Japanese snack has been popular worldwide because they are not only tasty but also crazy and unique.
As you know, “Japanese Kit Kats” are already famous, look at the crazy kinds of flavors!
Interestingly, many Japanese snacks have seasonal limited editions to stimulate our frustration of consumption.
Sometimes I can know the coming season when seeing staple seasonal flavor in stores.
By the way, there are two types of people who like Japanese sweet snacks or not because Japanese sweets are not so sweet compared with your country.
I prefer the Japanese one though.
Anyway, Kit Kats are already in your shopping list for sure so today I am going to tell you my favorites selections (I am a Japanese and grow up with Japanese snacks) to bring home with you.
Fujiya Country Ma’am
You may not be surprised “Country Ma’am Cookies” because its concept is American Mommy’s homemade cookies.
Fujiya is the confectionery store and restaurant that has been around a long time in Japan so the company has confidence in producing sweets.
Until Country Ma’am cookies were a debut, the Japanese standard of cookies was more like French butter cookies. It was further than soft.
I think the Japanese prefer French butter cookie-like rather than fresh soft cookies because they never had soft cookies. Even I was impressed with soft homemade cookies when I had it for the first time in Canada, I like not-soft cookies still now.
Therefore, Fujiya, had a hard time making it popular for a while.
However, more people got enthralled by cookies just like fresh cookies an American country mom baked today.
Yet, Japanese people prefer crispy texture so they make crisp texture outside and fresh soft inside.
A cookie is packed individually so it lasts longer, handy for taking with you as a light snack, definitely not too sweet, “Country Ma’am” is similar to American standard cookies but different.
One in the picture is Matcha flavor, the seasonal limited edition.
Regular flavors are “Vanilla” and “Choc Chip” flavors.
Fujiya Home Pie
Fujija “Homepie” is one of my favorite Japanese snacks since I was a kid.
I love its crisp texture, and not too sweet but still rich butter flavor.
Simply saying, this is puff pastry cookies.
Also, every two pieces are packed individual bags, so it helps not over-eating.
The French-style pie crust is folded about 700 times! and bake it until crispy.
you can usually find simple butter or chocolate flavor in all season.
Bourbon Chocoliere
“Chokoliere” is definitely in the top 3 of my best Japanese snack.
By the way, when you talk about “Bourbon” as Japanese popular snack company, it pronounces “Burubon” (ブルボン).
It is a tart-shaped digestive biscuit filled with semi-sweet chocolate, which has been stapled chocolate biscuits from 1977.
The digestive cookie is a very savory wheat taste, and the balance of amount with cookie and chocolate is perfect and addictive.
I like freezing them to give more a crisp texture.
Bourbon Alfort
I don’t know someone who doesn’t like “Bourbon Alfort” so far!
Me, a Japanese, love it!
My husband, an American, loves it!!
My friend, a French, loves it!!!
The one side is a digestive cookie and the other side is sweet chocolate (you may say it is not sweet) like a wall-painting.
It is hard to decide which categories “Alfort” should be into cookies or chocolate.
Biscuits made from whole grains stand out for the flavor of wheat and firmly accept the sweetness of thick chocolate!
There are two different sizes, one on the picture is regular size, and the other is the petite version usually found in convenience stores.
I like the petite version because I am not a big fan of sweets, so the sweetness is just perfect for me and also like them frozen.
It has regular sweet chocolate and dark chocolate versions for all season, and also
they have seasonal limited edition flavors too.
I really like Alfort in any version outside of “roasted black sesame seeds” flavor.
Meiji Takenoko No Sato And Kinoko No Yama
It has been battling for decades among Japanese people; Takenoko No Sato VS Kinokono No Yama.
Technically, both are chocolate cookies produced by Meiji.
“Takenoko No Sato” means “The village of Baboo shoots”, and “Kinoko No Yama” means “The mushroom mountain” in Japanese.
Outside of the shape, The big difference between Takenoko No Sato and “Kinoko No Yama” is types of biscuits.
| Kinoko | Takenoko | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Mushroom | Bomboo Shoots |
| Biscuit | Cracker | Cookie |
| Birth Year | 1975 | 1979 |
• Takenoko No Sato
Tasty and crunchy with yummy chocolate that is not too sweet. The best part is certainly a tasty cookie. The top chocolate is made up of two layers even it is the small portion! The upper part is a rich cacao, and the lower part is milk chocolate.
• Kinoko No Yama
Shaped like tiny mushrooms, the stems of these bite-size treats are made from crunchy crackers, while the mushroom heads are made up of two layers of chocolate – sweeter milk chocolate underneath and richer cacao chocolate on top like Takenoko No Sato.
• Winner????
I would say “Takenoko No Sato” has been winning.
Personally, I like it too because of the savory cookies.
Happy Turn
Let’s talk about salty snacks after sweet chocolate snacks.
“Happy Turn” has been popular in Japan, it’s so addictive once you taste.
It is an oval rice cracker produced by Kameda Seika, the large rice cracker company in Japan.
The most addictive feature is covering rich complex flavor powder called “Happy Powder”, contains many amino-acids that give the “Umami” flavor.
You can’t stop licking your fingers after eating.
Almost all Japanese people are addictive “Happy Turn”, there is the specialty shop in Osaka where you can make your Happy turn.
One in the picture is “7-eleven limited version”, which is used 250% more “happy powder” than regular products.
Bourbon Cheese Okaki
This is the staple finger snack for drinking people!
“Cheese Okaki” from Bourbon has been classic rice crackers with complex cheese filling.
Just enjoy the harmony flavor with soy sauce and cheese.
This is the petite version that normally sold in convenience stores.
It is very common that you can see a smaller size of snacks sold in convenience stores.
Calbee Jagariko
Calbee is the staple potato chips company in Japan, and “Jagariko” brought sensational with its very crispy and crunchy potato stick throughout Japan in 1995.
The original target was female high-school student, (who often make a new trend in Japan), the concept was the potato snack that they could bring in their school bag.
Jagariko has been attracting the Japanese customer’s hearts includes me.
Calbee constantly produces new flavors or seasonal flavor so it never gets tired to put the products in the shopping basket.
The regular flavors are “Cheese”(red), “Vegetables”(green), “Jagabata”(Blue-baked potatoes and butter).
You can find unique flavors, (seasonal, regions, new) in convenience stores, but if you don’t care unique and new flavors, better go to regular grocery stores, drug stores because you can get cheaper prices.
Coclusion
How about my favorite selections???
You may already know some or not.
These are definitely much much cheaper to buy in Japan, but still, you can find online.
I know they are sometimes very pricey online. If you live around a Japanese grocery store,
I am jealous of you!
But you can find Japanese snacks in oriental grocery stores also, or sometimes you can find Japanese snacks produced in your country at regular grocery stores.
(Like pocky, you can find easily at Giant Eagle, Walmart, Costco in the US, and also, it is called “Mikado” in European countries.)
Need to know Japanese drinks???
