Kaneya - Oct 02 2024
Discovering Japanese KitKat Culture
A Flavor Journey from Classic to Regional Exclusives
ＫitKat first went on sale in 1935 and has been loved for nearly 80 years under the slogan ‘Have a break, have a KitKat’. Today, Japan is the second largest consumer of KitKat after its home country of the UK, with more than 400 different flavors developed, making it a particularly popular souvenir. However, KitKat entered the Japanese market in 1973, which was a relatively late launch. This article introduces KitKat, a unique bit of Japanese culture, focusing on its flavors, promotion, and eating style.
KitKat Flavors: From Classic to Unique
There are five popular year-round flavors of KitKat that are popular in Japan.
1. Choco: The most classic product. It is known for its well-balanced milk chocolate and the crunchy texture of its wafers.
2. Cacao: Dark biscuits are kneaded into the chocolate for a deep, authentic and elegant taste.
3. Wholegrain: Wholegrain biscuits are kneaded into the chocolate for a crunchy texture.
4. Matcha: Crushed biscuits are kneaded into the Uji Matcha flavored batter, providing a deep, bitter, aromatic, and delicious taste.
5. Strawberry: The fragrance and sweetness of strawberries give it a refreshing and elegant taste.
As such, KitKat is the perfect way to enjoy the rich aroma and full, elegant taste of the ingredients, based on the fusion of chocolate and wafers!
You can purchase KitKat at supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies in Japan. The individually packaged mini bars make it easy to have a sigh of relief at home, at work, or anywhere else.
Regional KitKat Flavors
1. Tokyo – Tokyo Island Lemon Flavor:
An aromatic wafer made with refreshing white chocolate with island lemon juice from the Ogasawara Islands, which are registered as a World Natural Heritage Site.
2. Shizuoka/Kanto – Tamuraya Honten Wasabi Flavor:
The spiciness of wasabi from the long-established Tamuraya Honten shop is combined with the sweetness of white chocolate.
3. Shinshu – Shinshu Apple Flavor:
The aromatic wafer, flavored with the refreshingly sweet apples grown in Shinshu, is covered with white chocolate.
4. Kyoto – Ito Kyuemon Uji Matcha Flavor:
The aromatic taste of white chocolate kneaded with Uji Matcha leaves from the long-established Ito Kyuemon tea shop.
5: Hiroshima – Takatsudo Original Momiji Manju Flavor:
Made from the famous Hiroshima Momiji Manju sweet bean paste powder kneaded between the wafers and coated with the Momiji Manju-flavored chocolate.
6. Kyushu – Amaou Strawberry Flavor:
Luxurious Amaou strawberries, known as the ‘King of Strawberries’, are bright, round, tasty and large, and these are used to create a luxurious, delicious taste.
Another unique flavor is the Strawberry Cheesecake Flavor, which is packaged in the shape of Mt Fuji.
These exclusive KitKat boxes are printed with motifs and vivid colors and are a great way to stimulate curiosity about various regions of Japan, whether you are giving a souvenir, receiving one, or simply enjoying a delicious treat.
Flavors of the KitKat Collaboration Project
There are four collaborative flavors on the market as of September 2024.
1. Baskin-Robbins Flavor:
Baskin-Robbins（called 31 Ice-Cream in Japan), which launched in Japan in 1973, has more than 1,200 sales outlets in shopping malls and other locations nationwide, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and is loved by students after school on weekdays and families on weekends, with a wide selection of about 11 seasonal flavors and 20 standard flavors. This time, two flavors have been made in collaboration with trendy ice cream.
(1) Love Potion Thirty-One Flavor: a representation of the flavor that won first place in the ‘2023 Thirty-One Flavor General Election’. It expresses the sweet and sour taste of the popular raspberry juice ice cream flavor with white and milk chocolate.
(2) Choco Mint Ice Cream Flavor: Refreshing mint-flavored white chocolate with thinly-baked cocoa-flavored crisps for a crunchy tactile experience.
2. Sugar Butter Tree Flavor:
Seven ingredients used in the well-known Tokyo souvenir ‘Sugar Butter Tree’ are kneaded into the chocolate to create a combination of crispy texture, butter cream, and wafers.
3. Tokyo Banana Flavor:
Originally a famous banana custard cream cake in the shape of a banana, Tokyo Banana is the inspiration for this KitKat with a banana flavor and a crunchy chocolate texture.
4. Sanrio characters Strawberry Milk Flavor:
This KitKat has a gentle strawberry and milk flavor that is perfect for children.
