to keep you going. Maybe you've already tasted some of the flavors, but why don't you try different versions sold only in Japan? You may have a variety of them to choose from if you go to a big supermarket in a city area. The boxes are good to carry, so I suggest you buy a few of them for yourself and those who matter to you. It's such an easy-to-eat snack that both you and people you know will have a good time with it.
Calbee Jagariko
Calbee is especially well-known for its potato snacks. Jagariko is a cup of potato snack shaped as sticks. Very crunchy. It was created to be a snack that was easy to carry in the beginning. The maker wanted high school girls to take it in their bag with them. The sticks are also easier to eat than potato chips. The regular flavors are salad, cheese, potato butter and tarako butter. Some of the limited flavors sold only in some regions of Japan are salty onion sauce and mozzarella cheese tomato. It's a kind of food you may want to eat endlessly. Maybe you can not stop eating the sticks until you make the cup empty. The snack tastes even better with tomato ketchup or salsa sauce!
Green Tea Kit Kat
Green tea Kit Kat has become the most popular snack from Japan. Matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea. This Kit Kat has a sweet matcha flavor mixed with creamy white chocolate on crispy wafers. Uji matcha is known as the best one with its rich aroma and thick taste. Leaves of them are richly used in the texture of the snack to enhance the aroma and taste. You can enjoy the authentic matcha in the sweets gracefully. A bag of them contains 12 small packs of the sticks. A variety of unique flavors of Kit Kat that might sound a little crazy to you are also created, and you may want to buy some if you find them. There are plenty of other snacks sold in Japan that contain matcha, too. Try looking for them as well when you go to a place like a supermarket or a convenience store.
- They will be fine until you get home if you buy them at the end of the trip. Make sure you put them in your carry-on luggage because they can be easily crushed. I've had an experience of buying a box of cereal of poor quality from England at a local store for imported goods. A bird food was inside! I guess lots of crushing happened on the way of shipping. So, how are my suggestions? I've selected the products that are so popular with Japanese people, easy to find, and available for a reasonable price. You can get many of them and bring them home at a low cost. Make yourself and others happy with the snacks. Great snacking enriches your life!
View All Comments /Add Comment