o(･｡･～))Oh!
((～･｡･)o Give me a break!
Break me off a piece of that KIT KAT BAR!♪d(*・ω・*)b♪
Time for another silly post about Japanese culture! Yay! This idea actually came from one of my fellow JSP students who ended up doing her Japanese speech on the subject and I have been fascinated by it ever since. This intriguing subject is none other than everyone’s favorite three layers of crème-filled wafer, covered in an outer layer of chocolate confection, the Kit Kat bar.
Now, Kit Kat bars are extremely popular in Japan and range in a wide variety of flavors that include, but are by no stretch of the imagination limited to, maple syrup, melon, vanilla bean, grape, apple, banana, caramel, kiwi, azuki, green tea, yuzu and cherry blossom. The reason for this popularity is traced back to the name Kit Kat because it is very similar to the Japanese phrase kitto katsu (きっと勝つ), which roughly translates to “You will surely win!” According to several sources, this similarity has been the cause of many parents and students buying Kit Kat bars before big exams as a sort of good luck charm. It is sometimes even written on the box that this particular Kit Kat bar was “made to give you the power to succeed.” However, the real pronunciation of the word Kit Kat is closer to kitto katto where katto is interpreted as the katakana pronunciation of the English word “cut,” so the meaning then becomes “you surely won’t make the cut.” I just love how Japan can take something as simple as a candy bar and make it such a significant part of its pop culture. OK, so maybe it is not a huge part of Japanese pop culture, but I have yet to see any connivance store, supermarket, or food stand that does not sell some sort of Kit Kat. Japan has even made prefecture specific Kit Kat bars that are only sold in that prefecture so that you can give them to people as a souvenir. I actually enjoy seeing, and sometimes trying, whatever new Kit Kat flavor Japan has to offer, but they can really be a hit or miss. Next is an image gallery of all the Kit Kat flavors encountered so far. I do not claim that all the pictures are mine as I only started taking Kit Kat pictures recently and a majority of them are from my fellow JSP member’s collection.
What do you think? Any flavors that you really want to try? Any that just sound disgusting? For the most part, all the Kit Kats I have had in Japan have been edible, but some were clearly better than others. Some, I will never personally buy again. I will be sure to update again when I find a new Kit Kat flavor.
tobidasu.wordpress.com 
Oh man, Japanese Kit Kats. Apple flavor sounds really interesting! And I have to wonder what Universal Studios flavor is, exactly. Makes me think it tastes like Jurassic Park or something.
(I saw the link to your blog on your Facebook, so you’ve gained a reader ^^)
They pretty much all sound disgusting except the lemon and raspberry. I love sweet potatoes but in a KitKat bar??? don’t think so. Don’t like green tea so wouldn’t want to try them and the salt and caramel–who thinks of this options?
Yay my first comments!
Alexis >> Apparently the Universal Studios flavor is just marbled white and milk chocolate. My friend said that the two chocolates should not be mixed for the sake of a Kit Kat bar.
Mom >> Surprising a lot of the flavors are really good. I actually really liked the sweet potato one and the ones that I will NEVER eat again are pumpkin, melon, peach, and fruit parfait. They were either way too sweet or the combination of flavors made you want to run to the nearest bathroom. I should send you some of the more yummy ones sometime.
I fly to Japan in 7 weeks and I think the first thing I’ll be buying when I arrive is an Exotic Tokyo raspberry flavoured Kit Kat.. although I’m kind of hoping that this one is available outside of Tokyo as I’m not heading that way! Nice work pulling together all of the flavours!
I have several updates after this post with new Kit Kat flavors that are coming out if you are interested in taking a look. My most recent discovery is an “ume (plum) soda” flavored Kit Kat.
The Exotic – insert name here- Kit Kats tend to be sold at all major stations. I actually never went to Kyushu to find the Exotic Kyushu one. Haha.
I actually have a major craving for an exotic kit kat now! haha.. this is going to be a long 7 weeks ^_^
How could you forget Pineapple? Best Kit Kat I ever had. Can’t wait to go back and have one with a vending machine cup of coffee.
you should check out my other kit kat posts – i think i have a picture of a pineapple one there…i highly recommend the mango pudding kit kat though, it is actually pretty tasty.
Have you tried the Supai Orange flavor yet? Pretty, well, supai but also nice with a cup of tea after work! Will be writing about it on my blog soon…
if you check my more recent kit kat entries you will see that i did “discover” it.
there’s also a watermelon and salt flavor. i think it might have been limited? anyway, i kind of want to try it!
got a picture of that one too later (check my “what i write about” side bar). my fellow alt friend called it “lovely”
mmmmmmm….. I think I’ve died and gone to Heaven. If one can measure the degree of civilization by a country’s variety of Kit Kats (and it’s pretty clear that one can) then Japan is Utopia.
hahaha! i like the way your mind works!
I am from Hamilton Ontario Canada…..now I live in Nova Scotia anyways kit kat is one of my favourite chocolate bars I wish that we would be able to have access to eating flavours like these and not just for the chocolate bars but for pepsi products etc…. I think everyone should have the chance to try all these things… I love trying new things…. God I wish I lived in Japan!!!
I’ve tried the apple and carrot flavoured. Which tastes like a mixture of apple and carrot. It’s weird, but I don’t think I would say it was good.