Japanese Snacks

Brief Overview of Japanese Snacks

Collection of Japanese Snacks

Cute and Tasty Japanese Snacks
Japanese snacks are confectionery that can be bought for a small amount of money. It is said that there are more than 2,000 Japanese original snack foods, and more than 100 new snack foods newly created in Japan. every yearJapanese snacks are sold in almost every kind of shops in Japan, includes convenience stores (Seven Eleven, Lawson, Family Mart, etc.), large shopping malls and supermarkets. Over the years, Japan has come out with some of the most interesting snack foods ever encountered. The flavor combinations defy reason and the cuteness is off the charts, so Japan is basically like the mad scientist of the snack world. Nowadays, Japanese snacks are very popular especially among tourists, as you will see many tourists buy tons of Japanese snacks and bring them back to their countries.

History of Japanese Snack
Collection of Japanese Snacks 2Originally, in the Edo Period, Dagashi (old Japanese confectionery) was made with grains and thick malt syrup, eaten as a snack by ordinary people, and called "ichimon gashi" (one coin confectionery) because of its low price. In some local domains, when stored 'hoshi ii' (dried boiled rice) was disposed of, it was used to make dagashi, which soon became established as traditional local food and which is still sold today. In particular, Sendai Domain, Aizu Domain, Shonai Domain, and Nanbu Domain were well known for this. Dagashi was named to mark the contrast with "jogashi", which were snacks of a higher quality, and in the Kansai area dagashi are also called "zatsugashi" (miscellaneous confectionery). In those days the ingredients for dagashi were limited and the use of expensive refined sugar was prohibited. The phrase 'the sweetness of dried persimmons' is associated with traditional dagashi and it is considered to be reflective of the period. Most of the Japanese snack sold today can trace their origins back to the Meiji Period but many of them were developed after the Second World War; there are many kinds, which are made to be fun to choose and not to bore kids and even adults. Some of them contain a chance to win a small gift, and this is one of the reasons they are popular among kids.

Representative Traditional Japanese Snacks

Karinto

This is a traditional Japanese snack food. Sweet and deep-fried, it is made primarily of flour, yeast, and brown sugar.
Karinto

Kempi

This is a Japanese traditional snack food. They are strips of candied sweet potato, resembling french fries in appearance, but are hard and sugary sweet in taste.
Kempi

Agemochi

Thisi is a traditional Japanese snack food made from fried mochi (sticky rice). The dry mochi is broken into small pieces, about 1 cm cubed, and deep fried.
Agemochi

Arare

This is a traditional Japanese snack food. Arare is a type of bite-sized Japanese cracker made from glutinous rice and flavored with soy sauce.
Arare

Monaka

This is a Japanese traditional sweet made of azuki bean jam filling sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers made from mochi.
Monaka

Representative Modern Japanese Snacks

Pocky

This is a Japanese snack food produced by Ezaki Glico. It consists of chocolate-coated biscuit sticks variations of strawberry, milk, green tea, honey, banana, and cookies and cream flavored coatings.
Pocky

Caramel Corn

This is a Japanese snack food made by Tohato. It is a toasted crunchy corn cracker tastes like caramele pop-corn.
Caramel Corn

Milky

This is a Japanese candy snack manufactured by Fujiya since 1951. It is a milk taste soft candy. Famous Hokkaido milk is used in the candy.
Milky

Hello Panda

This is a Japanese biscuit manufactured by Meiji Seika. Each biscuit consists of a small hollow shortbread layer, filled with either vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate filling.
Hello Panda

Kappa Ebisen

This is a Japanese snack food produced by Calbee. It is a crunchy, shrimp-flavored snack resembling french fries that is very popular in Japan.
Kappa Ebisen

Koara's March

This is a bite-sized cookie snack with a sweet filling. The filling comes in various flavors, such as honey, vanilla, cafe latte and banana.
Koara's March

Pretz

This is Japanese snack made by Ezaki Glico. Like Pocky, Pretz is stick-shaped and comes with a texture similar to pretzels. Unlike Pocky, Pretz is dusted with seasonings instead of enrobed in a flavored fudge.
Pretz

YanYan

Yan Yan is a snack food made by Meiji Seika. It comes in a package with two compartments. One side has biscuit sticks, and the other has chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla flavored frosting used for dipping.
YanYan

Kaki no Tane

This is a common snack in Japan. The two elements of Kaki-no-Tane are small crescent-shaped fragments of senbei (soy-flavored rice crisps), and peanuts.
Kaki no Tane

Hi-Chew

This is a fruit-flavored chewy Japanese soft candy sold by Morinaga. This edible chewing-gum is Japanese invention.
Hi-Chew

Puccho

This is a chewy Japanese confectionery made and sold by UHA. They often contain gummy "balls" of flavor that are more chewy than the rest of the square.
Puccho

Chelsea

This is a Japanese snack produced by Morinaga. It is a classic butterscotch caramel candy with two tastes, regular taste and Yogurt taste.
Chelsea

Dars

This is a Japanese chocolate snack produced by Morinaga. It is a bite-sized pure chocolate with milk, bitter, and white chocolate flavors.
Dars

