Have a break, have a wasabi Kit Kat
Chocolate is just the start for Japan’s sweet-lovers
Wasabi, green tea and sake aren’t j ust f oods i n Japan, they’re also a few of the many versions of Kit Kats offered in the country. While the wafer-and-chocolate snacks have been made in more than 300 flavours in Japan, recent offerings from custard pudding to ginger have made the nation the go-to destination for picking up odd variations. They’re so popular among tourists that Nestle is building its first Kit Kat factory in 26 years to meet booming demand.
It’s no surprise, then, that Japan boasts the world’s second-largest consumption of Kit Kats. Nestle Japan will start operating a second factory in the western city of Himeji from next month, dedicated to making upmarket, pricier versions of the snack.
That’s probably a safe bet, thanks to Japan’s tourism boom. Spending by visitors surged to a record 2.5 trillion yen ($30 billion) in the six months to the end of June, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation.
“We have Kit Kat back in Germany, but it’s not the same,” says backpacker Matt Borscak. “The cultural touch makes it interesting. I bought a few packs of the wasabi ones, and I can’t wait to shock my friends.”
A popular destination for fans of the snack is the Kit Kat Chocolatory in an underground shopping centre connected to Tokyo Station, where Nestle sells high-end flavours that can fetch more than 1500 yen per package. Boxes of gourmet seasonal flavours — raspberry and grapefruit — with some costing as much as 3500 yen, or more than 10 times the cost of a regular bag of Kit Kats, are stacked across a counter, wrapped in gold paper.
This week, Nestle Japan opened its renovated Chocolatory flagship store in Ginza, the main shopping district of Tokyo.
“We take pride in our unique flavours and I think that makes Japan special in the Kit Kat world,” says Nestle spokesman Takuya Hiramatsu, noting that the company offers 30 flavours now. He cites matcha as a favourite of tourists and locals alike, with visitors also snapping up flavours like wasabi, sake and purple yam.
While Kit Kat chocolates debuted in Britain in 1935 and are an enduringly popular snack in North America and Europe, consumers in Japan embraced them in part because the product’s name sounds like “kitto katsu,” or “sure win” in Japanese. That has made them a popular gift for people about to sit for an examination, or take on an important project. Packages adorned with phrases like “Do Your Best!” and “Believe in Yourself!” are popular during school entrance exam season.
We take pride in our unique flavours and I think that makes Japan special in the Kit Kat world Takuya Hiramatsu, Nestle