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- chocolate / Cool / Food Stand / Ginza / Japan / Kit Kat / Kit Kat Chocolatory / Nestle Japan / Sushi / Sweets / Tokyo / Yattai
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You may be familiar with the myriad of adventurous and sometimes intimidating Kit Kat flavors of Japan (which can beautifully be re-imagined as anime characters, by the way), but it's Nestle Japan's high-end Chocolatory stores where you can find "luxury" flavor options made from premium ingredients. In the past they've offered Kit Kat sushi, liquid-nitrogen sprayed Kit Kats, and most recently, a monthly series of Kit Kats that come with a corresponding edible birthstone.
Nestle Japan has been known to tap into the country's deep gift-giving culture, however, even creating a vending machine that lets you personalize Kit Kat souvenirs for friends and family. Their latest effort continues that trend by tapping into a nostalgic Japanese tradition of gift-wrapped sushi, as they are opening up a late-night Kit Kat traditional Japanese food stand, with the purpose of having Japanese families enjoy a premium Kit Kat gift during the end-of-the-year holiday season.
Source: Nestle Japan
The Kit Kats sold at the stand come in a traditionally wrapped sushi-ori, or box of sushi. In Japan, it's not uncommon for those who work until late in the evening to return home with a gift, sometimes sushi-ori, as an expression of gratitude to their families waiting at home. When one travels in Japan, it's also customary to pick up a gift for family or colleagues as well. The beautifully wrapped Kit Kats make for a far less perishable alternative to sushi, but also taps into nostalgia for bringing home a sushi-ori with the auspicious red string wrapped around your finger.
Source: Nestle Japan
On both the gift-wrapping and actual chocolates are messages of gratitude and appreciation. On the chocolates, the phrase "itsumo arigatou gozaimasu" (いつもありがとうございます), or "Thank you everything, always" is written, and the wrapping itself has the shorter "itsumo arigatou" (いつもありがとう), with the same meaning.
Source: Nestle Japan
As the chocolates are marketed (although certainly not exclusively) toward those who work late into the evening, they are being sold at a yattai, or traditional Japanese food stand. Yattai are very often seem as warm and welcoming beacons for those in search of food or drink after many other shops have closed late at night, and are a good source of take-home gifts. The Kit Kats sold at the yattai will be of the Kit Kat Chocolatory's "Sublime" series. While the flavors haven't been officially specified, the Sublime series contains Bitter Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, White Chocolate, Raw Chocolate, and Matcha flavors made from the store's highest-end ingredients. Each box contains three bars, priced at 1,000 yen (sushi-ori set) 1,620 yen ("thank you" message set) a box.
While many overseas target the "wild and wacky" flavors of Japanese Kit Kats, this is a pretty good opportunity to take home a variety of the popular chocolates that features a distinctly Japanese cultural touch. Unfortunately, the stand will only be open during Japanese "end-of-the-year party" bonen-kai season, running from December 11th-December 17th, 2017, open from 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM. The address is below.
東京都中央区銀座 7-2-17 コリドー街 駐車場の一角
Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku Ginza 7-2-17 Ginza Corridor (located in a parking lot)