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For visitors to Japan, the convenience store is a veritable treasure trove of deliciousness and strangeness. At any godless hour, the welcoming glow of the convenience store is a tempting sight. The staff are unfailing in their politeness, and look kindly past your car crash of a shopping basket filled with late night snacks and chuhai.
For this reason, we at Grape Japan want to introduce to our readers the ever-changing weirdness that can be found at the convenience stores of Japan on a weekly basis. From bizarre combinations, to limited edition wonders, to eyebrow raising engrish, we want to show you it all. This is our most recent haul.
Matcha Green Tea Cheetos
Matcha is an absolute staple in Japan, you only have to look at traditional tea ceremonies to see its cultural significance. It’s a flavour the Japanese just don't get sick of, and it’s also popular overseas due to its health benefits.
Source: (C) Grape Japan
Cheetos probably wouldn't be your first choice for a matcha combo, obviously. But these aren’t normal Cheetos, they are actually a mix between Cheetos and traditional Japanese snack 'karinto'. Even with the matcha’s bitterness, these are still very sweet due to being covered in syrup. Overall a good buy, tastes good and makes a great souvenir. Don't expect the classic Cheetos cheesiness though.
Ore no Miruku Candy
These are just regular hard candies flavoured like ‘Hokkaido Melon’. We only included them to point out how weird the name is. ‘Ore no Miruku’ means ‘My Milk’, using the male form of ‘my’. Whose milk is the candy made out of exactly? We want answers.
Source: (C) Grape Japan
Iyokan Kit Kat
A favourite of tourists, the humble Kit Kat has been elevated by Japan into a number of illustrious limited edition and seasonal flavours. Japanese Kit Kats push boundaries on the regular, with variations such as cough sweet flavour and a whole new type of chocolate.
Source: (C) Grape Japan
Iyokan is a Japanese citrus fruit similar to a mandarin. This flavour has been brought out for spring and in time for people taking entrance exams. Kit Kats are given to students taking exams, as the name sounds similar to ‘kitto katsu’ meaning 'definitely win'. Support for these students is emblazoned on the front, and Kit Kat have taken advantage of this custom further by adding a space on the back for a message so the box can become a delicious post card.
Source: (C) Grape Japan
Takoyaki Caramels
This next item is only availabe in Osaka. Takoyaki is an iconic Osakan street food consisting of octopus pieces in batter, covered in sauce and mayonnaise. As such, it DOES NOT go well with caramel.
Source: (C) Grape Japan
As someone who loves takoyaki, this is blasphemy of the highest order. Only good as a joke present. Zero stars.