Royce Chocolate

Royce is a Japanese chocolate manufacturing brand. It is famous for one of the Japan's finest chocolate selections.
Royce

Pure Gummy

This is a Japanese gummy candy produced by Kanro. Gummies are coated with a layer of rough sour powder and sugar. The texture is softer then gummy bears, but firmer then fruit jellies.
Pure Gummy

Black Black

This is a brand of caffeinated chewing gum produced in Japan by Lotte. The gum's name is derived from its charcoal-like color.
Black Black

Watering Kissmint

This is a Japanese gum snack produced by Glico. It is popular because of its juiciness when you chew it.
Watering Kissmint

Kyabetsu Taro

This is a Japanese snack food made by the Kado. It consists of balls of corn about 3 cm in diameter flavoured with small pieces of nori and Japanese brown sauce.
Kyabetsu Taro

Choco Ball

This is a Japanese chocolate snack manufactured by Morinaga. It consists of delicious chocolate coated balls of peanuts. It has many flavor variations.
Choco Ball

Kinoko no Yama

This is a Japanese chocolate snack produced by Meiji. It is a mushroom shaped snack, with the chocolate 'mushroom' top and the biscuit 'stem'.
Kinoko no Yama

Takenoko no Sato

This is a Japanese chocolate snack produced by Meiji. t is a bamboo shoot tip shaped biscuits dipped in chocolate on the top.
Takenoko no Sato

Pucca

This is a Japanese baked pretzel candy with a chocolate cream center. It is also available in strawberry and milk flavors.
Pucca

Toppo

This is a Japanese chocolate and bread-based snack made by Lotte. It consists of a hollowed bread stick with a filling of chocolate. Flavors include chocolate, vanilla filling.
Toppo

Yukimi Daifuku

This is a Japanese brand of mochi ice cream manufactured by Lotte. It consists of a ball of vanilla ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of mochi.
Yukimi Daifuku

Kataage Potato

This is a Japanese snack food produced by Calbee. It is a potato chips which specially made to emphasize the firmness and crunchiness.
Kataage potato

Bokun Habanero

This is a Japanese snack food manufactured by Tohato. The snack consists of potato rings, and is moderately very spicy. The name means "Tyrant Habanero".
Bokun Habanero

Jagarico

This is a Japanese snack food produced by Calbee. It is a stick shaped potato snack with salad, cheese, butter flavors. It has unique texture of fries and chips in one.
Jagarico

Kara Mucho

Kara Mucho is a Japanese snack food manufactured by Koikeya. The snack consists of potato sticks or potato chips, and is moderately spicy.
Kara Mucho

Jagabee

This is a Japanese snack produced by Calbee. It is a real, thick, natural-cut, potatoes into the perfect grab-and-go snack with lightly salted taste.
Jagabee

Jaga Pokkuru

This is a Japanese snack food produced by Potato Farm located in Hokkaido. This is like jagabee, but it uses only Hokkaido fresh ingredients.
Jaga Pokkuru

Wasabeef

This is a Japanese snack food produced by Yamayoshi. it is a potato chips with taste of hot Wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and beef.
Wasabeef

Bakauke

Bakauke is a Japanese snack food produced by Kuriyama Beika. It is a thin banana-shaped senbei (Japanese rice crackers) with various flavours added.
Bakauke

Dontacos

This is a Japanese snack food manufactured by Koikeya. It is a tortilla chip that comes in four flavours: Mexican Chili, Seafood, Super Hot Chili, and Rich Butter Grilled Corn.
Dontacos

Happy Turn's

This is a Japanese snack food manufactured by Kameda Seika. It is a fried-rice snack covered in a sweet buttery powder.
Happy Turn's

Green Tea KitKat

Green Tea Kit Kat is a chocolate-covered wafer biscuit bar with Japanese green tea taste produced by Nestle.
KitKat Green tea

Apollo

This is a Japanese chocolate snack manufactured by Meiji. It consists of two part of different taste chocolate of Vanilla and Strawberry.
Apollo

Green Tea Oreo

Green Tea Oreo is a sandwich cookie consisting of two chocolate wafers with a sweet Japanese green tea taste creme filling in between.
Green Tea Oreo

Tasty Stick

Tasty Stick is a famous Japanese snack food produced by Riska. It is made by corn base cracker with variety of flavours Pizza, Teriyaki, Curry, Takoyaki and so on.
Tasty Stick

Ottotto

This is a Japanese snack food produced by Morinaga. It contains several seafood shape small crackers in the bag with salt or cheese flavor.
Ottotto

Baby Star Crispy Noodle Snack

This is a Japanese snack food made by Oyatsu Company. It is a noodle shaped crackers with many flavors.
Baby Star

Japanese Snack Brands

Calbee

Calbee

MORINAGA

Morinaga

ROYCE'

ROYCE'

yoku moku

yok mok

KOIKEYA

KOIKEYA

glico

glico

Kameda Seika

Kameda Seika

Tohato

Tohato

Bourbon

Bourbon

Meiji

Meiji

UHA Mikakuto

UHA Mikakuto

House

House

TIROL Chocolate

TIROL Chocolate

Fujiya

Fujiya

LOTTE

LOTTE
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See Also
Encyclopedia of Japan