To the surprise of many visitors traveling to Japan, Kit Kats come in all different shapes and sizes compared to even their country of origin, the UK. In fact, Kit Kat Japan have produced over 300 flavors of the popular chocolate snack, many of which you can buy around the country.
As to why the chocolate bar has seen such vigorous marketing in Japan, it boils down to a language quirk that played right into their hands. The translation for Kit Kat in Japanese sounds similar to 'kitto katsu', a phrase which also means 'surely win'. As most students will buy gifts for good luck before exams and competitions, Kit Kat has made for the perfect present. Made even more tempting by the fact that there are so many variations of the candy bar across Japan to try. After spending much our time in Japan overindulging on many of these wonderful flavors, here are our picks of the best flavors to try out.
Edamame Milkshake
We popped these into our mouths, fully expecting the resulting horror of the senses, but it never came. Instead we found something incredible, a flavor combination that weirdly works. After the confusing minute or two for our brains to adapt, we fell in love with these. Actually 'zunda milkshakes' are hugely popular around Japan's northern city of Sendai, along with a number of other sweet edamame snacks.
Peach
Most of the fruit-flavored Kit Kats we've tried have all been pleasantly surprising, but one of our favorites would have to be peach. The creamy peach flavor blends perfectly with the sweet chocolate that doesn't just end up tasting like a 'generic universal fruit flavor' like we expected might be the case.
Hojicha
For those who try to steer clear of sickly sweet flavors, the hojicha (roasted green tea) Kit Kat flavor is perfect. While green tea can often be a little too subtle, the roasted aspect gives it another level of flavor that works extraordinary well with the lightly-sweetened chocolate used for this.
Custard Pudding
A classic Japanese dessert, fairly similar to the French 'creme brulee', Kit Kat have pulled off something ingenious here.
While you can just devour these as is without following the packaging instructions, for the complete experience, users are instructed to cook the Kit Kats in the oven for a few seconds. Through some incredible Kit Kat magic our common brains cannot begin to comprehend, the bar doesn't melt into a messy pool of chocolate, instead just toasting the top of the Kit Kat and giving it that unmistakable creme brulee flavor we all know and love.
Strawberry Cheesecake
Unfortunately these haven't been given the same amount of thought as the creme brulee Kit Kats, the delightful cheesecake texture is clearly missing. Although we're not sure exactly how they'd pull that one off without just making it into a cheesecake however, so we'll forgive Nestle this time. Having said that, these are still delicious and taste exactly what you'd expect from a strawberry cheesecake Kit Kat. Divine.
Strong Matcha
While the standard matcha flavor has already long been a popular Kit Kat flavor in Japan, the more recent 'strong-flavored' Kit Kat is an extra boost for the senses. For those with a love for matcha, this extra strong matcha flavor tastes even better, just enough flavor without being too bitter.
Citrus Blend
If there was ever a Kit Kat perfect for indulging on in the summertime, this is it. The Kit Kat uses a blend of Wenzhou oranges, lemon and limes from the Chugoku and Shikoku regions of Japan to create this zesty white chocolate snack.
The Japanese Kit Kat Flavors You're Better Off Avoiding...
Wasabi
We were intrigued after seeing Japan even has a wasabi flavor of Kit Kat, how would they make such a distinct and overpowering flavor work as a piece of chocolate? Perhaps this is the creation of a flavor entirely new to tingle the tastebuds. Unfortunately however it's exactly as it sounds, chocolate with a very distant wasabi flavor. Like a worker accidently dropped a couple of packets of wasabi into the the huge vat of chocolate and thought he could probably get away with it. Buy them as a prank for your friends, but if you're hoping to please your own senses, look for something else.
Potato
No not sweet potato (Japan has that Kit Kat flavor too and it's great), this one is just plain old potato flavor. We'd be fine if this was Kit Kat's foray into the world of savory snacks, unfortunately it's not that complex and just simply 'potato-flavored chocolate' which honestly, should never be a thing.
Vegetable Juice
That's right. The stuff you buy after a bout of guilty junk-food eating, in an panicked attempt to prevent putting on weight. Drinking it straight down in one long gulp while holding your nose and grimacing at the strange combination of oddly-blended fruit and vegetables. All the flavor and none of the health benefits, it was always going to be a resounding 'no' for this one.
There's Much More
Some other odd Japanese flavors we haven't tried and will probably be avoiding for the near future include apple vinegar, yuzu pepper and soy sauce.
Flavors that we know and love that didn't quite make it onto this list include the boozy rum raisin flavor, milk tea flavor and sweet potato.
There's even a line of premium versions called the Sublime Kit-Kat series, which features high-quality chocolate, albeit priced at ¥400 for one bar.
Where to Buy Kit Kats in Japan
As these Kit Kats make for the perfect souvenirs to bring back from Japan, it's only fitting that there's an actual souvenir store that specializes in selling the different flavors of Kit Kat. If you don't have time to make it out to the actual store, many of the popular flavors can be found at Donki, a Japanese store with locations all over the country.
Kit Kat Chocolatory and Café
Address: 3 Chome-7-2 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo
Open every day from 11AM - 9PM