Popular konbini candies コンビニの有名なキャンディ
The best sweet snacks in Japan!
Feeling peckish? Make a stop at konbini (Japanese convenience store) to find something to nibble! Whether you're a chocoholic or want to try something more unusual, Japan is full of sweets of all kinds. Here are fourteen snacks to tempt your sweet tooth!
The essentials
- Kit Kat
The Kit Kat's reputation in Japan is well established. With more than 400 flavors specially created for the Japanese market, a Kit Kat is a must buy if you go to a konbini. Strawberry, green tea, or cheesecake flavor are sold for the more cautious of you, or wasabi, sake or even throat lozenge flavor for the more adventurous, there's a Kit Kat for everyone!
Also note that each region has its own unique versions. Limited edition Kit Kats are sold throughout Japan, which you can only buy in a particular geographical area, such as Hokkaido's grilled corn Kit Kat, or Okinawa's beni imo sweet potato flavored version!
To read : Japanese Kat Kits
- Pocky
A flagship product of Japanese food giant Glico, Pocky are thin, crunchy cookie sticks dipped in chocolate. A huge commercial success from their introduction in 1966, Pocky has also conquered the international market and are now distributed in several countries worldwide. In France, for example, they have been known as Mikado since 1982.
- Toppo
Toppo are made by Korean company Lotte, and are similar to Pocky. The main difference is that the chocolate is inside the stick, rather than outside it. And that makes all the difference!
- Chocoball
Known abroad for their unique marketing strategy (see the ad below!), in Japan Chocoball are popular for their nutty chocolate taste. And although the original product consists of a chocolate-covered peanut, there are now strawberry, caramel and mango flavored varieties.
Other treats
- Ramune Candy
Produced by Morinaga confectionery, Ramune Candy is directly inspired by the Japanese lemonade that bears the same name. Sold in a bottle reminiscent of the traditional soda, Ramune Candy are small tart fruit candies. Traditionally lemon, today there are other flavors too.
See also : Ramune
- Koala no machi
Koala no machi are tiny koala cookies stuffed with a chocolate filling. Each koala has a different expression - an undeniable marketing asset, which has made the biscuit very popular with children, ever since it first went on sale in 1984. Today, it comes in a variety of flavors.
Ramune Candy
Cotton candy flavor Koala no machi
- Konpeito
Small pieces of colored hard sugar candy, konpeito are among the oldest sweets you'll find at konbini. And for good reason, they were introduced to Japan by the Portuguese... in the sixteenth century!
- Apollo
Apollo are strawberry flavored chocolates, and take their name from their distinctive conical shape: like the rockets of the Apollo space mission!
- Dars
Produced by the Morinaga group in 1993, the Dars chocolate bar is popular with both young and old alike. Separated into 12 squares, it's shared among friends in the playground, and between work colleagues during coffee breaks.
- Sakusaku Panda
Loved by young girls for its kawaii design, Sakusaku Panda are small panda cookies filled with chocolate. They also come in strawberry or matcha flavor.
- Ki no Ko and Take no Ko
Whether shaped like mushrooms (Ki no Ko) or bamboo shoots (Take no Ko), these little chocolate cookies are a firm favorite among kids in Japan!
Frozen treats
- Kakigori
Shaved ice covered with syrup, kakigori has been a must for hot summer afternoons in Japan for centuries. Indeed, its first appearance dates back to the Heian period (794-1185) and its popularity hasn't waned since!
Read more : Kakigori
- Soft Cream
Known in Japan as sofuto kurimu (soft cream), this soft-serve ice cream appeared on the archipelago in the 1900s. Traditionally it was flavored with local ingredients such as red bean or matcha. Today, you'll also find vanilla or chocolate.
- Garigari
Created in 1981, Garigari are a kind of popsicle. Coming in different flavors, they take their name from the noise made by teeth when they bite into ice. If your teeth are sensitive to cold, you might want to avoid this!