Moreover, the packaging is printed with popular Sanrio characters and messages, with a total of 28 different designs randomly included.
Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, Cinnamon, and My Melody are well-known and the Sanrio Character Awards, an annual competition for the total popularity of characters, is a hot topic.
Enjoy a cup of tea with your favorite character in hand or find your friend's favorite character and give it to them as a gift! It is sure to be a soothing experience.
Unique way of eating KitKats
KitKat gets some uniquely Japanese promotion. KitKat is known as a good-luck charm for students preparing for entrance exams, as the Japanese pronunciation of the word ‘KitKat’ means ‘surely win’. In Japan, junior and senior high school students face entrance exams in January and February. Therefore, KitKat has created a spring-like cherry blossom package (the blooming of cherry blossoms implies that the dreams will come true) to cheer up the students and their families, teachers, and friends who are supporting them. Messages can even be written on the back of the package.
KitKat's Unique Outer Packaging
KitKat is generally packaged in individual mini bars in Japan, but the outside bag also displays innovation and development. Previously, the outer bag was made of plastic, but from late September 2019, the outside bag of the large bag type KitKats was replaced by a paper package to help reduce plastic waste. Although there were many difficulties in all aspects of production and manufacturing before commercialization, a way was found to convey KitKat's brand value of Passing on our Wishes even in the new paper packaging. The Origami Paper Crane was adopted as the most Japanese symbol for conveying wishes. The packaging, which had previously only been discarded, is now replaced by paper, and the paper bag is used to fold paper cranes, turning it into a communication tool that delivers meaningful messages. Enjoy the taste of Japan and get in touch with traditional Japanese culture through the packaging!
KitKat Arranged Recipes
KitKat has delicious tastes, but its crispy texture and bright color can also be used as a topping for ice cream or cake.
Here we introduce Oshi-Cake, which is made to celebrate the birthday of one’s favorite person or character, and is popular among young people in Japan, mainly on SNS.
"Oshi" refers to your favorite idols, entertainers, and characters from games, anime, or real-life. People enjoy going to live performances and shopping for goods related to their “oshi”.
Through such activities, it is possible to make friends who like the same people and characters, and this is becoming a part of Japanese culture.
KitKat comes in various flavors and colors, so you can easily make a special cake at home with just a little extra decorating!
Conclusion
KitKat is loved by a wide range of generations in Japan for three main reasons.
The first is to create souvenirs for tourists, collaborating with local ingredients and traditional specialties.
The second is packaging. Various encouraging messages and popular characters are printed on the front. Also, there is a space on the back where you can write a message of encouragement or appreciation, and if you give it to a colleague or friend, it will certainly improve communication. In Japan, we have a custom of giving small sweets to show our gratitude to those who help us. The mini bar and individual packaging make it easy to express your feelings.
The third is promotion. The paper package symbolizes "Orizuru" (paper crane), and the play on words meaning "surely win" is related to Japanese traditions and seasonal events and is familiar to most people, from everyday life to special occasions.
Therefore, KitKat is closely related to the unique Japanese way of eating and gift-giving culture, so you can not only simply eat it but also enjoy the experience as well. Would you like to taste Japanese culture with KitKat?
ＫitKat is loved by a wide range of generations in Japan for three main reasons. The first is to create souvenirs for tourists, collaborating with local ingredients and traditional specialties. The second is packaging. Various encouraging messages and popular characters are printed on the front. Also, there is a space on the back where you can write a message of encouragement or appreciation, and if you give it to a colleague or friend, it will certainly improve communication. In Japan, we have a custom of giving small sweets to show our gratitude to those who help us. The mini bar and individual packaging make it easy to express your feelings. The third is promotion. The paper package symbolizes "Orizuru" (paper crane), and the play on words meaning "surely win" is related to Japanese traditions and seasonal events and is familiar to most people, from everyday life to special occasions. Therefore, KitKat is closely related to the unique Japanese way of eating and gift-giving culture, so you can not only simply eat it but also enjoy the experience as well. Would you like to taste Japanese culture with KitKat?
Get customer attention by clean visual and video
Make it easy to buy by eliminating stumbling blocks to purchase. Don’t assume customers know which item you’re talking about in your post. Provide a link directly to the product page or just link the product to your blog so they can buy if they want. If it relevant give readers more than one way to get to the product.
Article credit: Heidi Cohen (https://heidicohen.com/use-blog-to-sell/)
