The 10 Best Japanese Sweets

This is the list of 10 popular Japanese snacks that are easy to get, rich in flavor, and fun to look at! You can get them in local supermarkets, or even at convenience stores. Which snacks would you like to try?

JagaRico

Jagarico are crunchy potato chips in the shape of sticks, very popular among Japanese people from children to adults. The basic flavor is ‘salad’, but they have many other fun choices such as takoyaki flavor from Kansai, or taco rice flavor from Okinawa. Make sure to try these different flavors when you visit each region!

Pocky

Pocky is another long-loved snack, with its stick-shaped biscuits covered with creamy chocolate. It is very portable, each box usually having 2 small packs. Along with basic chocolate flavor, there are also fun flavors such as matcha, strawberry, and all the other seasonal flavors! This snack is so popular, there is even Pocky Day, which is November 11th every year. If you’re in Japan on this day, don’t forget to try some Pocky!

Umaibo

‘Umaibo’, literally meaning ‘tasty stick’, is made of puffed corn and comes in many unique flavors. They have over 60 different flavors, including teriyaki, corn potage, mentaiko and so on. It would be fun to try a couple of flavors and decide which one was your favorite!

Kinoko no Yama / Takenoko no Sato

There is always a fun debate on which one of these tastes better. They come from the same brand, Kinoko no Yama in the shape of mushrooms and Takenoko no Sato of bamboo shoots. If you are new, make sure to try both!

Happy Turn

Small rice crackers coated with the “happy powder”, Happy Turn is another fun snack to try. Salty but a little sweet, these crackers are very addictive! They are usually oval-shaped, but there are heart-shaped crackers too which are very rare. If you find it, you are very lucky!

Hi-Chew

Designed to recreate the taste of real fruits, Hi-Chew's double layer structure gives you an enjoyable fresh taste at first bite. They have over 50 flavors, including grape, peach, mango, and other local fruits from each region!

Kabukiage

This snack combines two traditional cultures from Japan, ‘Kabuki’, a classical Japanese stage play and ‘Senbei’, a rice cracker that has been loved for a long period of time. Made by blending dark soy sauce, the sweet and salty flavor is something you should try at least once!

Apollo

A cute triangle-shaped chocolate, made with the combination of strawberry chocolate and milk chocolate. This would be a fun souvenir for your friends or family, with its cute package design. If you find a star-shaped strawberry chocolate known as the “Lucky star”, you are very lucky!

Tabekko Dobutsu

Long seller biscuits in cute animal shape. ‘Dobutsu’ means ‘animal’, and the biscuits are in the shape of lions, horses, ducks and many other animals. They have multiple flavor choices including butter, cheese, cafe latte, chocolate and so on. Very gentle taste, perfect for a light snack!

Tongari Corn

A very popular corn-based snack in Japan. The meaning of ‘Tongari’ is ‘pointy’, with each piece of chips having the shape of a cone. This snack has a simple, lightly-salted flavor and is very addicting once you open the box!

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