Top 10 Japanese Snacks: What's Popular in Japan (2023)
We’re so excited to wish you a Happy New Year from ZenPop! With the new year comes new surprises, and plenty of reasons to treat yourself to a box full of new gifts, experiences, and flavors! We’re counting down our favorite snacks for 2023. From salty chips, to sweet chocolates, to sour candies, there’s sure to be something for everyone to enjoy.
Here are some of Japan's most popular snacks to try in 2023:
- Calbee Potato Chips
- Kinoko no Yama / Takenoko no Sato
- Pure Fruits Gummy
- In Vitamin Jelly
- Bourbon Baum Rolls (Baumkuchen)
- Tohato Caramel Corn
- Karamucho
- Calbee Jagariko
- Fujiya Country Ma'am
- Morinaga Milk Caramel
Calbee Potato Chips
Flavor Profile: Salty, Sweet, Chips
Calbee is a well known brand that specializes in potato products. Their most popular products are their potato chips, which come in a variety of flavors, from salty and umami to ones with slight sweet or spicy kicks. These potato chips are particularly addictive, not only because of the attention to detail on their flavorings, but also because of the way the chips are fried, ensuring a lasting crispyness!
While Calbee has a lot of available flavors, some of our recommendations are the Big Salt chips for fans of the classics, The Pizza Potato chips for those who want to try something unique, and the Honey Butter chips for anyone wanting a little bit of sweetness!
Kinoko no Yama / Takenoko no Sato
Flavor Profile: Sweet, Chocolate, Biscuit
If you’re familiar with Japanese snack culture, you might recognize the familiar shape of a mushroom and a bamboo shoot. These chocolate snacks from Meiji are eternal rivals, with people betting their favorites against each other in an endless debate about which chocolate is better.
“Kinoko no Yama” translates to Mushroom Mountain, and features a chocolate cap on a cookie stalk. Meanwhile, it’s rival, “Takenoko no Sato,” translates to Bamboo Shoot Village– and has a chocolate “roof” on the triangular tip of the bamboo shoot.
People argue about which is the better chocolate, claiming that Takenoko no Sato has a sweeter chocolate flavor, or arguing about how the separation between cookie and chocolate on Kinoko no Yama enhances the biscuit experience. Why not try them out for yourself and pick a team?
Pure Fruits Gummy
Flavor Profile: Gummy, Sweet & Sour Fruit
These Pure gummies are popular snacking treats and come in a variety of fruit flavors, from sweeter ones like grape and cherry to more sour-leaning types like lemon and grapefruit. The fruit taste is not too artificial and has just the right amount of sugar to keep you coming back for more. These are great little snacks after a meal, during work, or in between classes, and are extremely chewy and delicious.
If you’re up for spending a little more, the gummies also have a premium version which includes a gooey, jammy center that melts in your mouth. If you’re a fan of any kind of sour gummy worms, these are definitely worth a try as they take the experience to the next level.
In Vitamin Jelly
Flavor Profile: Sweet, Jelly, Fruit
For the person who’s constantly on the go or wants a quick, filling snack, Morinaga’s In Jelly is for you. This is a jelly package that is full of nutrients and combines the experience of eating and drinking into a single package. It’s also fat-free, in case you’re a little more health conscious!
In Jelly comes in many forms, with supplements for Energy, Beauty, and the daily 12 vitamins, so these are also great if you need a little boost throughout the day or are looking to increase your intake of vitamins and minerals. They’re also great before and after a workout for those who are trying to gain some muscle for their New Year’s Resolutions! These are extremely popular in Japan due to the convenience of getting a nutritious snack in a pouch.
Bourbon Baum Rolls (Baumkuchen)
Flavor Profile: Sweet, Pastry
Baumkuchen is a kind of cake from German cuisine, and is traditionally baked on a spit. The cake has a hole in the center for the spit to go through, and the batter is added layer by layer to create large cakes. These grew in popularity in Japan after being brought to Hiroshima in 1919– and are now a popular wedding gift because of the cake’s ring shape.
These Baum Rolls by Bourbon echo the popularity of Baumkuchen in Japan, and have been one of the most popular snacks around for over 40 years! Unlike the large ring-like cake, these are small, fun-sized individual mini lemon cakes shaped into rolls, including a frosting made of white chocolate on the inside of the roll. For an extremely affordable price, you can get these little confections to snack on when you’re craving something light and sweet.
Tohato Caramel Corn
Flavor Profile: Crunchy, Sweet
Don’t be fooled by the title! Tohato’s Caramel Corn is not like the caramel popcorn you might be thinking of. Instead of popcorn with a caramel drizzle, what you instead get is a puffed corn snack. Think of the puffed Cheetos, for reference, but instead of a cheesy exterior you get a deliciously sweet one. Unlike other types of caramel snacks, these are just sweet enough to be addicting, but not too sweet that you might get tired of them right away!
It’s easy to put away a big bag of these if you’re sharing them with a friend, as snacks for movie night or for an anime-binge.
Karamucho
Flavor Profile: Savory, Spicy, Chips
If you’re addicted to spicy chips like Takis and Hot Cheetos, it might be worth giving these Japanese spicy potato chips a try. These chips are known for being particularly flavorful and addictive– though they aren’t just here for the heat. The name Karamucho comes from the Japanese word for spicy, karai （辛い）, and the Spanish word “mucho,” meaning “a lot.” While the overall flavor is spicy, but also has a heavy garlic and onion undertone that adds to the umami kick.
Calbee Jagariko
Flavor Profile: Salty, Crunchy
Calbee’s other popular product is their potato sticks. These are steamed potatoes that are seasoned, and then fried. The cup-like container makes this great for sharing, or even for eating by yourself! They come in many flavors including limited runs and seasonal specials. These are like french fries that you don’t have to go to a fast food place or cook yourself to get.
The mainstay flavors of Jagariko are Salad, Cheese, Potato Butter, and Tarako (cod roe) butter. Of these, Salad seems to be the most popular flavor among Japanese people, but it’s up to you to decide which you like most!
Fujiya Country Ma'am
Flavor Profile: Sweet, Chocolate, Vanilla
Fujiya’s Country Ma’am cookies are some of the best cookies you can get from the stores in Japan. The texture is always consistently great, with a nice crisp outer section and a soft and chewy middle. The cookies debuted in 1984 and have been a hit ever since! Not only are they delicious, but they’re extremely accessible if you live in Japan– you can find them at almost every supermarket or convenience store.
While they have some standard flavors like Vanilla and Cocoa, they also have “Cocoa For Adults,” which is a darker chocolate, Rich Matcha, and Chocolate mint to choose from.
Morinaga Milk Caramel
Flavor Profile: Sweet, Caramel, Red Bean
Morinaga Milk Caramel first released in 1913, and its iconic yellow packaging and sweet taste became a favorite of consumers for generations. Morinaga prides themselves on having the best selling caramel in the country.
The caramels have a milky taste, and are smooth, soft, and creamy. The little caramel cubes almost melt in your mouth, but are still solid enough to have a good, soft chew and good bite. Since the caramels come individually wrapped, they stay fresh even if you only eat one once in a while. These are worth trying if you’re a big fan of sweets and caramel flavors.
What kind of snacks do you like? Why not try ordering one of Zenpop’s Sweets packs, which features at least a dozen different snacks? From salty to sweet to savory, there’s sure to be something for everyone in each pack. All packs follow a specific theme, so you may even get seasonal or regional exclusives and limited time items! Happy snacking!
