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If there's one thing that can be said about snacking in Japan, is that it's cute. The country is all about kawaii, the Japanese word that rhythms with Hawaii and literally means the quality of being cute, or items that are cute. And with their brightly colored packaging, unexpected flavors, and adorable logos, Japanese snacks are no exception to the kawaii rule.
Thanks to Amazon, you don't need a flight to Tokyo (or a trip to a Japanese grocery store) to try some of the the country's most loveable, crunchable snacks, which often come in flavors (corn soup!) that are delightfully unexpected. Here are the 13 best Japanese snacks you can find via the online retailer right now.
1. Arare
This classic bite-sized Japanese bar snack is made with glutinous rice flour and flavored with soy sauce, so they have a savory, sort of fishy flavor that goes perfectly with beer. They often have a surprise in the center, like crunchy peanuts or wasabi peas. Arare come in different sizes, colors, and shapes; as a bonus, sometimes the pieces are also wrapped in crispy nori seaweed, too.
BUY IT: Mix Arare Rice Crackers, $14 on Amazon
2. Every Burger Chocolate Cookies
In Japan they make hamburgers in every color of the rainbow, so it makes sense that they'd also make sweet cookies that look like burgers, too. These tiny cookies are sooo kawaii. Filled with chocolate that tastes like Nutella, stuffed with white chocolate "cheese," and topped with toasted sesame seeds on their bun cookies, they also happen to be very delicious.
BUY IT: Every Burger Chocolate Cookies, $4 on Amazon
3. Hello Panda Biscuits
Even though I grew up eating these cute AF panda-shaped snacks, for some reason the matcha-flavored ones I picked up in Tokyo tasted so much better. The classic version is filled with chocolate, but the biscuits come in a range of other flavors, including strawberry, milk, and matcha. Not only are these pandas delicious, they're also fun to play around with before you bite their heads off.
BUY IT: Meiji Hello Panda Chocolate Biscuit, $7 on Amazon
4. Kaki No Tane
Another variation on the rice-cracker theme, these snacks resemble the seeds of persimmon (kaki in Japanese) that they're named after. They're also are a popular bar snack, and usually come mixed with peanuts, because that's never a bad idea. They have an addictive slightly spicy taste, thanks to a hit of chili powder.
BUY IT: Japanese Uegaki Kaki No Tane Hot Rice Cracker, $8 on Amazon
5. Kinoko No Yama
Call it the opposite of truth in advertising: Many Japanese snacks come in shapes that have nothing to do with the flavors they contain. Kinoko No Yama, which literally means "mushroom mountain", are small mushroom-shaped cookies dipped in chocolate, for realistic mushroom coloring. They come in several tempting flavors, including chocolate, cream, and strawberry. There's also a sister product, Takenoko No Sato, shaped like bamboo shoots.
BUY IT: Meiji Kinoko No Yama, $4 on Amazon
6. Matcha Kit Kat
Kit Kat candy bars are just plain better in Japan: they make them in amazing flavors like melon, red bean paste, purple potato, and even sake. But my personal favorite (no surprise), is the matcha. I'm matcha obsessed, and in Japan you can find everything matcha flavored, from caramel corn to Oreos. In fact, the Japanese are so into matcha, you can even find the Kit Kat bars infused with high-quality Ito celebration matcha.
BUY IT: Japanese Kit Kat Matcha Green Tea Flavor, $6 on Amazon
7. Mochi
The iconic Japanese treat, mochi are sweet glutinous rice dumplings, often with sweet bean-paste fillings made with glutinous rice. You'll find gift boxes of these sweets all over Japan, in all sorts of flavors and colors, and you can also purchase the boxes on Amazon as well. Go outside the flavors you can find at TJs, and try lychee, pandan (a green herb used like vanilla in Asian cooking), or chestnut.
BUY IT: Royal Family Japanese Mixed Mochi Mini Assortment (2 Boxes), $19 on Amazon
8. Pretz
These savory stick snacks arrived in Japan grocery stores before the sweet Pocky version (see below). Their flavors are often released on a limited basis (like many snacks in Japan), and have included corn, pizza, tomato, salad, and larb, and their savory flavor makes them delicious alongside drinks.
BUY IT: Glico Pretz Bread Stick Larb Flavour (2 Boxes), $5 on Amazon
9. Pocky
The cult classic Japanese stick snack has gained global popularity, and with good reason: It's a crunchy cookie stick, dipped in flavored icing. The iconic red packaging of the chocolate flavor is classic, but Pocky come in pretty much every flavor, from grape to chocolate-banana to cookies-and-cream. For those who have never tried them, the variety pack is the way to go. For hardcore fans, these massive rainbow pocky (about 11inches long) are a great party snack.
BUY IT: Pocky Biscuit Stick 6 Flavor Variety Pack (Pack of 6), $17 on Amazon
10. Senbei
These crispy, wafer-like Japanese rice crackers are similar to arare, but boast a slightly different (but equally appealing) shape and texture. They are available in hundreds of flavors, shapes, and colors. Try them out with a variety pack, which features blue cheese, corn soup (!!), red curry, seaweed, and sesame seed flavors.
BUY IT: New Japanese Senbei Assortment Bakauke (40 pack), $10 on Amazon
11. Umaibo
The wild packaging of this snack—designed with a carton cat—gives no clue about what lies inside its plastic wrapper. Hint: It's not cat food. Instead, Umaibo, which means "delicious stick," are corn puffs, and they come in a whole slew of flavors, including the sweeter versions of chocolate and caramel and savory ones like takoyaki and cheese.
BUY IT: Assorted Japanese Junk Food Snack "Umaibo" (50 Packs), $13 on Amazon
12. Jagariko
Another stick snack (the Japanese are big fans of the stick snack!), this extra-crunchy take on the potato cup comes in fun cup-like packaging. Take your tastebuds on an adventure with options like Camembert and cheddar cheese, baked sweet potato, and salad flavor.
BUY IT: Calbee Jagariko (Jagarico) Salad Potato Stick With Carrot & Parsley, $4 on Amazon
Bonus: Dagashi Box
Want to try allllll the Japanese snacks? Amazon has tons of options for assorted Dagashi packs, which offer a selection of popular Japanese sweets and snacks, including candy and chips. If you find this box in your mail, it'll feel like Christmas.
BUY IT: Prices vary; Japanese candy Dagashi assortment (22-piece box), $13 on Amazon
Ready to explore Japanese foods even more? Check out our tour of Mitsuwa, the Japanese supermarket:
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn a small affiliate commission.
