This is a different post from my usual fare. It’s nothing to do with finding a tech job in Japan, improving your resume, or a profile of an interesting engineer or entrepreneur.
This is about my favourite snacks in Japan - what I end up buying when I visit a conbini even though I only went to pay the electric bill.
In no particular order, here are my top 5 absolutely best Japanese snacks.
Hi-Chew / ハイチュウ
First marketed in Japan in 1975 by confectionery giant Morinaga, this (typically) fruit-flavoured chewy candy comes in individually wrapped pieces, usually with an outer white coating and a coloured, flavoured inner coating.
Morinaga recently changed the name on its packaging from the hiragana “ハイチュウ” to the English “Hi-Chew” as it aims to take on the world. Having gained popularity in the US via Japanese baseball players in MLB, and with US-based production since 2016, Morinaga USA sales now top USD 100 million per year.
Over 200 different flavoured versions have been released. Grape is the number one selling flavour in Japan but I’m partial to the sweet and sour watermelon and classic green apple myself.
Black Thunder / ブラックサンダー
Named after Raijin, the Japanese god of thunder, Black Thunder is an inexpensive chocolate bar consisting of pieces of cocoa-flavoured biscuit, crisped rice and a chocolate coating.
Launched in 1994 by the Yuraku Confectionery Company, it was initially produced in a small factory in Aichi. Sales were slow at the start but over the years the bar has become increasingly popular and well-loved. This has led to different variants, such as White Black Thunder, and promotions, including limited-edition McDonald’s Black Thunder McFlurry several times since 2017 (delicious).
I don’t know why I like Black Thunder so much. It’s not particularly amazing chocolate but more a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
Karamucho / カラムーチョ
Karamucho are potato crisps or potato sticks covered in a delicious, spicy coating. The name comes from karai (辛い), the Japanese word for spicy, and mucho, the Spanish word for “a lot” or “much”.
Although spicy by Japanese standards, they’re not going to burn your face off. The stick version is much better than the crisps version for some reason, probably due to texture and crunch. I only buy the sticks.
Kinoko no Yama / きのこの山 and Takenoko no Sato / たけのこの里
These seemingly almost identical chocolate snacks were released to the snack-eating Japanese public in 1975 and 1979, respectively.
Kinoko no Yama (“mushroom mountain”) is shaped like a small mushroom with a chocolate-covered cap. Takenoko no Sato (“bamboo shoot village”) are shaped like small bamboo shoots and are mostly chocolate-covered.
With kinoko made with a cracker-like base and takenoko with a cookie-like base, and with differences in the chocolate covering, they do taste different from each other. This has led to an intense rivalry that has included several national polls on which is the best. I like them both about the same.
According to Meiji, their maker, they are “imbued with authentic essence of Japanese countryside!”. So now you know.
Garigari Kun / ガリガリ君
Are popsicles snacks? For the purpose of this article, yes they are. With that out of the way, let’s talk about Garigari Kun.
Garigari Kun (“Crunchy Boy” is a close enough translation) was released in 1981 by Akagi Nyugyo of Saitama. With a frozen shell and crunchy shaved ice interior, it’s inexpensive and sells around 500 million units per year. The most popular flavour is soda and they often have limited-release flavours (cheesecake or corn potage anyone?)
And oh yes – if your Garigari Kun stick has “当り” printed on it you’ve won another Garigari Kun!
That’s my top 5. No Kit Kats or Pocky here. What are you eating?
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